Cricket 1897

J u ly 22, 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 301 One of the most noticeable features of the Surrey v. Middlesex match at Lord’s was the way in which most of the Mid­ dlesex batsmen, especially in the second innings, shaped against Bichardson and Lees. Against Richardson they con­ tinually found themselves making pretty strokes to leg, on which they had very evidently not calculated—sometimes they were too surprised to run—or playing at a ball and finding that it had managed in some curious manner to get past the bat. Then the batsmen examined the pitch, patted down the spot on which the ball pitched, and looked backwards and forwards from it to the wicket. They were continually trying to cut Lees, and discovering that the ball kept a little too low, or got up a little too high. Fortu­ nately, the difficulty of contending with kicking balls was not added to the heavy task of the batsmen. The old question of the policy of giving away a few wides and no-balls in order to prevent an opposing side from follow­ ing on has again cropped up in connection with the match between Notts and Yorkshire. During the Canterbury week in 1892, when Notts were playing Kent, Attewell bowled a very wide wide to the boundary and prevented Kent from following on. Notts had played a first innings of 226, and Kent had lost nine wickets for about 144 (80 runs was the limit in 1892). In almost precisely similar circumstances this year, allowing for the alteration from 80 to 120, Notts declined to try the same experiment against Yorkshire at Dewsbury, and in the end were only just saved from a severe defeat by the arrival of “ time.” Can it be that Notts have come to the conclusion that it is wicked to give a side a temporary advantage, or was it that their bowlers were not alive to the situa­ tion ? They could not have been afraid of shocking the feelings of the Yorkshire captain, for, when captain of the Cambridge team in 1893, he allowed Mr. C. M. Wells to present Oxford with several extras in the ’Yarsity match, and was rewarded by a victory. Two or three correspondents have written to ask the old question whether a bowler can be no-balled because he has both feet behind the bowling crease. The law is quite clear on the point: “ The bowler shall deliver the ball with one foot on the ground behind the bowl­ ing crease, and within the return crease.” As long as he complies with these requirements he can, of course, put the other foot where he likes. Mb. C. B. Fby in a recently published article expresses an opinion that ■Lock­ wood in his best form is a more difficult bowler than Eichardson. This will be news to the Surrey committee and the Surrey eleven, although if the remark had been made three or four years ago it would, perhaps, have met with approval. W ith reference to a paragraph in last week’s “ Gossip,” Mr. Arthur Wilson, whose interest in Derbyshire cricket is well known, writes as follows:— “ I see you mention the ease of Steeples playing for two counties. Now, as far as I know, the facts are these: ‘ Steeples’ name was sent in to us for our colts match ; we chose him, and he played ; we never heard that he was living in, or qualifying for Monmouthshire ; and I fancy this is his first season there. He is certainly qualified for Derbyshire by birth, and he cannot be qualified for Monmouthshire by residence. Besides, does Monmouthshire, being not among the 1other ’ counties, count as a county at all ?” Fbom a carefully-written biography by Mr. A. J. Gaston, in the Brighton Argue, of Mr. William Napper, to whose death in his eighty-first year reference was made in last week’s Cricket, I learn that Mr. Napper played in the last match on the old Brunswick ground by-the-sea in Septem­ ber, 1871, on the side of Twenty-three Gentlemen of Sussex v. Ten Players of Sussex and One Gentleman ; and that he also played in the first match on the pre­ sent Hove ground, May 20th and 21st, 1872, being captain of the Young Players’ X I. A sc h o o l b o y named F. N. Gummidge has this season made 1,015 runs in 21 innings (four times not out) for Cranbrook School, Kent. The two-day match between Eugv>y and Marlborough on the ground of the latter school had a remarkable ending. Marlborough had to make 131 runs to win. As only an hour remained for play, this seemed quite out of the question, but after a wicket had fallen for 13, L. P. Collins and W. Prest, the captain, came together, and in 53 minutes had won the match, without giving a chance of any kind, although, possibly, one of them might have been run out with a little more quickness in the field. Alec Watson, who has been coaching the Marlborough boys for a short time, and Woof, the school professional, were both of opinion that better cricket than that shown by the two Marlborough boys could not have been wished for. The Marlborough boys are fortunate in having the advice of Mr. E. C. Streatfeild, tbe old Cam­ bridge Blue, as well as that of the two professionals. A LETTEB from the headmaster of Har­ row to Lord Lichfield, the president of the M.C.C., has resulted in a widespread discussion iu the newspapers as to whether it would be well for the Eton and Harrow match to last for three days instead of two. This seemed, primarily, a matter for the headmasters of the two schools and the M.C.C. to decide, but as both headmasters have written to the Times on the subject, it is evidently their wish that the public should be consulted. The public has accordingly taken up the question with enthusiasm; a part of it suggests that as the match has become an affair of “ carriages, corsets, and chatter,” it should be played alternately at Eton and Harrow; but the general opinion seems to be in favour of the match lasting for three days, as so many of the recent games have been drawn. A t Leamington, a few days ago, the Stratford Commercial School, playing against theLeamington Collegiate School, scored one run in tbe first innings, and three runs (one bye), in the second. The scores of the Stratford boys are appended as a curiosity :— First innings. Second innings. E. Yardley, b Sharp ........... 0 b Sharp.. ... 0 F. Ayres, c and b Branigan 0 b Sharp.................. 0 S.Wright, cGray, b Sharp.. 0 c and b Branigan 0 J. Pullen, b Sharp................. 0 b Branigan........... 1 S. Pullen, b Branigan........... 0 run out................. 0 H. Hodges, c Lenton, b S h a rp .................................. 0 not out................... 0 H. Hopkins, run o u t ......... 0 c and b Sharp ... 0 B. Wallis, c Sharp, b Branigan .......................... 0 c Deverell, b Branigan.......... 0 J. Crawhurst, not o u t......... 1 run out.................. 0 T. Ball, b Branigan ........... 0 b Branigan........... 1 W . S nith, b Branigan......... 0 b Sharp ............ 0 Extra ......... 1 Total................ ... 1 Total .. 3 An innovation, which will certainly not be regarded with favour by the great n ajority of cricketers, was made in the game of cricket by the Emeriti C.C. when it played St. Gregory’s College, Down­ side, on Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and 4. From time to time efforts are made to induce cricketers to play matches on Sun­ days, but the feeling iu England is prac­ tically universal against doing this, al­ though many cricketers seem to have no objection to play golf on that day. The portrait which appeared in last week’s Cricket of Mr. G. S. Patterson, the captain of the Philadelphia team, was from a photograph by Mr. .Henry P. Baily, another member of the team. As an amateur photographer Mr. Baily has met with remarkable success. It may be taken for granted that most cricketers, when they are studying the contents of their evening paper, look first at the latest scores as far as they are set forth, and then at the spot where the latest telegrams are to be found. The second “ Extra specials ” on Tuesday night contained the score of the Surrey second innings against Hampshire as far as eight wickets for 32, and it was not surprising that men muttered “ Well, I ’m------ ” before discovering that the total had after all been brought up to 77. On Tuesday night the Star voiced the opinion of cricketers in the clever cartoon, entitled, “ We all want to know.” A dainty young lady and Mr. Key are communicating with each other through the telephone, and the conversation is as follows:— “ Hello! ” “ Hello ! ” “ Are you Mister Key f ” “ Ye s ! ” “ Well, what’s the matter with Surrey?” The two men who made a reappearance in first-class cricket last week, Mr. A. C. MacLaren and Holland, have both met with conspicuous success. Mr. MacLaren began with 19 against Sussex, and fol