Cricket 1897

194 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une 10, 1897, “ Suppose the season should happen to be wet. What then ? ” “ Well, I am very much afraid that we shall be greatly handicapped. We get hardly any wet wickets in Philadelphia. As a consequence of this, our bowlers do not know how to make use, like English bowlers, of the advantages which a dead wicket offers, and some of them would always bow l on a hard wicket if they had their own way. Our batsmen would be terribly handicapped, although they might conceivably rise to the occasion. One can never tell.” Englishmen, in a general sort of way, feel surprised that a single city should be able to turn out a team as strong as that of the Philadelphians— a team which at home has beaten Australians and strong English touring teams pretty frequently. But when the difficulties in the way of cricketers in America are considered more closely, one can only be astonished at what has been done. “ W e have not a great body of players to choose from ,” said Mr. Work, “ and as a matter of fact the men who take an active part in the game only number from 200 to 250. The game is not popular with the masses. When we play against foreign teams we can draw a large crowd, but in our ordinary matches we only get two or three hundred spectators. If we only had any decided opposition from other cities, so that there m ight be a danger of Philadelphia being beaten, local pride would step in, and the difference would soon be very great. But there is practi­ cally no chance of defeat by New York or Baltimore or any other city. E ightly or wrongly we feel very proud of what Philadelphians have done in the past few J fears. We have defeated each of the ast two Australian teams by an innings in one of the three matches which we played against them, and there has not in recent years been, an English touring team against which we have not won one or more matches out of the series of three.” “ No doubt other games greatly inter­ fere with cricket ? ” ‘ ‘ A t home the sport loving public don’t care to see a game unless there is a close finish, and there are so many games and amusements to compete against. Base­ ball attracts enormous crowds, although it is only played now b y professionals and at colleges. A gentleman hardly ever plays it after he leaves college. Golf and cycling also interfere, more especially cycling. So many people go off on little trips, and on paper chases across country. I am afraid that cricket is not flourishing in any other city in the United States. Chicago, Baltimore, New York, St. Louis, San Fransisco, and Detroit all seemed, a few years ago, to be going in for the game with some earnestness; but it has dropped off con­ siderably of late.” “ Are the cricket grounds in Phila­ delphia easy of- access from the city ? ” “ They are all most accessible. In the last few years there has been a complete change in the system of communicating with the suburbs. W e have elevated railroads with large stations in the centre of the city, with the result that they do an enormous business. From the centre of the city the cricket grounds m aybe reached in times averaging from eight to twenty-five minutes, two or three trains running in the hour. Then we have electric street surface railroads, which only stop at the corners; there are no longer any horse There is no difficulty whatever in getting a crowd of 10,000 to and from the grounds, for all the railways have stations close to the grounds; in fact you step right off them on to the ground.” “ How do you find your system of club houses work, in connection with the cricket clubs ? ” “ Well. Croakers who will see evil in everything, say that since their institution there has not been so much keenness in practising; that the attractions of the society of ladies, and music, and what not, are too great for most men to with­ stand. But however this may be, there is no doubt that they bring together vast numbers of people who would otherwise never see cricket at all. People come out to dine on the club piazzas in the warm evenings. In these days of cycling the clubs arrange runs once a week, often across country paperchasing. Men and women ride in pairs, and the gentleman never leaves the lady behind.” ‘ ‘ Are all the members of the team actual Philadelphians ? ” “ All except Wood and Lester, who were born in England. But when they came to Philadelphia they did not play any­ thing like as well as they do now. They have both lived in Philadelphia for many years; otherwise they would not have been included in the team. Wood is a citizen and has been in Philadelphia for 15 years. Lester has finished his course at Haverford College and is now a Professor at that institution. All the rest were born in America.” When it had been decided to send a team to