Cricket 1897

A ug . 20, 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 3T7 the championship list. Here is a team which has seven such batsmen asMr. S. II. EA'ershed, Mr. L. G. Wright, Chatterton, Bagshaw, Davidson, Storer and Walter Sugg; with one of the best, if not quite the "best wicket­ keeper in England; and with, apparently, no weaker bowling than three or four other sides; and this team cannot win a single match ! Derbyshire has had some hard luck. It was a big blow to them to lose Joe Hulme, who did better work last season than ever before; let us hope he will be well and in good form in 1898. Then two or three of their best men have had to stand down at various times owing to injuries ; but in this they have not been more unfortunate than Lancashire, while Somerset, Middlesex, Hampshire, Leicestershire and Kent have seldom, or rever, been able to put in the field their best teams. Two or three of the games drawn were unquestionably in the Peak County’s favour, to wit, that against Warwick early in the season, that against Essex at Derby, and the recent ones against Notts, at Nottingham, and Leicestershire, at Derby; and, remembering thesematches, one cannot well say that Mr. Evershed’s men have never played up to form, but a drawn game, however favourable, does not count for as much as the narrowest of wins, and a record of no wins, four favourable draws, and about half-a-score of losses, is distinctly unworthy of men who, for the seasons of 1895 and 1896, had nine victories against ten lost games. Chatterton seems quite to have dropped back into his old place as one of the regular bowlers of the side; and it is no longer an unusual sight to see Storer doffing pads and gloves to take a turn with the ball. But why is not Walter Sugg given a chance now and then ? I am not much in the way of making suggestions to county captains, who know their business a good deal better than an out­ sider can tell it them; but Sugg came off with the ball to some extent for Liverpool and District v. Cambridge University, and for his county in previous years he has ended more than one awkward stand, yet he has, I believe, only bowled ten overs for Derbyshire this season. In making one’s survey of the season as a whole, one cannot findmuch space for dilating upon the new men of the year; so, taking time by the forelock, I am going to say a word or two about some of them now. Treating as new men all who had not until this season played regularly for their respec­ tive sides, one might choose a rattling good eleven from Mr. H. B. Chinnery and Lees (Surrey), Mr. C. R. Hartley and Cuttell (Lancashire), Mr. S. H. Day and the Hon. J. R. Tufton (Kent), Mr. J. F. Byrne (Warwick­ shire), Mason, Dench and J. Gunn (Notts;, Webb (Middlesex), Mr. E. M. Ashcroft, Cross and Hancock (Derbyshire), Messrs. W. Andrew and C. Heseltine (Hampshire), Joe Vine (Sussex), Messrs. E. C. Wright, H. S. Goodwin, A. G. Richardson and W. S. A. Brown and Hale (Gloucestershire), Gill (Somerset), Mr. C. J. B. Wood, Coe and King (Leicestershire), and Messrs, A. J. Turner and H. W. De Zoete (Essex), to say nothing of the University men who have not played for first-class counties yet, Messrs. J. H. Stogdon and A. E. Fernie (Cambridge), R. E. Foster and G. E. Bromley-Martin (Oxford). Of these the most notable batsmen are, beyond doubt, Messrs. Turner, Byrne, Chin­ nery, A ndrew, Day and Bromley-Martin, who all shaped like batsmen born from the first. Of the five, I should place Mr. Turner first. It is almost a pity he is going into the army; but if he proves as good a soldier as he has a cricketer his name may be found in future English histories. Mr. Byrne’s bat­ ting has been almost as notable as Mr. Turner’s. His playing for Warwickshire was mentioned before the season began ; but it was not until towards the end of June that he was actually given a place in the team. He began with an innings of exactly 100 ; and his scores since then have been 10, 54, 63, 13, 13, 58, 32, 30, 53, 15, 8, 23, 0, 19, 38, 11, 63* and 28. One does not need to add many words to a statement like that. Mr. Chinnery has not been so consistent. Early in the season he made twenties, thirties, for­ ties and fifties in nearly every match ; then came a long score of 149 at Birmingham, and since then he has made only 53 in 10 innings in county matches, although he scored 66 and 26 v. the Philadelphians. At one time he looked certain to achieve a four-figure total in his very first season of first-class cricket. This was not to be; but, if he continues to play regularly, he should do great things for Surrey in days to come. The reputations of Messrs. S. H. Day and W. Andrew rest mainly upon one innings