Cricket 1897

114 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 6, 1897. difficulties with which everybody who superintends a big ground has to contend is not ciused by the state of the wicket so much as the state of mind of some of the batsmen, who, as everybody knows, are often bowled out before they go to the wic­ kets in important matches ; if there hap­ pens to be three or four batsmen like this in a team the wicket is generally blamed. I have noticed that wickets at Lord’s often see u to get better towards the end of the first day, but this is, I believe, because it is at first so extremely fast as to take batsmen by surprise. The same thing seems to have frequently happened on the perfect Australian wickets this season, 'l'nere is another thing for which a wicket is often blamed without cause. Some­ times a fast bowler, like Richardson or Woodcock, will bowl for a long time without the slightest success, and will then suddenly get wicket after wicket, until the innings is over before anyone realises what is happening. The reason for these collapses is that the bowler, as every bowler knows, gains an immense amount of confidence after his first . wicket, and whereas he may previously have been bowling quite ordi­ nary stuff, he develops pace and devil which surprise him, and with each new success he bcom es more and more diffi­ cult. But to the spectator it seems certain that the wicket has suddenly begun to show signs of wear.” “ Are there any peculiarities in the soil at Lord’s ? ” ‘ ‘ I should say that, nominally, there are not. But actually the soil is very peculiar. X don’t know the geological terms for it, but it consists of clay with streaks of gravel in it. This clay seems to get harder every year all over the district, and it als > seems to be always shifling. You will find that in the neighbourhood of St. John’s Wood it is very difficult to keep ordinary garden walls from falling down, and that there is hardly a lamp-past which is not out of the perpendicular. A study of the soil turned up in the process of making the new railway shows that great lumps of the clay have become s ihard that a great amount of force is lequtred to break them; sometimes the lumps s^em as if they had bee ime fossilised. It is my firm belief that in 3 ears to come the soil will be nothing but rock. It frequently happens that, at Lord’s, after heavy rains or snow, the sjil sinks here and there. This nearly always happens just when it is too lite in the year to drain it. Fortu- natt ly it is very seldom that the centre of the ground is affected iu this way, although it occasionally happens. Then, too, it will occasionally happen, even when absolutely no water has been arti­ ficially applied to the wicket, that one end will be more dry than the other, because of a vein of gravel in the clay. Everything that could be done with the help of money has been done, and a vast amount has been expended on the ground. I don’ t think that much of it has been waited either. Lord’s is not an eisy ground for batsmen to play upon because of the slop0, but if it were not f or the slope we should hardly be able to get it dry at all, although it has a complete and excellent system of drainage. But in spite of all the drawbacks you will find that there are some very big scores made on the ground.” “ Are you a believer in a very heavy roller ? ” “ It depends upon circumstances. I don’ t believe in using a heavy roller when there is a lot of mud about, which afterwards dries and cracks. The ground must be in the proper order for it, and then it is very useful indeed. 1 find it the best plan to prepare two wickets in ordinary weather, one watered artificially and the other not watered at all. For if rain comes it has infinitely more effect on the wicket which you have already watered than on the other. But your best wicket may be spoiled by a fieldsman slipping down upon it in the previous match.” In addition to his ordinary duties, Pearce has done a good deal of umpiring. “ I have learnt one important thing, at least, from umpiring, and that is to make the return crease longer than usual. I find that it is as well to make it quite six feet, otherwise bowlers will somtimes wear away the ends, which makes it exceedingly difficult for an umpire to say whether a man is in his ground or not. My umpiring has chiefly been done for the M.C.O., the Nondescripts—the old club, the Authentics, founded a few years ago by Mr. Britten Holmes, I believe, and the Na Shulers. Three or four years ago I had a tour with the Na Shulers in Ireland, and never had such a good time in my life. They played Phoenix Park, Kilbogget (the Hone’s place), the Curragh, Carlow (on the ground of Mr. Henry Bruen, II.A.), and finished up at Coik.” “ What advice would you give to any man who had to prepare wickets p” “ I should simply advise him to use his own judgment; he should particularly study the soil and the weather. If only a one-day match is to be played you can get a good wicket if you expend any labour worth