Cricket 1897

M ay 13, 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 133 They had scarcely reached the wicket, when out from the pavilion, side by side, cameLeveson-Gower and Chinnery. Old Surrey and young Surrey !— and what a contrast. By the two burly, stalwart veterans, the youngsters looked mere slim, undeveloped boys. Are they likely in days to come, I wonder, to approach the great deeds of their elder comrades ? Leveson-Gower may be a worthy suc­ cessor to Key ; but one doubts greatly if Chinnery will ever be a Walter Bead. The Oval authorities have a high opinion of him, though, I hear; and there is no mistake about his keenness. A statement is going the round of the papers to the effect that Mr. D. L . A. Jephson will play regularly for Surrey this season. I am not in a position to contradict it; but, speaking as an out­ sider, I must say that it scarcely strikes me as probable. Already Holland is having to stand down that Mr. Chinnery may have a trial; and there is good reason to think that it is the bowling, rather than the batting, that will have to be reinforced when changes are made. Will Lockwood ever regain his form of five years ago ? One fears not. He is not the only great bowler who has, during the last few years, gone off in similar fashion. Sharpe, Ferris, Charley Turner, S. M. J. Woods— if years were the only criterion, all these should be almost as good as ever. Are they P I had intended to be at Lord’s on the Wednesday, though I own that M.C.C. v. Notts is not just the game I would choose out of a dozen; but the weather was so uninviting that I stayed away. There was nothing in the match to make me regret my decision. It was the sort of game one may fairly expect at the beginning of an ordinary English May— last year’s May was an exceptional month— frozen fieldsmen, baffled bats­ men, triumphant bowlers. It looks as though young Dench should be worth a good trial from Notts, but I should not feel inclined to take his figures too seriously. Mr. George Lacy has been kind enough to supplement his interesting batting statistics of two weeks ago with the following bowling averages, tabulated from the same series of matches. For want of space I have been obliged to eliminate one interesting feature— the best performance done by each of the principal bowlers. And I must say here that I don’t agree with Mr. Lacy as to the last figure he gives being “ the figure of merit.” As I have said before, to give the average number of balls per wicket as compared with the average number of rims is misleading; it lays altogether too much stress upon the quickness with which a bowler gets his wickets, and swamps his average of runs per wicket almost entirely. By using overs instead of bills a far fairer result is obtained. In fact, it would seem to me to be fairer (though it would import an arbitrary factor into the comparison) to divide the number of balls per wicket by ten for the purpose of the figure of merit. Thus, Briggs’s figure of merit would be 131 -(- 3’6 = 16 7, Lohmann’s, 16'1 -f- 4'4 = 20 5, and the difference between the two less than three instead of 11 ; while W. G. would have 19'8 + 4-8 = 24-6. Notice how the relative posi­ tions are altered by this difference of system Briggs. Lohmann. W.G. By Buns + Balls ... 49 ........ 60 ............ 67 „ +(Balls-M0) 16-7........ 20'5._. ... 