Cricket 1897

J u ly 1, 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 253 course, through no fault of his own). It seems odd, that when the game is in such a position that it does not matter two­ pence whether a run is made or not, men should attempt short runs, but they do so, and will continue to do so. M b . J essop ’ s 72 for Cambridge Univer­ sity v. Sussex, made out of a total of 79 in 55 minutes, must be nearly a record in its way. T h e scores of between 80 and 90 were again numerous at the end of last week. They were as follows: Mr. Burnup, 81; Brockwell, 83 ; Mr. Coates, 84; Attewell, 86; and Mr. Brann, 87. E very b od y was glad to find that Mr. Newham, after a series of failures, had at last returned to his true form iu the match against the Philadelphians, when he made 67 in the second innings. Since then he has scored 59 and not out 0,107, 2 and 0. His scores before the Philadel­ phian match were 21 and 13, 10 and 3, 28, 9, 1, 12 and 2. On the other hand, Mr. Brann has never been more con­ sistent ; out of 15 innings previous to this week he had four times scored over 60 and nine times over 30. In 1892 it was remarked that Mr. Brann scored more single figures than any other batsman of note, although he had a pretty good average. A rem a rk ab le innings was last week played by Mr. F. A. Phillips, who must be the Oxford Blue, for Sussex Dolphins against Lancing College. He went in first and made 143 in 61 minutes, his score in­ cluding five 6’s and sixteen 4’s. Three of the sixeswere made off successiveballs, and in another over he made 20 in five hits. The first hundred runs during the innings were put up in 35 minutes off 17 overs, and the total of 192 took 57 minutes. Mr. R. Topham, the International Asso­ ciation footballer, made 41 not out for the Dolphins. I n several of the matches played at the beginning of this week, two men made a lot of runs, largely in partnership, while the rest could do nothing with the bowling. For Oxford University against Sussex, Mr. Bromley Martin and Mr. Champain made 197 between them. The total was 250 (five byes). For Derbyshire v. Essex, Chatterton and Storer made 179 out of a total of 216 (fourteen extras)—a very remarkable proportion of runs. For M.C.C. v. Hampshire, Mr. R. Williams aud O’Hal­ loran made 112 out of 165 (extras six). For Essex v. Derbyshire, Mr. Lucas and Mr. Turner made 150 out of 234 (sixteen extras). T he first innings of Derbyshire and Essex were curiously alike in their col­ lapses and their one long partnership. In each innings the first four wickets fell for an insignificant score, and in each innings the next wicket put on consider­ ably over a hundred, to be followed by another breakdown in the batting. Among the administrators of English affairs in the Colonies who have fore­ gathered over here on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee is the old Incog., the Hon. J. S. Udal. J. S. U., who as Cricket readers have been told before, occupies the highest legal position in the Fiji Islands, is over in England on matters connected with Fiji. His eldest son, it may ba stated in passing, has been unfortunate enough to just miss his “ blue ” at Winchester thi3 summer. He was tried iu the College eleven against a strong team of I Zingari, but was suffering from a straiaed back, and as he is a fast bowler this militated strongly against his success. Since then however, he has recovered sufficiently to do an excellence bowling performance. In a school game just lately he took nine wickets, eight of them clean bowled, for 23 runs. He got the last six wickets in seven balls for no ruus. The irony of fate could hardly have more forcible illustration at the moment than in the fact that Middlesex with its undoubted all round strength, has not only been unable to win a match this season, but has been three times beaten. Nor could the plea of ill luck be adduced to minimise its ill success in its latest performance. On the contrary, pretty well all the luck there was going was against Surrey at the Oval on Monday. The eleven, for several matches at all events, will sadly miss the forcible batting of Mr. F. G. J. Ford, whose appearance this week against Surrey will, it is under­ stood, be his last for