Cricket 1897

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. n o . 4 6 3 . v o l . x v i , THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1897. p b i c e aa. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. C. BALDWIN. At the end of 1895, a prophet who ventured to foretell that Baldwin’s career as a first-class cricketer would have, as it were, a second edition, must have been regarded with curiosity not unmixed with contempt. For the popular little Surrey profes­ sional seemed to have drifted for good into second-class and club cricket. But a few good innings in 1896 induced the county committee to give him another trial, with results which must have surprised themselves as much as other people. Baldwin has recently started in business, in part­ nership with Marshall, as a cricket outfitter, a few doors off the Oval Electric Railway Station, and he has been planning a handle for cricket bats, which he will no doubt soon bring before the public. He has inherited his cricket from his father, an all-round player, who in the sixties played regularly and success­ fully for Suffolk, and fre­ quently against All England teams. It may appear on the sur­ face that Lancashire missed a fine chance by not securing Baldwin when he was quali­ fied after being at Werneth for two years, but Baldwin cannot be said to have done himself justice when he was in the north, and there was nothing in his performances to show that he was likely to be a first-class cricketer of great merit. He went to Wemeth, near Oldham, in 1888, through seeing an advertisement in a paper, both the Bury United and Bury and West Suffolk Clubs giving him testimonials. “ I liked the cricket in Lancashire very much,” he said, “ for we played against all the best clubs in the neighbourhood, including Liverpool and Preston, and, of course, we met nearly all the Lancashire teams in the different matches. But whether it was that the wickets were not quite as good as they are in the south—there is more rain up there—or whether it was that, having to lopk after the ground as well as play in matches, the work was too much for me, it is certain that I did not like myself while I was there. It is true that I sometimes got runs, my highest score C. BALDWIN. {From a Photo by A. Pickering , Leicester.) being 104, against Huddersfield, but on the whole I felt that I was not myself. I shall never forget playing at Burnley in one of the first matches, if not the very first, after I went north. The match took place during the Burnley holiday week—the different towns in Lancashire each used to have a week of their own—and there was a large crowd on the ground. Things were going very well for Werneth, when a catch came to me in the long field, not at all an easy one, and as everything came off on that day, I managed to hold the ball. I can assure you I was quite frightened by the remarks which were made to me, iind I expected to be knocked on the head, or something worse. But, as I said before, this was about my first match; afterwards, I soon learned to understand and appreciate the crowds, which, although they were always outspoken, were good natured enough at heart. They fre­ quently used to make the most humorous remarks, and I wish I could remember some of them.” “ How long did you remain at Werneth ? ” “ Only for two years. Bob Thoms had seen me at Bury St. Edmunds before I went north, when he came down to umpire for the Incogs. It happened that I made some runs in both innings, and he told me to let him know when I wanted an engagement. On his recommendation, the Surrey committee engaged me for the Oval, where I came in 1890.” While he was qualifying for Surrey, Baldwin was fairly successful for the Club and Ground, his average for the first year being 35 and for the second year 27. Occasionally he went down to Bury St. Edmunds to play in their more important matches. “ As soon as I was qualified,” he said, “ I played against Essex and was fortunate enough to make 4 and 65. This was in the middle of May. My next county match was in the middle of June against Derbyshire. I made 17 and 28, and did not come into the team again until the end of July when my scores against Essex were 23 and 46; after that I was in the team for the remainder of the season.” In the following year Baldwin was very successful for Surrey, but in 1894 he