Cricket 1897

O ct . 28 , 1897. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 445 ciations bring out English teams and pool the profits; that,the V.C.A. receive a percentage on international matches; that, with a view of putting into the field the best possible team in intercolonial matches, any player refusing to play, unless giving reasons to be approved by the V.C.A., shall be liable to disqualifi­ cation. T h e Public Ledger (Philadelphia) is somewhat severe on the tactics of many of the Englishmen who, quite unaccus­ tomed to playing against twenty-twos, were obliged to act strictly on the defen­ sive in the Colts’ match. “ Captain Warner,” says the Ledger, “ was at bat for four hours, contenting himself with blocking the ball and occasionally stealing a run or cutting a loose one for several tallies. Tonge was almost equally patient, and to show how slowly these two men scored and how they tired the spectators by their defensive tactics, it is only necessary to state that at one time they consumed twenty minutes in tallying two runs. . . . Mr. Warner was warmly congratulated by many for the long stand he made before the wickets. Some people liked that kind of playing; others did not.” W it h reference to the slow play of the Englishmen in this match the Public Ledger quotes the following remarks :— “ It is good cricket,” remarked an old en­ thusiast in front of the clubhouse. “ Yes, it is a good way to kill what little interest there is manifested in cricket in this country,” replied a bystander who was arguing the question with him. Oldcricketers may enjoy looking at a man standing in front of awicket all day long blocking off halls without trying for runs, but the average spectator would rather see the batsmanhit out the ball and try to score. But this is cricket, and therein cricket differs from all other games, “ T h e similarity between the last match of the Hastings Festival this year,” writes Mr. A. N. Jack, “ Gentlemen v. Players, and the last match of the season in 1895 at Hastings, A. E. Stoddart’s X I. v. England, is striking. Stoddart’s X I., it will be remembered, were three runs be­ hind first innings, the scores being 217 and 220, but on going in a second time put up 289 for six wickets; declared, and got rid of their opponents for 68. In the recently finished match the Players batted first, scoring 214, and the amateurs followed with exactly the same score. Next innings the professionals were more fortunate, and ‘ declared ’ with 242 up for only two wickets, afterwards dis­ missing the Gentlemen for 67. In each match Tom Richardson was the destroy­ ing angel on the side of the victors. The coincidence is altogether so remarkable that it is well worth recording.” T h e representative of a Rand contem­ porary, say8 the African Critic, had an interview with Mr. E. A. Halliwell, the well-known South African cricketer, upon the subject of a South African cricket team to visit England next year. Mr. Halliwell thinks that at least £3,000 should be guaranteed towards the ex­ penses of the tour. The task of raising this, in the face of the present depression, is regarded as a very difficult one, and the chances that the tour will pay for itself are considered rather remote. Mr. A. B. Tancred, in consideration of the financial difficulty, thought it would be better to wait until 1899. Mr. St. J o h n B rodrick, M.P., has expressed his opinions on the way in which county cricket is conducted, and, what is more, has suggested improve­ ments. He said that it was difficult even in these days of Board School arithmetic to follow the calculation. He thought it was a question which called for the serious intervention of Parliament— (Laughter)—and if any one should bring forward a bill for a better system of computation he should be only too happy to vote for it. (Laughter). In his opinion, county matches began a great deal too late. To say that men could not stay in the field a little longer each day was a libel on the British race. (Laughter). Many matches ended in draws, but that would be obviated by extending the period of play. Another suggestion he would make was that an inch should be added to the stumps. It was absurd to go on having innings of 500 or 600. The fact was that the wickets were so true, and the batsmen so practised, that the bowlers did not get sufficient compensation. It was a sug­ gestion which he thought the M.C.C.