Cricket 1897

J une 10, 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 201 “ C b ick e t ” is published on Thursday morning. Price 2d. Post free 2jd. Annual Subscription (Inland) 63 . 0 i. Summer Numbers (only) - - 5s. Od. Winter Numbers - Is. 3d. Payable in Advance. Cheques and P.O .O . to be made payable to the Manager. A ll communications should be sent direct to the Offices: 168, Upper Thames Street, London, E.C. N O T IC E ! The Editor guarantees the insertion of the Match Scores of Clubs only when arrangements are made for the publica­ tion of the whole of the season’s scores. The charge is One Shilling; each match, with a minimum of One Guinea. Scores not thus arranged for are inserted at the rate of Two Shillings each match if space admits. Cricket: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. THURSDAY , JUNE 1 0 th , 1897. $a\nlton Gossip. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time.— Hamlet. T h e unanimity with which W . G. was condemned in the Friday morning papers for putting Middlesex in first was remark­ able and at the same time natural, for Middlesex had made 386 on the previous d a y ; and yet, as things turned out, the wicket, in the absence of sun, gradually became better, and it is quite possible that if Gloucestershire had gone in first they would have been beaten instead of making a drawn game of it. I t cannot be said that much enthusiasm is shown at present over the visit of the Philadelphian team, but it must b e remembered that when the first Australian team came over its doings in the first match against Notts were watched with languid interest. It was only when they suddenly proved themselves to be a team quite able to hold their own that the public woke up. It will probably be j ust the same with the Philadelphians ; if they can only do something big in one of their earlier matches, the English public, which likes a sporting match above all things, will be equal to the occasion. If our visitors fail to distinguish themselves it is certain that they will take their reverses with equanim ity; if they succeed nobody will be better pleased than English cricketers. A c u rio s ity . Dr. Thornton for Middle­ sex v. Gloucestershire had the following analyses :— First innings.— 14overs,6maidens, 14runs,0wickets. Second inns.—15overs, 8maidens, 15runs, 2wickets. Al t hou gh one is accustomed to see big batting feats at Cambridge, it was a little startling to find the X I I ., who had to follow on with a balance against them of 316, ending up with a lead of 193 with two wickets still to fall. An innings of 225 by Mr. N. P. Druce was the chief cause of this change in the fortunes of the game. I t is somewhat remarkable that Mr. Druce’s two innings of over two hundred this year—227 and 225—were both made in almost exactly the same time. The 227, against Mr. Thornton’s X L , was scored in 3 hours and 50 m inutes; the 225, against the X V I., in 3 hours and 45 minutes. T h e latest performance with the bat of Roberts, the Gloucestershire bowler, deserves to be ranked with the stand made by Walter Humphreys—about an hour for 0—to enable Mr. Brann to make his second innings of a hundred in the match againstKentinAugust, 1892. Robertswas batting for 55 minutes for two runs. On the score sheet this effort does not come out well, but it meant a very great deal to Gloucestershire, and might have meant a hundred, instead of 95, to Mr. Kitcat if he had been able to force the game a little. G. F. H ig gins, the Essex amateur, last week made three hundreds on successive days. On the Tuesday he scored 105 against Forest School; on the Wednes­ day 122 not out against Epping ; on the Thursday 102 against Walthamstow Town. T h e two little Harrow bowlers, Dowson and Cole, who attracted so much atten­ tion in the match at Lord’s in 1895, seem to be in great form this year, although they will no longer be noticed for their diminutive size. Against Harrow Town Dowson took 6 wickets for 12 runs and the rest fell to Cole. It w ill be remem­ bered that Dowson was not at his best last year owing to illness; he does not seem to have quite as much invention as he had when he was at Elstree, and his bowling, although otherwise improved, suffers from this. In the match between Granville and Goddington on the ground of the latter club the last Goddington man was bowled by a no ball when one run was wanted to tie. This was, on the face of it, a curious instance of luck, but it is often forgotten that when a batsman hears the shout of “ no ball ” he does’nt care tw o­ pence what happens, and, if he has time, generally has a blind swipe. A t the same time, a no-ball at such a critical moment is often due to what may be called the “ presence of m ind” of the umpire. From Copenhagen come three queries which, as they are somewhat out of the common, may interest readers of Cricket. They are as follows : (a) Is a team right in declining acceptance of an umpire whose incompetency is decided ? (i) If one side insist on playing this umpire and the other side decline to play against him, and the match is in con­ sequence put off, which side can then claim the match ? (c) In practice a few days ago the ball was thrown in from the field. The bats­ man, who was in his ground, jumped up to get out of ;he way of the ball, which then hit the wicket and knocked off the bails, neither the batsman nor his bat being on the ground at this moment. Was the batsman out f Fortunately the first two questions need never—or practically never—be asked in connection with cricket in England ; but in the case of an ordinary match between clubs, a side would refuse to “ play against” an umpire if there were sufficient reason. Iu that case the match would simply not be played—there would be no question of winning or losing. With regard to the unfortunate batsman who jumped, he was decidedly unlucky, but was out. A n o th e r query which, though it is not uncommon, may be answered here, is as follows : A batsman, in a match at Haversham Grammar School, Milnthorpe, West­ morland, made a hit past square leg and started to run, but in so doing slipped, and his foot collided with his wicket, knocking off a bail. Both umpires declared him out. Much dis­ cussion arose, however, at the time, and still continues, as to whether the decision was correct. Rule 25 does not seem to meet the case, as the stroke was finished before the wicket was broken. Has any authoritative decision been given on the subject ? If the batsman slipped in running it is obvious that law 25 does not apply to his case, and that he was not out. The umpires, however, probably considered that he knocked off the bail in making the stroke. T h e best averages in the senior matches played at Sydney during the last Australian season, which ended in April, are as follow s: — No. Times Most of not inan Total inns. out. inns. runs. Aver. L. O. 8. Poidevin .. 6 ... 3 ... 73*... 311 ...103.66 M. A. Noble ....... ,. 10 . .. 1 ... 166 ... 620 ... 6888 A. Coningham......... 11 . ,. 1 ... 174 ... 653 .... 65.30 H. Donnan............ .. 7 . .. 1 ... 308 .. 379 ... 63.16 A. C. Bannerman .. 10 ... 2 ... 133*... 436 ... 62.28 L. W. Pye............. .. 13 ... 8 ... 139*... 476 ... 47.60 G. Youll ............. 6 . .. 1 ... 67 ... 234 ... 46.80 F. A. Iredale ....... ,. 7 . .. 0 ... 112 ... 326 ... 46.57 A. Atkins ............ ... 9 . .. 1 ... 76 ... 346 ... 43.25 A. C. K. Mackenzie ... 10 . .. 0 ... 105 ... 419 ... 4190 T. W. Garrett had an average of 28.27, and C. T. B. Turner 21.90. BOWLING. Balls. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Aver. E. G. Noble .......... 138 ... 8 ... 51 ... 8... 637 T. Connell................ 267... 95... 502 ... 50... 1004 W. Richardson ... 371 ... 20... 155 ... 15... 10"33 T. R. M’Kibbin ... 284 ... 8 ... 149 ... 14... 10-65 Turner took 19 wickets at an average of 1410, A. Coningham, 37 wickets at 14-78, and Garrett, 14 wickets at 19’00. Coning­ ham scored three hundreds, and eleven other men one each, including Donnan (308), A. C. Bannerman, and F. A.Iredale. I t was indeed fortunate for Gunn, W . Hearn and Frank Sugg, who have had benefits this week, that the Bank Holiday