talking of upon it, and I am often told of the wonderful wickets at this and that place where the matches as a rule last for four or five hours. But it is quite another thing when you have to prepare a wicket for a match between England and Australia or Gentlemen and Players : there is ten times more work in prppiring such a wicket than is necessary for a one-day match, and after all your labour may seem almost thrown away. Look at the wicket at the Oval last year when England played Australia. Apted was very vexed about his wicket, but, as I told him, he could not possibly help it, for he had done everything that was practicable.” It is almost needless to say that Pearce has attended to the laying drwn of many cricket grounds. Among others are two grounds at Woolwich, for the Royal Artillery; St. Anue’s School, at Redhill; a ground at Bawtrey, in Yorkshire, for the Hon. John Tufton ; Stoke-on-Trent ; Scarborough; for the Earl of Londes- bjrough; Merton (Oxford); the Aigburth ground at Liverpool; and the Lyric Club at Barnes. On some of these grounds his duties were confined to giving in­ structions as to levels, etc. W. A. B e t t e s w o r t a . BARNES V. J. C. LOVELL’ S X II.-H a y e d at Tnlse Hill on May 1. B arnes . First innings. Second innings. C. W . Young c Meller, b J. S. Lovell ...............14 J. J. France, c Mountain, b J. S. Lovell ................. 18 c & b J. S. Lovell 0 W . F. L. Frith cE . D. Lovell b J. S. Lovell ................. 0 e Hunt, b. J. S. Lovell .............. 16 G. R Eamshaw, c Robinson, b J . S. Lovell ................. 0 b J . 8 Lovell ... 2 F. Bensted, b J.8 . Lovell... 3 not out....................... 10 C. Ratcliff, c E. D. Lovell, b J. 8. Lovell....................... 19 not out..................... 0 H. E. Barham, not out ... 3 b Robinson............. 4 A. G. H. Stevens, b J. 8. L ov ell...............................26 b J. S. Lovell M. H. Erskine, c Meller, b J. S. Lovell ................. 2 c Lloyd Jones, b Robinson A. Sissons, c Mountain, b J. 8. Lovell ................. 0 b J . 8. Lovell ... 6 H. F. Bull, c Flindt, b J. 8. L ov ell................................. 0 b Robinson............. 0 G. R. Morsop, b Flindt ... 16 c Robinson, b J. 8. Lovell ...11 L b 1, nb 1 ........... 2 B 8, lb 3 ... 11 T o ta l.................103 Total(9wkts)... 62 J. C. L ovell ’ s . ... 0 2 P. H. Flindt, b B ull... 1 C. H. M o u n ta in , b Stevens .................. 1 A . V. Russell, b Bull... 0 F. H. Hunt, b Bull ... 7 R. Robinson, c Erskine, b Bull.......................... 11 J. 8. Lovell, b Bull ... 12 A . Meller, lbw, B u ll... 16 Lloyd Jones, c & b B u ll...........................10 E. Langton, not out... 10 E. D. Lovell, b Bull... 2 G. Ring, b Frith ... 1 J. C. Lovell, c Barham b Frith ................... 1 B 4, lb 1 ........... 5 Total , 77 HONOR OAK v. HEATHFIELD.—Played at Upper Tootiog on May 1. H e a t h f ie l d . S. J. Bowles, b W ilkie 24 T. Brewer, b Harrison 0 G. Adams, c W ilkie, b H arrison ................... 1 F. C. Morel, b W ilkie 2 J. Gurney, c sub., b H arrison ................... 3 W . Paice, b Belleni ... 10 J.E.Baxandall.not out 16 F. Hobbs, c and b Holford ................... 4 T. J. Faulkner, b H arrison................... E. R. Robinson, b Holford .................. P. S. Purtley, b Hol­ ford ........................... B2, lb l, w 2,nb2 Total ........... H o n o r O a k . E. Chapman, b Gurney 23 T. Gracey, c Purtley, S. J. D ic k a s o n , b bB ow les.................... 1 D ickason............10 C. 8. Mayo, not out... 10 E. Holford, c Paice, b F. Belleni, not out .. 4 Bo vies ..................... 1 Byes ............................. 5 G.Harrison,bFaulkner 0 — F. Wilkie, c Brewer, b Total (6 wkts.) 76 Bowles ...................22 P. Carmichael, A.Jones and H. Burton didnot bat. CRYSTAL PALACE v. MARLBORO’ BLUES — Played at the Crystal Palace on May 1. C r y s t a l P a l a c e . L. 8. Wells, not o u t... 43 A. Cosens, b Sale ... 1 E. H. Lulham, c Lind­ say, b Sale ............ 0 J. F. Dunlop, c Par­ sons, b Sale ............ 1 J, M. Campbell c H. C. Coles, b Coles........25 Dr. W. F. Umney, lbw Sale ........................ 13 G. H. Pile, b Sale ... 17 R. H. Dillon, c and b Sale ........................... A. B. Cipriani, c H ar­ wood, b S a le ........... D. Eliott Lockhart, not out ................... C. W . Wedekind", did not bat ................... E x tra s................... *Innings declared closed. M a r l b o r o ’ B l u e s . Total (8 wkts) *111 J. C. Sale, c Umney, b W ells..........................14 C. W . Lindsay, c Co­ sens, b W e lls ........... 9 H. M. Harms, b Wells 11 G. Coles, c Pile, b Um­ ney ..........................16 L. N. Rogers, c Cipri­ ani, b Wells ........... 0 H. N. Rogers, c Dillon, b Campbell ........... 2 H . M. Harwood, b Campbell...................18 C. F. Powell, b Camp­ bell .......................... 2 H. C. Coles, not o u t... 0 H . C. Lindsay, not out 2 H. C. Daniel, did not bat ........................... 0 E x tra s................... 5 Total (8 wkts) 79