Cricket 1896

“ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.” — Byron. wo. 4 3 3 . v o l . xv. THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1 8 9 6 . p b i c e aa. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. HARRY TROTT. So considerable is the responsibility which rests on the shoulders of the captain of an Australian Team that Mr. Trott might well have been excused if he had not entirely succeeded in doing all that was required of him. But he has proved himself to be the right man in the right place, beyond any doubt what­ ever. In fact, he possesses all the qualities which go to make a successful captain, and none of the failings which make a bad one. In 1888 he made his debut in England, being chosen for the team as a bowler ; but while failing with the ball he developed unex­ pected powers as a bat, and came out with the top average. In 1890 and 1893 he increased his reputation, and he has in­ creased it still more during his present visit. He began to play in 1883 with the Capulet Team at Melbourne. “ Of course,” he said, “ we were Juniors. We entered for the Boyle and Scott Cup, but never won it while I was playing, although the club had won it three times before then. At that time I was a batsman, and did not bowl at all. I was a good deal lighter then than I am now. In 1888 I was 11 stone when I left home with the Australian Team; when I went back I was 14 st. 2 lbs. I think it must be that the climate agrees with me, for this year I was 12 st. 12 lbs., and now I am 14 st. 10 lbs. ; but perhaps it’s the exercise. Bean went up a lot when he went to Australia with Lord Sheffield’s Team, and came back something like 14 stone. I don’t know whether he puts it down to the climate or to the exercise.” “ When did you begin to take to bowl­ in g ? ” “ It was in 1885, when I began to play for South Melbourne. Jimmy Slight, our captain, who came over here with one of the teams, had seen me developing a leg break at practice; so in my first match he put me on, and I took seven wickets in each innings. In that year I was top of both the batting and bowling averages—48 in batting, but as to bowl­ ing I couldn’t say ; perhaps it was 18 or 19 runs a wicket. At first I was a good deal at sea in batting, for I had been accustomed to play on concrete wickets— we did not use matting.” “ Do you approve of concrete or matting for juniors? ” “ Not if they can get a really good turf wicket. But in default of that, I say yes, decidedly. I can’t understand why on earth matting isn’t used in England. I have been in your pirki in London on Saturday afternoons, and I can assure you I felt sorry for the thousands of players. It seems madness to bowl fast on such wickets, but the bowlers cheerfully bang away as though they couldn’t possibly do any harm. Now if you were to use matting iu the pirks you would give your batsmen some chance of doing them­ selves justice; as it is now they can’t play with any con­ fidence at all, and get into the worst of faults. I say again that it seems incredible to me that such a simple method of getting good wickets isn’t made use of in England, on grounds where it is absolutely impossible to get a decent pitch.” “ Do you think that there is much difference between English and Australian bowl­ ing at present ? ” “ The chief difference, it seems to me, lies in the amount of break. In Australia a man must learn somehow or other to get a break if he wants to get wickets, and consequently our bowlers are particularly strong on this point. McKib­ bin, for instance, can break on almost any wicket; he is the only bowler I know who breaks both ways with accu­ racy—and his leg break comes more with his arm than any­ thing else. He does not show which way the ball is going to work, like most bowlers. On a sticky wicket he breaks too much and misses bat and wicket and everything ; if he tosses them wide on the off side men can easily leg him. Trumble is bowling better than he ever bowled in his life. In previous trips he has never had the same opportunities as this year, for he had to go on after Turner or Ferris, when men had become set. On sticky wickets they could, of course, get the wickets themselves. Ranjitsinhji, at the dinner which he gave us at Brighton, paid Trumble a very high compliment indeed.