England, Philadelphians did not merely stand aside and wish the team success; they nobly responded to an appeal of the committee for a guarantee fund. “ In a very short time,” said Mr. Work, “ eight thousand dollars were guaranteed, and not only guaranteed but paid in to the treasurer of the fund some time before we started. But we felt that the gentlemen who so promptly came to our assistance should not be called upon if it could possibly be helped, and with this end in view we arranged to take our own share of the gates, whatever it may be, with the object of paying back as far as possible the money which hasbeen guaran­ teed. Should there be any surplus—we do not expect this, and did not come with any idea of it— the Philadelphia clubs will receive it. The members of the team will not receive one penny in the way of com­ pensation for loss of salary or time; although, with one or two exceptions, they have all come at a great personal pecuniary sacrifice— for the honour of their city. Philadelphians at home are taking the greatest interest in the tour, and every day the newspapers will contain not only the full scores but at least a column of descriptive matter.” W . A. B etteswoetii . QITERNMORE SCHOOL v. FOREST SCHOOL.— Played at Plaistow on June 2. Q ubrnmore S ch ool . P. Strudwick, c Rich­ ardson, b Weddall 6 T. H. Edey, bWeddall 0 C. Courtney, c Hand- ford, b Harvey ... 12 W. Durbridge, b Faw­ cett .....................11 A. Strudwick, b Wed- dall ..................... 0 P. B. Sharp, b Hand- ford .....................12 H. Powis, c Fawcett, bWeddall ........ 2 HILL R. A. Whitamore, c Richardson,bHand- ford .................... V. Cazlaux, c Fawcett b Handford ........ B. Courtney, bHarvey R. Portway, not out... B 7,lb 1.............. Total ........ F orest H ill S chool . Weddall, b Edey Handford, c Sharp, b Powis..................... Fawcett, b Edey Richardson, run out... Sharrer, b Powis Stacey, run out........ Dean, b Powis ........ o Hankin, not out........ 2 Harvey, cand b Powis 3 East, b Powis ........ 0 Powell, b Powis........ 4 Total ........28 STREATHAM v. WIMBLEDON.— Played at Streathamon May 22. W im bledon . C. S. Pease, bMore ... 0 D. O. Kerr,b A. Bailey 25 H. B. Blake, b Miller 0 E. Raynsford, not out 0 A. N Other, absent... 0 Extras ........ 8 Total . ..132 W.E.Martyn, cMiller, b Schwarz.............. 17 D. Forde, lbw, bMiller 1 F. B. Leney, c and b More.....................21 C. W. Aston-Key, hit wicket .............. 47 F. J. Reiss, st E. S. Bailey,bMore........ 13 E. W. Reeves, c Scott, bMore .............. 0 S t r e a t h a m . R. O. Schwarz,bLeney 18 A. Bailey, c Martyn, N. Miller, b Leney ... 93 b Pease .............. 29 H. H. Scott, not out...189 Extras ........14 H. M. Leaf, lbw, b Reeves ...............23 Total (6wkts.)...410 E. S. Bailey, b Leney 47 N. H. Pike, lbw, b Martyn .............. 7 T. J. M. More, H. S. Barkworth, Dyson-Williams and C. A. Hill did not bat. LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK v. BRIK- TON WANDERERS.— Played at Denmark Hill on May 29. L ondon a n d W estm inster B a n k . C. A. Snell, b Rider ... 10 J.M.Allcock,bC.Smith 15 H. O. Manfield, c C. Smith, b Withers ... 11 W. Bradbery, c C. Smith, b Withers ... 80 A. G. Gough,bWithers 1 C. C. Simpson, T. H. ____ Thomson, and A. Podmore did not bat, declared closed. B rixton W an d erers . L. Pitt-Brook, not out 20 C. J. Bowman, notout 23 B 17, lb 6, wb 1... 24 Total ...*134 R. Dowse-Brenan, H. E. ' InniDgs HughSmith,bPodmore 8 F. P. Rider, c Brad­ bery, b Snell ........ 21 M. G. Smith, c Man­ field, b Snell ........ 2 F. Odell, notout........17 F. E.Thomson,runout A. J. White, st Pitt- Brook, b Snell Cyril Smith, not out Total H. Mason, A. R. Whitley, R. S. Harris, and J- Withers did not bat. WHITGIFT WANDERERS (2) v. SUTTON (2).- Played at Sutton on May 29. V. R. Bromage, c and b Bacon ..: ........ 4 L. Jackson, c Stovold, b Balch ............ 2 C. D. McCormick, c Balch, b Bacon ... 30 W. S. Holford, b Bacon.................... 16 R. M. Bell, c H. V. Green, b Bacon ... 8 D. W. Jackson, b Bacon.................... 1 W. N. Beaumont, b Bacon.................... 0 W.J. Havers, b Balch 4 C. E. Pothecary, b Stovold .............. 9 W. G. Motion, run out ..................... 0 W. E. Gregg, not out 1 B 8, lb 3, w 1 ... I2 Total . 87 W h itg ift W an d erers . H. B. Hubbard, Bromage, b Me Cormick ............... 1 H. Docking, run out... 5 G. Bacon, c Bell, b McCormick ........ 13 L. L. Reed, b Bell ... 3 E. H. Balch, c Beau­ mont, b Bell ........ 3 H. V. Green, c Gregg, b Bell.................... 14 A. E. Softly, cHavers, b Motion.............. 35 A. F. West, b L. Jackson .............. 10 H. W. Stovold, not out .................... 20 E. R. B. Jensen, lbw, b Motion.............. 0 A. G. Green, c Havers, bL.Jackson » B 3, lb 2 ........ 5 Total ...11*