Cricket 1898

138 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M at 19, 1898. Hampshire professional, can almost be called a new bowler, as it is so long since he played for the county. I n the Sussex Y oung Players match, a son of Walter Humphreys, the lob bowler, who, in days gone by, was the terror of the opponents of the county — especially the Australians—made his appearance as a successor of his father. W ith his lobs he took five wickets for 43. This would not be a bad perform­ ance even against a weak club team. But to think that Mr. Newham, with all his experience of the father’s lobs, should have rushed to his fate, and be stumped, when he was opposed to the s o n ! We, indeed, live in an age of surprises. I n the matches at the'beginning of the present week, Lord Hawke and Walter Sugg were bowled with no-balls. Both added considerably to their score after the “ accident.” It is often stated that under such circumstances a batsman is exceptionally lucky, b.ut the man who plays at a no-ball with great carefulness is yet to be found. A f t e r a long absence from good matches, B. Jayaram, the Indian, who is spoken of with Buch respect as the coming batsman of the East, played for Bangalore against Ootacamund and scored 87. For the same side, E. H . D. Sewell, undoubtedly the best all-round cricketer in India at the present time, made 66, and bowled with great success. A fe w remarks from the Madras Times about the weather in the above match may be of interest to English cricketers just now. Whether cyclones occur now, Bangalore must field out, in response to the most sport­ ing way the Ooty X I. stuck to their guns in the most filthy weather, for which Ooty is so justly famous, when it does begin to rain. The ground was thoroughly wet on the top by the driving rain, which twice drove the field into the tent, the hall was in consequence akin to a piece of jelly-fish, the howlers could get no foothold. No sooner had the players got under cover, 'before down came the rain in sheets, and in an extraordinarily short space of time the whole field was under water, affording those interested in the Reclamation and Drainage Works a most excellent opportunity of judging where the water would drain off, and whether the work so far done would benefit the cricket pitch. They have suc­ ceeded so far, that although at 12.30 the whole cricket ground was under water, at 2.30 the original wicket was the only spot where water was lying, and that only because it had been well watered and rolled before the match. T h e fourth annual report of the “ South London Cricket Association ” has been issued. T h e follow ing are some o f the objects of the Association:—To raise the status of cricket in South London ; to provide private grounds for those clubs desiring th em ; to assist the counties of Surrey and Kent in unearth­ ing new talent; to keep a register of efficient umpires; to form a medium of communication between cricketers and the London County Council regarding pitches, etc., on the open spaces. More new clubs have applied for membership in 1898 than in any previous year since 1893, when the Association was origi­ nated. The honorary secretary is Mr. E. A. C. Thomson, 5, Gateley Road, Brixton, S.W . T h e excellent photograph of Mr. Bacmeister in last week’s Cricket was by Mr. Dempsey, the popular honorary secretary of the Hornsey C.C. Visitors to the Hornsey ground will have noticed in the pavilion photographs of the officers of the club which have all been taken and enlarged b y the honorary secretary. O f the amateur members of Mr. Stod­ dart’s team not one has yet taken part in first-class cricket at home this year. Nearly all the professionals have begun the season well, especially Hayward, Storer, and J. T. Hearne. Richardson did wonderfully well at first, but received a slight check in the Essex match. A sm a ll book, published at Is. 6d. by Duckworth & Co., London, by the Hon. R. H . Lyttelton, has made its appearance under the title of “ Cricket.” Mr. Lyttelton treats of batting, bowling, and fielding, as well as University matches, the giants of the game, captaincy, the Australians, and umpiring, in a manner which is never d r y ; speaks his mind plainly on the subject of amateurs and professionals; and, unlike a good many reformers, is not afraid to give sug­ gestions for improvements in the game. There are several misprints in the book which will no doubt be revised in subse­ quent editions. Among them may be men­ tioned “ W . H . Powys,” “ A. G. Steele,” “ Streatfield,” "boncamaraderie.” Walter Humphreys and many other lob bowlers would probably object to the remark that “ lob bowlers cannot break both ways.” Mr. Lyttelton’s suggested re­ forms will be found on page 139. I n an article on college cricket at Cambridge, the Oranta says :— “ One of the first things that strikes a Freshman at this University is the singular absence of enthusiasm respecting college cricket. Men play indeed, and play in excess, but nothing is more frequent than the abandonment of the game b y a member of the team after having obtained his colours. Numbers of public-school cricketers here resort to tennis—a game they heartily despised at sch ool; others slack on the river or watch the University matches with a languid enthusiasm. And yet the grounds are excellent, the wickets for the most part perfect, the possibility of run-getting great, the bowling often humorous and indulgent— every condition one would have thought for a season of success.” “ W h y is it that for the most part,” continues the Oranta, “ and apart from officials and ciicktt maniacs, keenness is so conspicuously absent ? The fact is that the matches are played under such conditions that the vast majority of them are undecided, and of those that are brought to a finish, few care in the slightest which side wins or loses. The normal course, true in seven cases out of ten, is as follows :—A one-day match announced for 1.30 begins at 2. The side that wins the toss bats first; some five or six wickets are lost for a score approximating 300, then the innings is declared closed. The other team then goes in to reproduce the same process; some half the wickets fall, the match is declared drawn at 6.30, and the players contentedly return to well-needed rest and refreshment. Y e r y few men are capable of making a hundred against a twenty-two of any strength, for the simple reason that they are unaccustomed to bat with so many men in the field. Dr. Grace has always been what is colloquially called “ a nailer ” in matches against odds, and b y his 148 not out for Gloucestershire, against twenty-two colts, on Monday and Tuesday, he shewed clearly enough that he is still quite at home at this variety of the game. There is generally not much looseness in fielding when twenty-two colts are at work, for they are all intensely eager to distinguish themselves. F o r Surbiton against Hampstead on Saturday, C. A. Trouncer, the old Surrey county cricketer, played a fine game for 169 not out, and H. B. Richardson 53. G. Brann was also playing for Surbiton, but it was not one of his days, although Hampstead was very weak in bowling. T h e chief feature of “ The Cricket Calendar,” which is published by the Cricket Press, 25, Temple Chambers, E.C., is the convenient arrangement b y which one can instantly see what matches are being played on any par­ ticular day. A good many London club matches, as well as first-class, are included in the list. Our war telegrams:— Stockholm. After all, the Spanish team, instead of going to lunch at Cadiz, as was reported in some journals, remained somewhere near the field of play. But they have kept the name of their hotel a secret. Cape Horn. It is rumoured that some of the Spaniards have been seen on the playing arena since the luncheon interval began, but the report is not confirmed. It is admitted that the spec­ tators are beginning to get tired of this sort of thing, ana they are loudly clamouring for a resumption of hostilities. . Clacton-on-Sea. The powerful American hitter, Oregon, who has hitherto taken no part in the game, is said to be on his way to the scene of opera­ tions. It is feared that some of the Spaniards have gone to look for him, which may lead to unpleasantness all round. Nova Scotia. Several matches have taken place in Cuba between clubs belonging to the rival countries, but the scores have been kept very badly. In