each; but those innings were three-figure ones, and both were made at critical times. Mr. Day is still a schoolboy, and will prob­ ably be seen at either Oxford or Cambridge in due course; after that, perhaps we may hope to find him a regular member of the Kent side. Mr. Andrew has not, I believe, the leisure to play quite regularly for Hamp­ shire, but it is to be hoped that he will play whenever he can. Mr. Bromley-Martin was the best batsman of this year’s Dark Blue team ; he did little in the big match at Lord’s, but his scores in the other half-dozen games in which he took part were 137, 56, 48, 41, 35, 33, 23, 17 and two ducks. But not one among them all has played pluckier cricket than a man who, for style and in point of figures, can scarcely perhaps be ranked with them—Mr. C. J. B. Wood of Leicestershire. Mr. Wood’s play has been one of the few redeeming features of Leices­ tershire’s cricket in 1897; and whatever gleam of hope there may be for the unlucky Midland county in the future comes mainly from the indomitable pluck of this young amateur and his professional comrades, Knight and Coe. With Pougher absent, and Mr. De Trafford and Tomlin failuies, it wanted men with big hearts to do good work; it always wants a big-hearted player to do his best in a beaten side. And I should like to say here how much I have admired Mr. Wood for the way in which he has fought to redeem the Leices­ tershire batting from absolute disgrace. Some of his innings of 20 or thereabouts have been worth more than fifties would have been in the score of a winning team. Knight, after a few failures, did well also, and so did Coe; but Mr. Wood comes first in my esti­ mation. The bright particular star among the new bowlers is undoubtedly Cuttell. He played in two matches for Lancashire last season, did not get a wicket, was injured in the second game (v. M.C.C.), and never had another chance all the season. This year he has not missed a single match, and is now close upon his hundredth wicket. Next to him I should place Lees, who looks like proving a worthy successor to the line of great Surrey bowlers. Both these men have more than alittle batting ability. The same can scarcely be said of Hancock of Derbyshire, who in something like 30 innings has only once reached double figures; but Hancock is a good bowler, who will yet train info a better one if given a fair chance. Mr. Heseltine is scarcely a newman in one sense, but his success as a bowler in first-class cricket has been something of a revelation. Cross was useful to Derbyshire in two or three matches ; but there would not appear to be a great deal in his bowling, and he is scarcely a colt if one reckons by years. Webb of Middlesex can hardly bo as good as his great success at Trent Bridge would be­ speak him; one would prefer to defer judg­ ment on him. Dench and young Gunn havo been disappointing; “ up like arocket—down like a stick.” Both should prove useful in future, though I don’t think either will ever be a great bowler. Mr. De Zoete does not seem to keep up his best form long; and I am inclined to think Coe a better batsman than bowler.. J.N.P. ETON v. H AR ROW .; From the Harrovian The Head-master of Harrow By the School songs he swore Thatrtho great match with Eton Should last for one day more ; By the School songs he swore it (In parliamentary way), And summoned loud approval forth, East and west, and south and north From all who own his sway. The M.C.C. have heard it In their pavilion tall, And the great Lord of Lichfield Has sent an answering call. Shame on the false Harrovian, Who hath no word of praise, For him who fights a glorious fight To win the great three days ! Now from the muddy banks of Cam ; Now from the Isis clear, The cry goes up, “ Well done , well done ! ” Woolwich and Sandhurst hear. The Eton menhave joined the fray From scattered homes afar, And Eton’s ruler hears appeals From Church and Bench and Bar. Not less than we, their team, I know, Would like the game played fair, With three full days to lose or win, To triumph or despair ! What though theysometimes seemedto wish We’d show ourselves less Wyld , Nor burn the Cole so furiously By lapse of ages piled. They own they Drew the match once Maw Only by help of Time. Next year they’ll not Try on the game So Penn sively sublime, And Harrow hopes will not be Hurt By tactics slow and tame, For none can punish Dowson’s balls As none can pun his name. Then cricketers of both our schools, Through Times’ open door Speak clear and strong, and piece by piece Cut up theplans of W arre ! ’Tis wrong to grudge to tested claims The single day we ask, Since none refuse, when dukes are wed, In extra weeks to bask. A. C. P.