24'6 Balls Fig. Says Mr. Lacy : “ There are one or two lessons to ba learnt from these tables. The most important is, that left-handed bowling is far and away the most effective against the Australians. Among those who have taken 50 wickets and over, eight have averages of 13 5 and less, and of these eight all but Shaw and Barnes are left-hand. Another lesson is, that new bowlers are far more generally suc­ cessful than those the batsmen are used to. Quite a dozen did their best perfor­ mances in their first match, while of those who only bowled in three or four matches fifteen have averages of under fourteen per wicket. Verb sap. A lob bowler, Humphreys, holds the palm for taking wickets quickest, with Parnham almost equal. 1 don’t remember what kind of bowler he was, but I think slow round left. RichardsoD, fast right, and Emmett, fast left, are very good, but the ‘ bowlers of precision’ show very poorly in this respect. In view of the lessons of these and other tables, I should say to county committees :— Train a lob-bowler; never go into the field without a left- handed bowler; and try and persuade your bowler to practise bowling round the wicket for a change. Lob-bowling is less a gift than an art. Tinley, Parr, Carpenter, Mortlock and Daft all learnt it comparatively late in their careers.” ENGLISH BOWLING AVERAGES v. AUSTRA­ LIANS IN ENGLAND. Two hundred wickets. Balls Fig. to of Overs. Runs. Wkts. Aver. wkt. mrt. J. Briggs... ...1671 .. 2731 ...208 ... 131 ... 36 ... 49 One hundred wickets. E. Peate ... ...1234 ..1672 ..127 ... 13 1 ... 39 ... 52 R. Peel ... ...1341 .. 2159 ...161 ... 13-4 ... 38 ... 51 W. Attewell ..1541 ...2004 ...144 ... 13-9 ... 48 ... 61 G. Lohmann ...1692 .. 2715 ...168 ... 16*1 ... 44 ... 60 W. G. Grace ..1666 ....2824 ..142 ... 19-8 ... 48 ... 67 Ninety wickets. W. Barnes . 931 ...1325 ... 99 ..., 133 ... 38 ... 51 J, T Hearne ... 639 ....1305 ,. 92 ... 14-1 ... 37 ... 51 T.Richardson. .. 6-27 .,,.1640 .... 95 ... 17-2 ... 33 ... 50 A. G. Steel ...1194 . .2137 .. 99 . 215 ... 48 ... 69 Fifty wickets. T. Emmett .. 540 .... 727 .... 63 ... 115 ... 34 ... 45 A. Shaw ... ... 866 .. 775 ..,. 64 .. 12-1 . . 54 ... 66 F. Morley .. 551 ... 6*56 .. 50 ..., 13-3 .,.. 44 ... 67 F. Martin .. 596 ..,. 892 .... 66 .... 13-5 ... 44 ... 67 E. Barratt .. 475 .... S24 .. ,. 51 .... 16 1 ... 37 ... 51 R. G. Barlow... 942 ...1216 ... 74 .... 164 .,.. 51 ... 67 W. Wright .. f59 ..,. 979 ..,. 58 .... 16-8 .... 50 ... 66 A.D.Pougher... 667 . . 1111 ., .. 65 ... 170 ... 47 ... 61 G. Ulyett .. .,.. 836 ...1382 ... 79 .... 176 .. 44 ... 61 W. Flowers . 812 ...1337 ... 68 .... 19 6 . . 52 ... 71 A. Mold ... .,.. 513 ..,.1197 ... 54 ..,. 221 ... 49 ... 71 Thirty wickets. J. Crossland .,. 321 ... 498 ... 40 ... 12'4 ..,. 32 ... 44 G. Burton .. 251 ... 407 .. 31 ... 13-1 ... 33 ... 46 J. Hulme... ... 235 .,.. 422 ,. 31 ... 136 ... 36 ... 49 T. Bowley .. 343 ... 485 ... 32 ... 15-1 ... 43 ... 58 J. Parnham ... 236 ... 522 ... 31 ... 15-3 ... 28 ... 43 A. Hearne .. 366 .... 616 .,,. 40 ... 154 .... 41 ... 56 W.Lockwood. .. 350 .... 879 .. 48 .... 183 .... 36 ... 54 J. E. Shilton.... 301 ... 568 ... 31 ... 183 ... 42 . .. £0 W. Humphreys 284 .,.. 816 .,.. 44 ... 18-5 ... 28 ... 46 W. A. Woof ... 492 ... 784 ... 42 ... 18-6 ... 47 ... 65 A. Watson E. Wainwright J. Wootton C. T. Studd W. Bates .. C. A. Smith H. O. Whitby.. F. R. Spofforth W. Mycroft .. J. M. Preston J. W. Sharpe.. H. J. Pallett .. P. H. Morton . S. Chris- topherson.. A. Rylott.. .. W. Mead....... F. Shacklock .. F. G. Roberts.. J. Hide ....... C. W. Rock .. G. Davidson .. to of Overs. Runs. Wkts. Aver. wkt. mrt. . 