Cricket 1896

450 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. O ct . £9, 1896. News “ declared that the Australians played the old-home style— 1just like Grace, and the rest, you know.’ ” A gain—“ With pleasant weather, as was vouchsafed to-day, a game of cricket is pretty to watch. The players, dressed iu white, with white shoes and long snowy trousers, the batsmen guardiug their little wickets, the bowlers running and throwing the ball, and the alert attention of the fielders, make up a first- class athletic panorama. There is also a keen touch of the ludicrous. If anything can be funnier than a fat Englishman in white clothes and sidewhiskers tearing up and down a little runway, while the perspiration streams off his red, red face, and his breath comes in short gasps, and the crowd dances about him and yells: ‘ Well cut, ’A rry ! Run it out, run it o u t! ’■—the baseballist who watched the sport this afternoon never saw it.” A h e a r t y welcome for a young kinsman in journalism from over the sea. Such I would bpspeak for Australian Crickit: A Weekly Record o f the Game, the first number of which is just to hand. A strong family likeness in many features to its elder brother should at least invite the goodwill of Cricket readers. The name of the famous Australian bowler, C. T. B. Turner, its editor-in-chief, is familiar as a household word to cricketers in both hemispheres. But more than that, its registered proprietor, W. C. Perkins, is a son of H. P., the secretary of the Marylebone Club, which should count for righteousness in cricket matters everywhere. News of the death of G. H. West will have come with something of a shock to a large number of English cricketers, As sporting editor of the Times it had been a part of his duty for some fifteen years to supervise its Cricket News, and his figure was thoroughly familiar on every English County Ground. Of football he had an equal experience, and indeed, his knowledge of athletic sports generally was much above the average. Though, latterly, ill health had kept him more at home, his interest in outdoor games never flagged. He was a worker to the last, and died practically in harness. So far, the available imformation with regard to the visit of a Philadelphian team to England next summer, is con­ fined to the bare announcement of the intention of the Association Cricket Clubs of Philadelphia in the cablegram pub­ lished in the dailies some fortnight ago. Up to date my own personal knowledge is restricted to an opinion from a well- known Philadelphian cricket authority in a letter dated some three weeks since, that a team ought to go over in 1897. At the same time, I may add that, in­ directly, I have heard that the Association Clubs are moving, and that in the event of a team coming, they will play the full strength of English clubs, not barring professionals as on the last occasion. The Committee of the Surrey County Club have been fortunate enough to secure an extension of the lease of the Oval for the longest term the Duchy of Cornwall can give for other than building purposes, that is, for thirty-one years. A considerable increase in the rental was exppcted, and the management of the Surrey C C.C. will have to provide for an annual payment to the Duchy of £750 iustead of £100. The intentiou is to rebuilt the Pavilion, as well as the Club House, but the work, of course, cau not be commenced before the cl >se of next cricket season. N. F. D ru g a has been elected cap'ain of the Cambridge University Eleven for 1897, with C. E. Wilson Hon. Sec:etaiy and H. H, Marriott Hon. Treasurer of the club. G. R. Bardswell will be captain of the Oxford Eleven in suc­ cession to H. D. G. Leveson- Go « er. P. S. Jackson, the Yoikshire cricketer, is making the running strongly for municipal honours at Lstd* for the election next week. His father, the Hon. W. L. Jackson, M.P., began his public career in the same way. F. S. is a candidate for the Bast Leeds Ward. Rumour has it that he is not unlikely to contest East Leeds for a seat in Parlia­ ment in the near future. The Haverford College Eleven have, on their return home, received thoroughly well meiited congratulations from all classes of cricketers on tho result of their visit to England. The tour cannot fail indeed to do a great deal for the game in America, and it is satisfactory to learn that the College authorities themselves have every intention of keeping up the good woik this tri of the Haverfordeans has begun. T h e members of tbe Ninth Aus'ralian Team j u^t reaching home seem to have left quite as favourable an impression in America as ihey had previously in Euglai.fi. The following extract from a letter received Iro n oi.e of the fathers of PhiUd* Iphian cricket will no doubt inter ex’ :— We h id a series of very interesting matches with the Australians, whom 1 look upon as the strongest Australian team we have ever had in this country, and with one exception as the strongest foreign team that has ever visited our shores. Their howlers can do more on a hard wicket than any other men I ever saw, and the team, in addition to being wonderful fielders, are a very fine aggregation of hats. They did themselves ample justice in the second match, where they thoroughly avenged their defeat of 1893 by heating us by an innings and seventy-two runs; but we got hack at them in the last match, in which they did not play in anything like form, and in which our men played much better than they had in the preceding games. They are a very nice set of fellows whom we enjoyed very much having with us, and I felt really sorry when I shook hands with them the other day at the train as they were leaving for Chicago, San Francisco, and home. To a few English cricket readers the sturdy form of Joseph Coates, the head master of the Sydney High School, will still be familiar. For many years he played an active part in Australian cricket. An effective bowler, and a useful all-round cricketer he did excellent service for New South Wales. Though boru in the old country, in Yorkshire if I remember rightly, his connection with English cricket was brief. Happening to be in England during or about the time of the earlier Australian teams, he took part in club cricket here for one season. To the best of my recollection he played at Lords iu one big match, I fancy it was North v. South, on Whit Monday, but am by no means sure of the precise fixture. A really good judge of the game he was in addition much respected in Australian cricket circles. CANADA v. UNITED STATES. P.'ayed at Philadelphia on September 4, 5 and 7. Canada won by 40 runs. The team which went to Philadelphia for this match was not fully representa­ tive of the strength of Canada, but it contrived to render a most satisfactory account of itself. The Americans lost the toss, but there was not a great deal of disadvantage in this, and on the play shewn during the match the best side won. Laing’s record for the match was remark­ able—six wickets for 17in the first innings, and eight for 35 in the second. For the United States, King, the well-known fast bowler, had an analysis, which, if it had not been quite overshadowed by that of Laing, would have been considered remarkable. The real cause of the defeat of the United States was the complete inability of their team to play Laing in the first innings; a panic set in, and MxGiverin, the bowler at the other end, profited by it in a handsome way. Very few good scores were made on either side, but W. H. Cooper and G. S. Lyon made runs in both innings, and their good play had much to do with the result of the match. One of the United States team made double figures in the first innings, but in the second, which was played on a drying wicket, the scoring was better. If it had not been for Laing’s bo .vling in this innings the Canadians would possibly have been defeated, but the fact remains that Laing was all there. Muir kept up his wicket for more than an hour and a quarter for ten runs, and when Biddle was in and began to hit there was a possible chance that the United States might win. C a n a d a . First innings. Second innings. W. H. Cooper, b Patterson 22 c Wood, b King 20 J. T. McIntosh, b K iD g ... 0 c Clarke, b Pat- P. C. Goldiogham, c Brown, teraon ..........13 b King...............................10 b King...........14 G. S. JLjon, c Wood, b Pat­ terson ...............................23 b King............. 1 J. M. Laing.c Wood, b King 1b Patterson ... 23 W . A. Henry, b Patteison 3 c Clark, b Kin^ .. 6 H.Ackland,c Wood, b King 3 cPatterson,bKing 12 E.G. Kybert, c & b Patterson 2 not out.................12 W. C. Little, b Patterson ... 3 runout .......... 0 W. E. Dean, c Clark, b Patterson ........................ 5 b King............ 1 It. B. McGiverin, not out,. 3 c Biddle, b Pat­ terson 1 B 10, w 2 .................12 Extras............14 Total .................87 Total ...117 N E X T ISSUE, T HUR SDA Y , NOVEMBER 26.