Cricket 1898

242 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u n e 30, 1898. N o t perhaps before it was wanted, the Surrey executive have “ gone in for” a telegraphic address. The hundreds who wire to the Surrey Cricket Club during the year will find a saving of time, as well asmoney, if they send theirmessages, “ c/o Ovally, London.” By virtue of the powers vested in them by the counties, the committee of the Marylebone Club have called a meeting of representatives of counties at Lord’s, on July 18, to consider the question of an Australian visit in 1899. At the same time they have invited the county clubs to notify, before July 8, any par­ ticular matter in connection with the subject in question which it is desired to bring before the meeting. “ S p e c i a l E d it i o n ” scores onMonday (six matches to be played):— Kent (v. Notts.), 1 for 1. Derbyshire (v. Leicestershire), 7 for 1. W i t h o u t a doubt, the event of the past week was the no-balling of Mr. Fry by Phillips, at Brighton, for throwing. It is true that Mr. Fry had been no- balled for the same reason by West, at Trent Bridge, in the Sussex v. Notts match, but no particular notice was taken of this. When Hopkins was no- balled at Tonbridge by Titchmarsh, a certain amount of interest was taken in the event by cricketers, but when Mr. Fry was twice no-balled at Brighton for the same breach of the rules, it was generally felt that the storm had burst at last. On the face of it the obvious determination of umpires to make them­ selves heard on the question of throwing seems entirely satisfactory from every point of view. B ut there is certainly another side of the question. The cricket world—even the world of first-class cricket—is by no means united on the subject of what is a throw, and what is fair bowling. There are plenty of first-class players who say that Jones and McKibbin bowled with absolute fairness when they were in England. An umpire is, of course, strictly within his rights in calling no­ ball it he is not quite certain that the bowler’s action is fair; indeed, he only does his bounden duty. But if every umpire is going to do his bounden duty in this way, there will be during the season some very unsatisfactory inci­ dents, to say the least of it. I n connection with the eagerness with which the action of so very many bowlers has been discussed during the last two or three seasons, the following anecdote may be of interest. A bowler, who hadforsome twenty years played in good club matches in the London district, with an action which was so perfectly above board that it had never once been called into question, was asked last year by an umpire, “ Have you ever been no-balled, sir, for throwing.” The bowler, with some asperity, replied that he most certainly had not, to which the diplomatic answer was “ You needn’t be alarmed, sir. But I thought from your action you might, perhaps, have been.” T h e experiences of an amateur umpire, as told in the Star last Saturday, are amusing. One of them was asfollows:— “ Young Thompson, the Brixtown slow bowler, tent down first over, and the Grosvenor batsman made a wild swipe at the ball he saw, and no doubt hit it, but the ‘ other ’ ball was snapped by the wicket­ keeper, who had the bails off in a twinkling. “ How’s that?” was the reply, and I promptly replied “ out,” as the batsman was a yard or so out of his ground. Then up came the six-foot umpire to me, “ What do you mean by ‘ Out ’ ? ” he cried. “ Didn’t he crown in the block ?” I agreed that the gentleman had knocked a portion of turf surface away, but did not see what that had to do with the question. “ Well, you be careful what you’re up to, that’s all, and don’t give any more of our men aht in that fashion.” And so peace for a time was restored. F r a g m e n t s of a conversation overheard at a match on Monday last:— First Sportsman : “ Isn’t this weather ........... ? ” Second Sportsman: “ Yes. Isn’t it First Sportsman: ‘ anything........... ! ” Second Sportsman: ‘Never remember “ No. Worst I SecondSportsman: “ Perfectly......... 1” First Sportsman : “ ’Nough to make ........... 1 ” First Sportsman: “ ’ Sh ! Don’t forget that........... ! ” Second Sportsman: “ Only two old geysers.” ------ T h e determination of the Australian XI. to run the next tour to England on their own responsibility has not dis­ couragedtheAustralasianCricket Council, who on their part are just as decided that they will run the team. They have taken the bull by the horns by announc­ ing through their secretary, Mr. John Cresswell, that no team going from Australiawill beconsidered representative unless sent under the auspices of the Australasian Central Council.” Mr. Cresswell has written to the Marylebone C.C., to Mr. Alcock, and also to the honorary secretary of the Cape Town C.A., asking him whether arrangements can be made for matches in South Africa on the return voyage. The Australian XI. has now to make the move, and the state of the game is becoming deeply interesting. A t the beginning of the Notts innings on Monday, Alec Hearne began the bowling for Kent, but after a short time suddenly stopped when he was about to let the ball leave his hand. For a moment or two he sat down. Then after completing the over he was obliged to retire. He was, however, able to bat on the following day with very considerable effect. Like Walter Heame, his cousin, he has been unfortunate in meeting with accidents when bowling, and although he has recovered his strength he still occasionally feels old strains. A w r i t e r in the Critic tells a story which will be appreciated by many a captain of a cricket club: “ A captain won the toss and chose first innings at a time when only eight of the teamwere on the ground; the other three were to arrive in some three-quarters of an hour. They did so arrive, j ust in time to see the seventh wicket fall, and had the impu­ dence to grumble because the opposing side insisted on its rights, and refused to wait half an hour while the absentees dressed, and then continu* the innings.” L a s t summer, Hulme, the Derbyshire bowler, had to undergo an operation, but it was hoped that it had been entirely successful. Unfortunately his health has again broken down, and he is again obliged to go to the Royal Derbyshire Infirmary. This is very bad news. A g a in s t a Streatham School, Spencer made 77 in fifty minutes for the second eleven of the Abbey School, Beckenham —an instance of very rapid scoring for a small boy. A c c o r d in g to the Melbourne Leader, “ it is certain that the English cricket world is just now in a state of great perturbation over the utter failure of Stoddart’s last team in Australia.” It is also certain that this will be news to the English cricket world. A f e w results of the slow wickets on Monday:— Ward, 63 runs in three hours. Mr. Patterson, 19 runs in two hours and a half. Mr. Weigall, 2 runs in forty minutes. O n Monday morning at Old Trafford there was a good deal of uncertainty as to the composition of the Middlesex and Lancashire teams. Cuttell and Mold were, it was known, not able to play, the former through illness, the latter through a strain, but it was a question whether Sugg would play. Mr. Webbe was not present, and a substitute fielded for him. Sir T. C. O’Brienwas announced to play, but he was not well enough to take his place in the team, although he was on the ground. I n a short time the usual race to be first in scoring the thousand runs will begin. At present, the odds are about evens as regards Shrewsbury, Mr. Mason and Abel—with Abel for choice. The position of affairs on Wednesday evening was as follows, but there may be a dark horse :— Shrewsbury Mason A b e l.......... Storer Brockwell 676 I Tunnicliffe 709 |Jackson ... 757 Brann 630 Tyldesley ... 613 I 674 O u r war telegrams :— [ fro m o u r sp e c ia l c o r r espo n d en t .] New York. In the New York Gospel Truth of Mon­ day, the following important and fasci­ nating telegrams appear:— The weak U.S. touring team began a match against an exceedingly powerful