Cricket 1896

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. No. 439. VOL. XV . THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1896. p r i c e aa. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. LORD HAWKE. From the days when, as the Hon. M. B. Hawke, the Yorkshire captain began to take part in first-class matches, he has borne more than his share of the burden and toil of county cricket. He became captain of the Yorkshire team in 1883, and although he was by no means experienced in first - class cricket, he at once proved himself well qualified for the post, and, thanks in great measure to his energy and example, Yorkshire in that year had a more successful season than had fallen to their lot for a long time. The progress of Yorkshire cricket since 1883 is a matter of history, and from the fact that a testimonial is to be presented to him by the county it is obvious that Yorkshiremen recognise how valuable the services of their captain have been. The early experiences of Lord Hawke as a cricketer were not par­ ticularly promising. He was not in the Eton XL. until his fourth year, and did not come into notice until, after two years of private tuition, he went to Cambridge. Here he soon distinguished himself, and except for a year or two when he was out of form he has distinguished himself ever since. Of late years he has generally been abroad with a touring team in the winter. On the main questions of the day in the cricket world the opinions of the Yorkshire captain are always of great interest. It will be remem­ bered that he succeeded in getting his county committee to grant a sum of money to the players in the team during the winter. “ I have been chaffed,” said Lord Hawke, “ about getting my players two pounds a week, but I found that in the very great majority of counties men are either being paid during the winter or weekly all the year round, and as my players expressed a wish to be also paid, I readily brought the proposal before the committee. I feel that the captain is the proper person to repre­ sent the players. They know that we have a very substantial balance—if we had been in low water they would have waited until we were in a better position; and while they feel that they are well paid during the summer, they do not like to be left quite unprovided for in the winter. One has to consider that men while playing cricket have very little opportunity for saving; you expect them to work hard for you all the summer and then cast them off to get what work they can. It has often been said to me that men are all the better for working during the winter, but apart from the fact that they cannot always get work, I don’t believe in men going into hot mills for the winter. You cannot expect in common fairness a man to be the absolute gentleman he is in the summer, and then to like being turned off loose for the rest of the season. An argument which is often brought forward is that players in the old days used to pay a shilling for a bed, a shilling for breakfast, and a shilling for dinner. This may have been so. But nowadays you have a greater number of high-class men, many of whom might be earning a lot of money in other professions, and it is only fair that they shouldbe liberally paid. Now­ adays, too, county cricket is really hard work, and a very great deal is expected of those who play it.” ‘ ‘ Have you any opinion as to whether it would have been wise or not to revive the Cricket Council ? ’ “ I did not express any opinion at the meeting ; I was (here on behalf of Yorkshire, but had no orders one way or another. My own opinion is that the resolution which was passed was quite right. It seems to me that the M.C.C. are perfectly capable of de­ ciding any questions with regard to the counties. They have been somewhat diffident for many years, but they are beginning to see that cricketers look to them to go into matters of importance, and they are ready to do so. I fancy that if the Cricket Council were revived you might find cases of one county voting against another be­ cause it had perhaps stolen a player ; there might also con­ ceivably be cliques formed among the counties. As to such subjects as paying players in the winter you can’t lay down a hard and fast rule, and a county could not be bound by its delegates as to what it should do.” “ Are you in favour of an alteration in the ‘ follow-on ’ rule ? ” “ I am not in favour of doing away LORD H AW KE. [From a Photo by J . BurTcet & Co., India.)