Cricket 1898

M ay 12, 1898. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 121 B e f o r e leaving Australia for Ceylon, K . S. Ranjitsinhji wrote a farewell to Australia, which he gave to a representa­ tive of the South Australian Advertiser, with a request that he would give it to the cricketers of the colonies through the medium of his newspaper. The follow ­ ing is a copy of the letter:— To the cricketers of Australia.—Before leaving your shores I would like, in a few words, to express my feelings of cordiality to you all. My stay in your country has been of the most pleasant character, and the cricket I have seen has been of the highest standard. I have found you all good at heart, and manly exponents of the game. Let me assure you that I carry away with me most pleasant recollections of my visit to the Antipodes, and I shall look forward to another visit with great pleasure.—Yours faithfully, Kan jit s in h ji. A t about the same time that the above letter was written, an article by the Prince appeared in the Australian Review o f Reviews, in which he refers to an incident which had almost been forgotten. His remarks w ill be found on page 116. E l e c t o r a t e matches in Sydney have been remarkable this season if for no other cause than the batting of V. Trumper for Paddington. This very promising New South Wales cricketer has scored 858 runs in five completed innings — average 171'60. His scores are as follow s:— 82 against North Sydney. 123 „ Parramatta. 125 „ South Sydney. 85 „ Waverley. 120 not out, against Glebe. 191 „ „ Burwood. 133 against Redfem. T hirteen fours were included in the innings of 60 by M. Ellis, for Fitzroy against East Melbourne, and nine fours were hit in succession (six off a single over) b y W . II. Stewart, for Warrack- nabeal v. Dimboola (Victoria). A LESSON in geography. Overheard on a H ighbury ’b u s:— First Speaker: “ This Albert Trott, n ow—I-believe he’s a Victorian.” Second Speaker: “ Victorian be hanged. Why, I happen to know that he was born at Melbourne.” First Speaker: “ Dear m e ; I didn’t know that. Let me see—Where is Mel­ bourne ? ” Second Speaker: “ Melbourne? I thought everybody knew that. I t’s the capital o f—of South Australia.” Third Speaker (interrupting): “ I beg your pardon. Y ou are thinking of Sydney. Melbourne is the capital of New South Wales.” First and Second Speakers are delighted to meet with a man of such learning. T he number of public and private schools represented in the Freshmen’s matches at Oxford and Cambridge this year vastly exceeds the average; indeed, it may be doubted whether so many schools have ever been represented before in any year. Of the public schools, Eton stands first with four representatives; Marlborough and Rugby have three each; Clifton, Lancing, Westminster, Upping­ ham, Sherborne, St. Paul’s, and Welling­ ton, two each; Charterhouse, Bedford, Hurstpierpoint, Cheltenham, Repton, Denstone, Merchant Taylors, Malvern, Harrow, Canterbury, Winchester, St. Peter’s (York), Weymouth, Oakham, and Norwich, one each. Of the private schools, Loretto, Wellingborough, and Blackheath have each one. As will be seen from a report on page 114, Lord Hawke has, as it were, thrown a little paraffin on the dying embers of the conflagration which raged some time ago around the subject of payment of amateurs and professionals. A BOOK is in the press b y Mr. A. J. Gaston, entitled “ The H istory of Cricket in Sussex from the Earliest Records to the Present Time.” It will be published at sixpence. “ SIGNALISING HIS ADVENT.” I t is never safe to prophesy that any man will get his “ blue,” but at Cambridge E. A. C. Druce, L. J. Moon, A. T. Coode, T. L Taylor, H . H . B. Hawkins, T. G. O. Cole and E. A. Hind, may be said to be in the running. A t Oxford, the best men are: B. D. Bannon, F. W . Stocks, B. J. T. Bosanquet, F. H. Mitchell, L . P. Collins, and J. W. Crawfurd. There are only three places to be filled up at Oxford (if all the Blues are again worth their places), and four or five at Cambridge. M r . B r a n n began the season by staying at the wickets for two hours in making a total of 29 in two innings, on a most tricky wicket, against the bowling of Trott and Hearne. Albert Ward, however, quite outdid this performance by remaining at the wickets for Lanca­ shire against M.C.C. for fifty minutes without scoring, and finally making a total of 13 in an hour and thirty-five minutes. This looks very promising for fine scores when the wickets get hard and good—if they are going to do so at all this year. A f e w good performances with the ball in important matches:— F. H. E. Cunliffe, 3 -wickets for 21, Oxford Freshmen’s match. C. F. Ryder, 3 for 12, Oxford Freshmen’s match. H. H. B. Hawkins, 6 for 74, and 5 for 43, Cambridge Seniors’ match. W . F. Whitwell, 6 for 57, and 4 for 42, Bedale and District v. Yorkshire. Trott, 4 for 30, and 3 for 30, M.C.C. v. Sussex. J. T. Hearne, 6 for 29, and 5 for 43, M.C.C. v. Sussex. Wainwright, 5 for 4, Yorkshire v. Bedale and District. Haigh, 5 for 19, and 9 for 29, Yorkshire v. Bedale and District. T h e three great Metropolitan clubs have now all held their annual general meetings, and, needless to say, the reports were all highly satisfactory. And yet it is but a few years ago that the Essex county C.C. was in the lowest of low water. A t L ord’s there was no exciting busi­ ness to transact. The number of members has been increased b y 90, and is now 4,287. The Hon. Alfred Lyttelton succeeds the Earl of Lichfield as President of the Club. It was announced at the meeting that the tennis and racket courts will be pulled down to make room for the accommodation of about 10,000 more spectators than the ground will now hold, which must indeed be “ tidings of com fort and jo y ” to many a Metro­ politan cricketer who has been, in years past, unable to see anything whatever of the play in the big matches. The com ­ mittee are still consulting with the county cricket clubs as to the advisability of altering the rules as to county qualifi­ cation. T. A. Heame succeeds Pearce as ground superintendent. T h e chief business transacted at the Oval yesterday was, undoubtedly, in the opinion of a good many members, the inspection from various points of view of the new pavilion, which it is hoped will be complete in every way b y the date of the first match— although hope proverbially tells a flattering tale. The secretary was again able to show that “ all’s well ” could be used as a motto of the club if need be. During the past year 633 new members have been elected, and the number of members who have paid their subscriptions for 1898 is only about 200 less than who have paid in the Marylebone Club. Reference was made in the report to the death of Viscount Oxenbridge, who, as president of the club for many years, had devoted himself to Surrey cricket, in which he always took the deepest interest. Despite the great expense entailed b y the work on the new pavilion, the finances are in a perfectly sound position. In the course of the meeting, Mr. Alcock was presented with a silver bow l and a purse of money, con­ taining over £470, which had been sub­ scribed b y the County Club and its mem­ bers. In a short speech, Mr. Alcock expressed his thanks. A t Layton nothing occurred to disturb the equanimity of the members of the County Club, for, with increased gates and increased subscriptions, the past year has been the best ever known by the du b. Mr. O. R. Borradaile may, indeed, be