Cricket 1896

82 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A pril 23, 1896. had played a not out innings, and so, when the Derbyshire committee, who had been told by Mr. Wostinholm that I was bom in their county, asked me to play for them in all their matches. I agreed; particularly as the Yorkshire committee had only offered me three matches for the next season and declined to increase the number. Naturally I preferred to play for the county in which I was bom, even though it was only during a chance visit of my parents to Derbyshire that I was bom there. I saw not the slightest hope of ever being regularly in the Yorkshire eleven.” “ How long did you play for Derby­ shire ? ” “ For four or five years. It is possible that I might still have been playing for them but for a circumstance over which neither the county committee nor I had any control. It had been proposed that I should act as secretary for Derbyshire, both for the cricket and football club. I was putintotheofficeofMr. JohnSmith, solici­ tor, the old county cricketer, but I had to leave because I was obliged to be away so often at football matches. After a time I discovered that the county was being robbed by an official, and I pointed this out to some of the committee, who were soon convinced that what I said was accurate, although nothing was done. The same official also failed occasionally to pay me my match money and once when, after I had made 187 against Hamp­ shire, a collection was taken up for me, I did not receive a penny, although there was positive proof that a con­ siderable sum had been collected. As matters seemed to be going from bad to worse I was obliged to accept an engage­ ment at Burnley. I still continued to play for Derbyshire, without a thought of ever playing for Lancashire, but by the time I was qualified the outlook in Derbyshire was so bad for professionals, who have to think of making their living, that when, through the kindness of Mr. Sutcliffe, the president of the Lancashire League, I was recommended to the Lancashire committee, I gladly embraced the opportunity to play for the county. If only the Derbyshire cricket club had been managed at that time as well as it has been of late years, I don’t believe that a single professional would have left the county. There is one thing quite . certain. I have never had cause to regret the step I took, for I have met with the greatest kindness from the county cjm - mittee, and also from all Lancashire men with whom I have come in contact.” “ What sort of a reception did you have when you first played at Derby after leaving the county ?” “ I played there in the next season, and was hooted so vigorously that Mr. Hornby was obliged to stop the match. I felt very much as if I were the villain in a play, and I told Mr. Hornby that as the crowd could not possibly know my reasons for leaving Derbyshire, it was natural that they should be annoyed, and I begged him to go on with the game. He gave way presently, and the first ball after this I made a very big hit. The ball dropped on the roof of the pavilion and broke a couple of tiles. At this the crowd, who were really good sportsmen, cheered as vigorously as they had hooted before, and after this it was all right, and at the present time, I am glad to say, I have very many good friends in Derbyshire. On lob bowlers, Sugg, who hits with tremendous power, has generally been particularly severe. The year before last he made ten fours in succession off Dr. E. M. Grace, and Humphreys, when he was in his prime, learned to fear him. His innings of 169 against the Sussex bowler has been described by Mr. Murdoch as the best he had ever seen against lob bowling. “ I can well remember,” said Sugg “ that he once £ot me out at a critical time, and that we lost the match through it. I was playing for Yorkshire then, at Bramall Lane, and we wanted about 8 to win with three wickets to fall. The Sussex captain took off Juniper and put on Humphreys in his place. To his second ball I ran out, and made it a full toss. The hit, low and skimming to square leg, was perhaps about the best I have ever made, but Jesse Hide was on the boundary in the way of it, and he caught the ball breast high. It was a beautiful catch. The crowd began to cheer loudly when they saw the ball go (for every run was then of the utmost importance), and I daresay that if I had been sufficiently philosophic I might have been amused at the way in which the cheers turned into lameatati ns. The last two men failed to score and we were just beaten.” “ You have made a great number of fine catches yourself ? ” “ Sometimes the catches which look the finest are more surprising to the fieldsman than to the spectators, who of course do not know how nearly he has been to missing them. I remember catching Crossland close in off a tremendous drive. When I saw the ball coming I thought it would knoik out my left eye, and I had just lime enough to put up my hand to ward off the expected blow. In some extraordinary way the ball stuck in my hand, and for a moment I did not know what had happened. One often makes curious catches without knowing anything about them. In a match against Yorkshire I got Peel in the first innings from a low cut by shooting out my left hand on the chance of stopping the ball, which stuck between twofingers. In the secondinnings Peel tried to drive Mold, but the ball went off the edge of the bat like a rocket. Mr. Hornby called out ‘ Sugg; Sugg.’ The ball seemed to be coming directly to me. I put out my hands and waited. Gradually I found myself going forward towards the wicket (I was fielding at extra slip) and when I at last caught the ball with the tips of my fingers, I was a yard or two from the sticks, without knowing in the least how I had got there. But the wind had taken the ball out of its course. When I found that I had made the catch, I naturally felt pleased, and looked round to Mr. Hornby to see what he thought of it. But, as it happened, he hadn’t seen it at all, for he told me that he simply dared not look. I had a somewhat similar catch at Chelten­ ham, only not half such a difficult one, and I made a pretty mess of it, for it fell just behind my back. “ Did you think you would ever become a cricketer when you were a boy ? ” “ I can’t say I did, although when my brother and I were youngsters of about ten, old cricketers who saw us playing about, said that nobody would be surprised if we got on at cricket. I was never lucky enough to meet with anybody to coach me, and there were no old professionals about to give me any advice. I came out first as a wicket-keeper to the Hull Town Club, and surprised myself and my em­ ployers by topping the batting averages with 30 decimal something.” W. A. B e t t k s w o k t h . ADDISCOMBE v. PANTHER.—Played at Catford on April 18th. A ddiscombe . E. Wiltshire, b Lewis 18 8. C. Purser, b Lewis... 9 A. Hughes, c and b. Harpur ..............23 J.H. Purser, c Heame, b Bayley..............10 N. E. Cutler, c Mantle, b Harpur................ 0 H.W. Myatt, c Taylor, b Bayley................ 1 * Innings declared closed, P anther . A. Wiltshire, b Lewis 23 C. 8. Desprez, lbw, b Lewis . .................10 T. F. Perrin, b Lewis 9 J.R.Coulthard,not out 5 8.Wiltshire, not out... 16 Extras ................. 6 Total (9 wkts.) *130 J. Wilson, c A. Wilt­ shire, b Perrin ... 1 W. Bayley, b 8. Wilt­ shire ........................28 R. Hearne, b Perrin... A. Lewis, c E. Wilt­ shire, b 8. Purser ... H. Taylor, run out ... A. Harpur, run out... E. W. Mantle, b 8. Wiltshire................. W . Standish, not out G. W. Green, c Perrin, b 8. Purser .......... E. DosSantos, not out N. Leslie, did not bat Extras ................. Total (8 wkts.)... 55 ADDISCOMBE II. v. ASHBURTON PARK.— Played at Addiscombe on April 18th. A shburton P ark . G. H. Slade, c E. S. Green, b M. Moore 1 —. Skinner, c H. V. Green, b Pascall ... 23 —. Marshall, b Lang- ley-Smith................. 0 —. Evans, b M. Moore 0 ~ . Still, b Langley- Smith .. .................19 F. Slade, b H. P. Moore .................40 A ddiscombe H. M. M. Moore, c F. Slade, b G. H. Slade D.M. Roberts.c Evans, b G. H. Slade......... H. G. Roberts, b G. H. Slade........................ H. V. Green, b Mar­ shall ........................19 E. M. Pascall, b Mar­ shall ........................19 H. P. Moore, b Mar­ shall ........................ 4 —.Mitchell,bM.Moore 1 —. Bailey, b M. Moore 3 —. Sibley, c Windle, b M. Moore.................13 —. Alderson, b H. G. Roberts .................15 —. Thornton, not out 4 Extras .................11 Total... ...130 6 H. O. Green, c G. H. Slade, b Marshall ... B. Langley-Smith, b Alderson................. E. S. Green, b Alder­ son ........................ R. Windle, not out ... N. Windle, b Marshall E xtras................. Total................. GOLDSMITHS’ INSTITUTE OPENING MATCH, CAPTAIN’S TEAM v. VICE-CAPTAIN’S TEAM. —Played at New Cross on April 18th. V ice -C aptain ’ s T eam . E. B. Tolley, cBrown- field, b Cryer........ 1 W . J. Symon, c Cryer, b Easton............... 0 Dray, b Easton........ 0 Hill, b Easton ........ 0 H. E. Murrell, b Cryer 4 Hooper, run out ... 1 S. Best, c Manley, b Joanes ............. 13 C aptain ’ s T eam . Bowler, b Cryer... Knight, c Manley, b Joanes ................. Franks,cRowe,b Barry H. Leighton, not out E. C. Rowe, b Joanes Leg-bye................. Total.............. . 5 1 0 0 0 1 L.T.Easton, b Murrell H. A. Knapton, b Symon ................. H. G. Cryer, c Bowler, b Sym on................. P. Brownfleld, c and b Symon ................. Barry, b Symon......... W.H.Joanes, b Symon W . Rowe, b Symon ... A. S. Medway, run out 8 A. Baldwin, b Murrell 0 W . H. Manley, b Murrell .................34 W. Falkner, c Hill, b Hooper ................. 0 J. A. T. Good, not out 13 Byes ................. 4 Total... , 78