Cricket 1898

“ Together joined In Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. n o . 4 8 0 . v o l xvn , THURSDAY, J U N E 2 , 1898. p r i c e a a . C H A T S ON T H E C R IC K E T F IE L D . CAPTAIN H. H . HARINGTON . Better known to most cricketers as H . H . Harington (for it is only since the last season that he has gained his step), the Captain has enjoyed a varied ex­ perience of cricket which stay-at-home people must envy. He joined his regiment in India as a boy, and, except for a brief period, remained there until the regiment—the Lincolnshire Regiment (the Tenth) —returned to England. He was at school for a time at Cheltenham, until his health broke down. Since his return to England he has played a great deal of good cricket for the Incogniti, the Free Foresters, the M.C.C. and his regiment, and last year gained the well-deeerved honour of playing for Kent, under a residential qualifica­ tion—he was born in Sussex. His debut, at Lord’s, was a dis­ tinct success, for although in the first innings he only made six, in the second, when most of the team coul 1do nothing, he made such a fine stand with Mr. S'.ewart, that all the regular bowlers were knocked off. In making his 34 runs he showed plainly enough that with a little experience in first-class cricket he would develop into a dangerous bat. Last year, however, he only had one further trial—county committees proverbially fight shy of officers, who may be called away at any moment. In club cricket, Captain Harington has done many fine performances, not the least of which was the putting on of 240 runs in 100 minutes, in partnership with Mr. A. E. Gibson, for the Incogniti, against Hounslow G irrison, in 1892. Secretaries of cricket clubs are inclined to think that officers are as fickle as the fair sex are supposed to be, but on this point Captain Harington is of a decided opinion that they are wrong in their estimate. “ We cannot call our time our own,” he said. “ People often say that we have nothing to do, and club secre­ taries are especially convinced of this. When they get a telegram on the morn­ ing of the match saying that one of us cannot get away, they naturally shrug their shoulders and think the excuse is 1all rot.’ But so many things may happen, and do happen, to make it imperatively necessary that we should give up a match. On one occasion, how­ ever, the whole team of my regiment failed to turn up, partly through my fault, and I have never forgiven myself for this. We were moving our quarters, and I was ordered to Aldershot. One morning I receive! a telegram from the secretary of the club which we ought to have played, ‘ Where are you ? ’ Then I remembered that we were to have played a match, and that we had not given notice to the secretary of our inability to play. It was an awful mistake.” “ D o you think that cricket is as popular as ever among the soldiers F” “ Y e s; I certainly think so. But football is a still more popular game in the army. There are a good many things which tend to keep the standard of skill among the soldiers rather low. They are very seldom taught to play at all before they join the army, and when they have acquired some skill they are spoiled by bowling each other out, or hitting each other all over the field as the case may be, and seldom being opposed b y better men. You get lots of men who can bowl pretty well, but as they seldom get a chanceof playingin any­ thing but regimental matches, their experience is necessarily limited.” “ In what part of India was most of your cricket played ?” “ Chiefly at Cawnpore. The Cawnpore cricket ground is small but good. Before a match the wicket is flooded, even on the night before it comes off, I believe. The soil is very sandy, and absorbs a lot of water in a very short time. A t Calcutta I only played on ce; the cricket ground is exceedingly good there. I also played a good deal on theDarjeelingground, which is situated at an alti­ tude of 8,000 feet. •There is a service of little native boys who are employed to search for the balls which are hit out of the ground on the hill side. There are generally about a dozen balls going, for the ground is very small indeed. Of course, you don’t get a six if you hit out of it.” “ Did you play right through the heat of the day ? ” “ Generally. But I have played cricket at half-past six in the morning, con­ tinuing until nine o’clock, and then E i CAPT. H. H. HARINGTON. (From a Fhoto by H. Jasper, Redfern, Sheffield.)