Middlesex for some weeks in any case. M r. Druce'S scores this season up to the present are as follows: 1 and not out 227; 31 and 8; 117; 109; 46 and 21; 74 and 52; a total of 686 runs for nine completed innings. This gives him an average of just over 76. MR. F ernie, who has just gained his “ blue,” ought to develop into a really first-class bowler, but he would do well to put in a faster ball occasionally. He takes a remarkably long run for a slow bowler—longer than the run of many very fast bowlers—and stops almost short as the ball leaves his hand. He is able to deceive the batsman in the flight of the ball, and even Gunn, although he had become thoroughly set at Lord’s on Monday when Mr. Fernie went on, was often in doubt up to the last moment as to what was the best thing to do, despite his long experience of all kinds of bowlers. But Mr. Fernie would certainly find a fast ball a useful variation. I n his last two matches for Middlesex (against Kent and Surrey), Mr. Mac­ Gregor has stumped four men and caught six at the wicket, and has made scores of 9 and 30, and 40 and 12. This is a very pretty record. I n the first innings of Derbyshire, against Essex, the first four wickets fell for 11; in the second innings the first three fell for 10. Eisex 1>it thair first four in the first iaaings for 29; in the second they lost thred for 33. T he teams for the University match at Lord’s on Monday next are as follows :— O xfo rd , *G. R. Bardswell, (Uppingham aud Oriel), capt. ®J. C. Hartley (Tonbridge and Brasenose). •I1. H. E. Cunliffe (Eton aud New College). *P. S. Waddy (Paramatta and Balliol). G. B. Bromley-Martin (Eton and New College). A. Eccles (Repton and Trinity). F. H. B. Champain (Cheltenham and Hertford). F. L. Fane (Charterhouse and Magdalen). E. C. Wright, Clergy (Orphan School, Canterbury, and TCeble). R. W . Fox (Wellington and Hertford). R. E. Foster (Malvern and University). C am bridge . *N. F. Druce (Marlborough and Trinity), capt. *C. E. M. Wilson (Uppingham and Trinity). •H. H. Marriott (Malvern and Clare). *E. H. Bray (Charterhouse and Trinity). *GKL. Jessop (Private and Christ’s). *F. Mitchell (St. Peter’s, York, and Caius). *E. B. Shine (Private and Solwyn). H. W. de Zoste (Eton and Trinity). J. H. Stogdon (Harrow and Trinity). A. E. Fernie (Wellingborough and Clare). * Old Blues. A few results of about a dozen overs in this week’s matches :— O. M. R. W . Geeson ......... 12 2 4 20 5 M.C.C. v. Hants. Roche .......... 12 6 14 5 M.C.C. v. Hants. C. H. Morton 12 4 23 5 M.C.C. v. Hants. R oberts........... 10 4 21 6 Glos. v. Somerset. G. L. Jessop ... 11*1 1 2o 4 Cambridge v. M.C.C. E. C. W right 11*4 3 24 4 Oxford v. Sussex. T h e Abbey School, Beckenham, con­ tinues to be victorious. The only defeat— a severe one, however—was by Elstree on the Elstree ground, but this was atoned for in the home match by a decisive vic­ tory, thanks chiefiy to a fine innings of 88 by Oornabe, who is a much bigger and older boy than is generally seen at preparatory schools. His side will miss him very greatly when he leaves. At football, as a full-back, he is a positive terror to the small forwards who are op­ posed to him. The Clergy School at Leatherhead had an excellent opportunity last week of beating the Abbey School, for at one time they only wanted six runs with three wickets still in hand. At home the Abbey School has not lost a match for three years. I t is said that the Mayor of Coolgardie declined to entertain George Giffen’s team of Australian cricketers during their tour in Western Australia, on the ground that he “ did not believe in feting travelling showmen, who for two years bad been living upon the fat of two continents.” T h e following is from the Sydney M a i l : — “ Much as the public like to see the visit of an English eleven, it must he admitted that it has not always been an unmixed blessing, for they have interfered in the past with club cricket, though with the present as-near-as-perfect control which the New South Wales Cricket Association exercises over local cricket no difficulty may be antici­ pated with regard to Stoddart’s 1897-98 eleven.” T h e averages in the Pennant matches at Melbourne, during the past season, shew some interesting results. G. H. S.