Cricket 1897

280 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u l y 15, 1897. BUSSEY’S BATS. H IGHEST GRADE . BUSSEY’S BALLS. H IGHEST GRADE. BUSSEY’S GUARDS. H IGHEST GRADE . BUSSEY’S < C C B « - GLOVES. H IGHEST GRADE BUSSEY’S < G C f r (( BAGS. H IGHEST GRADE . CRICKETERS’ DIARY IS A GEM FOB, 6d. CATALOGUES ON APPLICATION TO CITY DEPOT— 36 & 38, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET. LONDON. OR DEALERS ALL OVER THE WORLD. MANUFACTORY— PECKHAM , LONDON . TIMBER M ILLS— ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK. BETWEEN THE INNINGS. It is a curious fact that, while Mr. Norman Druce has the highest batting average of any ’ Varsity captain of the last ten years (the highest, I believe, ever gained by any player either at Cambridge or Oxford) and Mr. G. R. Bardswell the lowest, the Oxford captain actually made more runs than his Light Blue rival in the great match of the season. It was pleasant to see Mr. Bardswell a success, for everyone must admit that the poor form he had shown in the earlier Oxford matches was not his true form; but one would also have liked to see Mr. Druce make more. Only in one other match this season (that v. York­ shire) has he scored fewer than 60 runs ; and his record is a really splendid one. I think many of my readers will be in­ terested in the following figures, which give the batting record in his year of captaincy of each of the ’ Varsity captains of the decade 1888-97. I give in each case the position occupied by the player in question among the batting averages of the eleven who actually did duty at Lord’ s. BATTING AVERAGES OP THE UNIVERSITY CAPTAINS (1888-97). O xfo rd . ■g -g g S J o Year. Name. £ £ {§ W » 188S. W . Rashleigh.......... 2...12 .1 . 285 . 25'90... 56* 1889. H. Philipson.......... 4...15 . 2...246...18*92 . 61 1890. Hon.F.J.Thesiger... 3 ..15 . 1.. 271...19*35... 83 1891. M. R. Jardine.......... 3...15...1.. 255 . 18 21 .. 70 1892. L. C. H. Palairet... 1 17...3.. 609...36*35 .. 75* 1893. L. C. H. Palairet... 2...13...0...276 . 21*23 .. 74 1894. C. B. F ry.................. 2...17...2...454...30*26...119 1885. G. J. Mordaunt . 1...16...1 . 774...51*60 . 264* 1896. H. D. G. L.-Gower 1...15 . 2 517 . 42 07... 93 1897. G. R. Bardswell .. 9...12...0 .170 .14*16... 38 C ambridge . 1888. C. D. B u xton......... 9 . 17...1...269 ..16 81... 46* 1889. F. G. J. Ford............. 3...10 . 0 .298. 29*80...123 1890. S. M. J. Woods...10.. 11 .1 ..147,. 14*70... 45 1891. G. MacGregor ...3 13..1 . 287...23*11.. 48 1892. F. S, Jackson.........1...16...0 . 4«6 29 12 .. 81 1893. F. S. Jackson.......... 1...16 . 1 649...43 26...123 1894. P. H. Latham ... 5 . 16...0 . 364 . 22*75 .116 1895. W . G. D ru ce........... 2 ..16.. 3.. 546...42*00.. 129 1896. F. Mitchell .......... 7.. 14 . 0 . 367...i6*21..,110 1897. N. F. Druce .......... 1...12 . 1...726...66 00...227* It will be seen ,that in the case of each ’ Varsity the captain has three times during the occasion been at the head of the batting averages. Three times at Oxford and once at Cambridge he has been second; twice at each third ; once at Oxford fourth ; once at Cambridge fifth ; once at Cambridge seventh ; cnce at Oxford ninth; and once at Cambridge as low as tenth—but then he was a great bowler, the greatest amateurbowler of the day, indeed, though in these times we know him better as ahard-hitting, fast-scoring batsman. It is interesting to notice, too, that no fewer than twelve schools have been represented in the ’Varsities’ leadership during the decade, Repton alone claiming four seasons thus, with Ford, Lionel Palairet twice, and Fry, and no other school having even three. Eton, Harrow, Marlborough, Uppingham and Winchester each have two, with Buxton and Philipson, Jackson twice, W. G. and N. F. Druce, MacGregor