Cricket 1897

“ Together] joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. ho . 443. vox., x v i. THUESDAY, APEIL 8, 1897. p r i c e 2a. THE TWO TEAM S IN THE WEST IND IES . In view of the general interest which was taken in the interview with Lord Hawke in Cricket, of December 31st, 1896, we need make no apology for inserting the following letter from Mr. Priestley, and the extracts to which he refers :— Jamaica. March 27th, 1897. D e a r S ir . —I notice in a recent issue of Cricket the report of an interview with Lord Hawke. In the course of that interview my name is introduced in con­ nection with the cricket teams in the West Indies this winter. As, in my opinion, certain statements are made by Lord Hawke which are not strictly accurate, I have taken an early opportunity of cor­ recting the same in the columns of the Kingston Gleaner, and forward you a copy of the same. If you should see well to make use in your paper of that part of the interview relating to the question I have mentioned, you will much oblige,—Yours truly, A. PRIESTLEY. Ih e following are the extracts (verbatim et literatim) from Mr. Priestley’sinterview in the Kingston Gleaner, which refer to the West Indian teams :— “ To explain why I had anything to do with the organisation of the second team, I must tell you that two or three members of the former team met me in the cricket field and asked me whether anything was being done or to be done about taking out a team for this winter (1896 and 1897), I told them that I knew nothing but that I would ask Mr. Lucas if he had any inten­ tion of taking out a team and that, if not, with his sanction I would communi­ cate with the West Indies. This I did in the spring of last year. 1 sought Mr. Lucas, had a conversation with him and asked him whether he had any intention of taking out a team to the West Indies next winter, if the West Indies desired it. Mr. Lucas replied “ N o ; I certainly shall not be able to go to the West Indies next Tenter, if a team goes. If I go anywhere it will be with Lord Hawke to India ! I then asked him was there any reason why I should not write to the West Indies asking them if they were desirous to entertain another English team. Mr. Lucas replied that he knew of no reason, except that Demerara possibly would prefer that the visit were posponed for another year. The following day, May 26, I wrote a formal letter to each of the four principal clubs in the West Indies— Barbados, Trinidad, Demerara and Jamaica, and in answer received from each club a letter heartily accepting my offer to take out a team and from some places—Trinidad for instance—I received personal letters from the Governor and others expressing their greit pleasure that I was bringing out an eleven. These communications, of course, reached me in June, and I immediately commenced my preparations for getting a team together. Things progressed satisfactorily and quietly until August 7, when I received a letter from Lord Hawke as follows:— “ Wighill Park, Tadcaster, August 7, 1896. Dear Priestley.—The early part of this year Sir Augustus Hemming wrote to me from British Guiana and asked me if I could see my way to taking a team to the West Indies this winter. I replied I should be very glad to do so if I did not go to India, but they have apparently misunderstood my meaning and rather take it for granted that I accepted at once the invitation. India, however, is not yet settled, meanwhile I received letters from the West Indies ask­ ing me to communicate with you as I gather you are already engaging a team to go there in January. May I ask you kindly to tell me in what position you stand with your invitations and if you have any players already engaged to go with you. It is apparently the wish of the West Indies that we should amalga­ mate, but until I hear from you it is impossible for me to give them an answer. I may tell you it is more than probable I shall go to India; but if not I do not wish to lose the chance of going to the West Indies. I meant to have had a chat with you at the Oval, but only caught one glimpse of you. An early answer will very much oblige. Yours very truly, H a w k e . ‘ A day or two previous to the receipt of this letter from Lord Hawke I re­ ceived from the West Indies Clubs letters stating that they had heard from the Georgetown Club at Demerara that pos­ sibly Lord Hawke might like to visit the West Indies this winter. They had written here (sic) to the effect that if he de­ sired to do so they would be glad to see him but that they had already accepted a previous offer from me and consequently they would be glad if we could come to an agreement ab.out amalgamating. I answered Lord Hawke’s letter as follows :— “ Devonshire Club, Eastbourne.” August 10th, 1896. Dear Lord Hawke,—-Your letter of the 7th re the question of the West Indies tour to hand. Personally, I would have much preferred to have seen you to have discussed the situation. Some time since I received invitations from the West Indies to take out a team during the coming winter. I accepted those invita­ tions. About four members of the former team have decided to accompany me, and I have extended invitations to four other players. If you should decide not to go to India I need hardly say how glad I shall be to hand over the Captaincy of the team to you. I must congratulate you upon the position which Yorkshire has attained in the cricket field this year. Yours truly, A r t h u r P r ie s t l e y . “ I waited,” continued Mr. Priestley, “ nearly a fortnight hoping to hear from Lord Hawke; in the meantime, I heard that he had invited members of his Indian team to go with him to the West Indies as he had abandoned his Indian tour, as shown by the following letter, from a gentleman who figured in the first team that visited the West Indies, who at the time of writing was associated with me in making arrangements for the tour, but who is now a member of Lord Hawke’s team. The letter ran :— “ How does the proposed West Indian trip progress F I have been staying with Wakefield lately and he got a letter from Lord Hawke, saying that he had aban­ doned the trip to India and intended, instead, taking his team to the West Indies on the 13th January, by invitation. If he has done this without consulting you, it seems rather a high handed pro­ ceeding, as his team will fill all the places and cut out all the men you and I had been sounding on the subject. Besides, Hawke refused two years ago to take a team out when first invited, so I fail to