436 ... 581 ... 30 ... 19-3 ... 58 ... 77 343 ... 775 ... 38 ... 20-4 ... 46 ... 66 . 556 ... 913 ... 43 ... 21*9 ... 52 ... 73 .. 523 ... 902 ... 40 ... 22-5 ... 52 ... 74 .. 462 ... 765 ... 32 ... 230 .. 67 ... 80 ,. 420 ... 803 ... 33 ... 243 ... 58 ... 82 Twenty wickets. .. 163 ... 227 ... 24 ... 94 i 137 ... 2 S 0 ... 24 ... 11-6 . 217 ... 298 ... 23 ... 129 .. 181 ... 315 ... 25 ... 138 . 255 ... 406 ... 29 ... 140 . 203 ... 380 ... 22 ... 17-2 . 217 ... 425 ... 24 ... 17-7 . 253 ... 400 ... 22 ... 18-1 . 366 ... 473 ... 25 ... 18*9 . 204 .... 512 .... 26 ... 19-6 . 259 ... 556 .. 26 ... 213 .. 317 ... 566 ... 23 ... 21*7 ,. 270 ... 503 ... 21 ... 23 6 . 416 ... 554 ... 23 ... 240 .. 419 ... 764 ... 23 ... 33-2 Ten wickets J. Phillips (103-12-8 5), W. McIntyre (113-10-11-3), A. F. J. Ford (181-16-11-3), H. T. Arnall-Thompson (139-12-11'5), W. Cropper (214-18- 11'8), H. Richardson (119-10-119), G. G. Jones (235- 19-12-8), S. Haigh (133-10-13 3), A. H. J. Cochrane (218-16-13 6 ). A. Hide (179-13-13 7), A. Hill (194-14- 13-8), R. C. Ramsay (285-16-17-7), A. Hallam (200-11- 18-9). H. Y. Page (248 13-190). C. E. Cottrell (190-10-19 0), C. L. Townsend (339-16-21-1), G. H. Hirst (409-19-2f5.), J. Beaumont (415-19-21-8), E. A. Nepean (337-17-22 7), W. E. Midwinter (395-17-23-2), W. Brockwell (367-15-24-4), H. Pigg (312-12-260), J. Ro>ertson (3)7-13-27-4), J. T. Rawlin (274-10-27-4), E. Peake (279-10-27-9), S. M. J. Woods (522-18-29’0), C. J. Kortright (418-14-29-8), E. C. Streatfeild (378- 12-31-5), F. S. Jackson (448-13-34-4), A. Woodcock (386-10-38 6 ). Nine w icke'sR. G. Henderson, G. G. Hearne, J. Lillywhite, E. Smith, E. J. Tyler, W. Chatterton, F. Lipscomb, G. F. H. Berkeley. Eight wicnets H. W. Murch, E. M. Grace, C. E. Horner, H. W. Forster, W. Sugg, H. A. Arkwright, H. Pickett, J. R. Mason, W. Bottomore, W. E. Roller, C. H. Allcock, W. F. Forbes, E. H. Killick. Seven wicket*:— R. Abel, T. Hayward. O. G. Radcliffe, F. G. J. Ford, J. M. Read, J. R. Napier, J. Douglas, L. C. V. Bathurst. Seven have taken 6 wickets each, thir­ teen 5, fourteen 4, twenty-four 3, twenty- seven 2, and fifty-six 1 wicket. Among the very la^ge number of those who have bowled without taking a wicket is the name of George Freeman. Mr. W. W. Read bowled in 16 matches, and took three wiokets, costing exactly 100 runs each! Mr. G. F. H . Berkeley in one match had one wicket for 165 ! J.N .P . CLAPTON v. HORNSEY.— Played at Hornsey on May 8 . C la p t o n . J. H. Douglas, b F. Swinstead ........ 12 F.A.Bishop, c Nichols, b F. Swin^tead ... 1 J. L. Tate, b G. Swin­ stead .................... 0 S. A. Asser, c Collet, b Clarke ........ ... 6 H. Boyton, cClarke, b F. Swinstead........ 16 H.E. Trafford, not out 13 J. H. Renals, b G. Swinstead.............. 0 W. N. Nolloth, b F. Swinstead ........ W. W. Thorogood, c Crump, b F. Swin­ stead.................... S. Genders, lbw, b G. Swinstead ........ A. J. Dyke Swinstead B 1, lb 1 b F. Total H o rn s e y . G. R.W.Nichols,bBishop 14 S. L. Clarke, c Boyton, b Bishop .............. 15 D. J. Crump, c Asser, b Bishop .............. 8 E. A. Ayling, not out 17 F. H. Swinstead, b Bishop .............. 10 H. Collet, J. M. Mirylees, J. Dempsey and T. A. Nicholls did not bat. H. Swinstead, b Bishop .............. R. King, st Douglas, b Nolloth............. B 3, lb 2 ........ Total (6 wkts.) 83