and Bardswell, Thesiger and Leveson-Gower; while Brighton boasts the incomparable S. M. J. Woods, Fettes Jardine, Malvern Latham, Wellington Mordaunt, St. Peter’s (York) Mitchell, and Tonbridge Rashleigh. Sussex missed on Saturday a fine chance of satisfying the enthusiasts to whom Notts’ place at the head of the Championship table is an eyesore, and missed, which is more to the purpose, the chance of the real distinction of beating a really strong team which has yet to know defeat in the county tourney of 1897. I do not in the least believe that the Midland shire will get through the season undefeated, and I should not think it worthy of premier honours even if it did so ; but it is of no use blinking the fact that, more especially if Guttridge’s performance against Sussex was not a mere flash in the pan, Notts is a very difficult team to deal with just now. I don’t think it would prove invincible in a four or five day match ; but three days seems a space of time scarcely sufficient to beat it in. L have not a word to say against playing; for a draw when to win is obviously impossible and there is danger of losing ; but Notts was in no such danger at Derby. What a grand team the Players can raise just now ! In the Oval match there wore only two men on the side who have never scored a century in a first-class match, Tom Richardson and Jack Hearne (and even these two have made a good share of runa at times) ; and there was not a man who cannot bowl. Carpenter, Abel, W. G. Quaife, Baker and Storer are scarcely fashionable bowlers, of course, but every one of them has taken wickets this season i though Baker, perhaps the best of the five, has had but little bowling to do. Here are their bowling figures up to Monday, the 12th instant:— Overs. Runs. Wkts. Aver. Baker.......... ... 18*4 .... 51 .. . 3 ... 17*00 Carpenter ... ... 52 ... 177 .. . 8 ... 22*12 Storer ........... ... 122 ... 417 .. . 14 ... 29*78 Abel ........... ... 77*1 ... 179 .,.. 6 ... 2983 Quaife ... 181*2 .. . 461 ... 14 ... 32 92 Since, as a general rule, not one of the five ever gets a chance until batsmen are well set and the other bowlers are knocked off, these figures are by no means discreditable. As for the other six men on the side every one of them is among the best bowlers of the year, their number of wickets taken up to Saturday last being respectively :—Richardson 12o, Hearne 119, Hayward 72, Peel 64, Wain­ wright 60 and Hirst 57. Grand total for the eleven, 482 wickets. How many have the eleven amateurs taken among them ? Mr. C. L. Townsend is the only man of the eleven who appears in the weekly averages ; and his quota to Saturday last was 46. The only other men on the side who have taken wickets this season are :— Mr. A. J. L. Hill (19), Dr. W. G. Grace (16), Mr. W. M. Bradley (10), Mr. F. W. Milligan (7), Mr. P. F. Warner (2) and Captain E. G. Wynyard (1). Grand total, 101. As to the average per wicket—well, these comparisons are getting invidious, and had best be stopped. It must be saidin all fairness, however, that two or three of themen who owed their places on the amateur side to the inability or un­ willingness of others to play acquitted them­ selves with marked credit. Mr. F. H. B. Champain played a fine first innings of 82 ; Mr. F. W. Milligan made 47 in each innings ; and Mr. A. E. Newton not only kept wicket well but also batted very pluckily in the second innings. Altogether the first score of close on three hundred run up by what was practically a scratch team of amateurs against the strong and varied bowling of the pros, was something more than creditable. That the Players should treat lightly the weak attack of the Amateurs was only to be expected, however. Whatever may be thought of the team as a whole at least two members of the Pliiladel-