— who had done a good many radical things lately which would have been received with horror by the old-fashioned players of cricket—would do well to take into consideration for the salvation of county cricket. F ro m an amusing description of “ A riverside garden ” in Shadwell in the St. James's Gazette, I extract the follow­ ing passage, which will be appreciated by cricketers: “ In defiance of rules, a fur­ tive game of cricket is being played be­ hind the tall church with a tied-up c*p for ball and a short plank of wood for bat, and Sacred to the Memory of So- and-so, Master Mariner, for wicket; and when presently an alarmed shout goes up of ‘ ’Ere he comes ! ’ the plank goes swiftly away, the cap is quickly untied, and the sea-faring park-keeper, with L.C.C. on his blue jersey, finds the cricketers assuming an acute interest in church architecture.” A t a club smoker given by the Belmont C.C. to the English visitors, Mr. Warner, the English captain (according to the Public Ledger, Philadelphia) said that, “ excepting Mr. Richardson, the great English bowler, King was the greatest bowler in the world.” If Mr. Warner really made the remark he is evidently cut out for a political career. But why “ Mr.” Richardson and not “ Mr.” King? A F o r m e r Stygian writes from Madras: “ I see that in a comparatively recent issue of Cricket, one of your valued contributors gave W. Sapte’s 40 for Stygians, v. Ealing, as a record bit of fast scoring, and as having beenmade in ten minutes, and quoted ‘ ‘ Scores and Biographies” as his authority. Now, if you have time, could you give a line to say how records such as these find their way into a volume which should be nothing if not accurate and reliable. “ I ask, because in this out-of-the-way part of the world, such information is not easy to come by, and I should specially like to know how this particular record obtained a place in such an historical work, for I was playing in the match in question at Ealing, and though I well remember it, and Sapte’ s hitting, which was, as usual, very fierce, I do not remember that the innings in question was timed, in fact, I can say for certain that it was not, and that, therefore, this record mustbe pure guess work, probably proceeding out of the remark made about this match a day or two after: “ Oh ! Billy Sapte was in great form at Ealing and k locked up 40 in about ten minutes, and then, like the three crows story of immortal memory, this record was evolved. As well might it be claimed as a record, that in the same match another Stygian, H. S. Downing, who also got 40 odd, and got them very slowly, did a piece of record slow scoring. As I was quite convinced (1) that Sapte’s 40 was not timed at the time it was made, and (2) that I have seen j ust as fast scoring as this bit in question. I should very much like to learn how the “ record” in question was obtained and authenticated. To the natives of Central America, writes Mr. Thomas Mason from San Miguel (Repub. del Salvador, C.A.), all Englishmen are more or less “ loco,” and to confirm them in that idea the first game of cricket in this country was played at San Miguel on September 23rd. Our first essay was witnessed by a crowd of open-mouthed Indians who thought we were more to be pitted than blamed ; their idea of life is a hammock and a guitar, with as little exercise as possible, and to see a man rushing about in the hot sun is beyond their comprehension. Mr. Nixon, who some years back played for the Clapton C.C., is the skipper of the new club, and he hopes to afford amuse­ ment to the natives and to keep his men clear of the liver complaint. T h e June Madras Times excerpt on Cricket, of August 26, was from the pen of E. H. D. Sewell, an old Bedford Grammar Schoolboy, who played for Beds in 1892; he is about the best all­ round cricketer in the Madras Presidency and a very hard hitter. He has lately joined the staff of the Nilgiri News. M r . A r t h u r W il s o n reminds me that Derbyshire’s score of 570 v. Notts, at Nottingham, might be deemed worthy of mention among famous 1897 scores. It was omitted in the review of the season in the last issue of Cricket. T h e Yorkshire county fixtures for 1898 will take place as follows :— Bradford.—Surrey, Essex, and Sussex. Leeds.—Notts, Middlesex, and Warwickshire. Sheffield.—Kent, Gloucestershire, Lancashire (Wainwright’s benefit), and Parsees. Harrogate.—Derbyshire. Dewsbury.—Leicestershire. Huddersfield.—Hampshire. Scarborough.—Somerset. H alifax.—Worcestershire N E X T ISSUE, THURSDAY , NO V EM B E R 25.