Cricket 1898

354 CBICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Aug. 18, 1898. A DESCRIPTIVE writer in the Daily Telegraph relates the follow ing in ciden t: “ Alec Hearne was the undoubted chief figure of the Canterbury Week. A t the same time, he has something—uninten­ tionally—to answer for. A friend of mine yesterday invited me to try a cup’ of tea as a ‘ cooler.’ The prescription had the merit of novelty, and I determined to make the experiment. ‘ Where do I obtain the refreshment ? ’ I asked. ‘ Y ou get the tea in that tent,’ responded my host. Then sinking his voice to a whisper, he murmured with deep significance, ‘ But you see the Hearne outside.’ To think that such things could be, and overcome us like a summer cloud, filled me with gentle sadness ! And Canterbury such a nice town t o o ! ” Sir Francis Jeune is said to have acted as scorer in a recent cricket match in his own grounds. They should rather have put the learned President on to bow l, seeing that he is so frequently able to “ bring about a separation .” —Evening News. The collapse of the Yorkshire and Kent teams at the Oval on a wicket with which no fault could be found is deci­ dedly one of the greatest curiosities of the year. The Surrey bowlers could get practically no work on the ball at all, and the only possible explanation of their very great success is that they bowled about as well as it is possible for mortals to bowl, while their opponents were not at their best. O n the other hand, there is nothing particularly remarkable in the collapse of Yorkshire against Middlesex, of Lan­ cashire against Sussex, and of Essex against Gloucestershire. In all these matches the wicket played an important part, and Trott, Tate, and Mr. Townsend are three bowlers who, given their wicket, are capable of anything. W ith reference to the ever-increasing rivalry in India between polo and cricket players, the Madras Times says :— “ Polo is interfering with cricket once more. This time at Bangalore, where Thursday has been set apart as the polo day. Strange it is what an effect this climate has on some boys. A t home devoted to cricket, they come out here and throw over their first love for bumble-puppy polo on a flinty ground, mounted on various specimens of the breed equine, where they have infinitely more chance o f a sudden death and heavy debt. And all because, why ? So that they may turn up at the Band in Cubbon Park in dirty breeches and boots and sweater, and flick their legs with a three-pi cine ! ” Mr. P. Cunynghame sends me a list of the men who have scored between 90 and 100 this year in first-class cricket. It is surprisingly long:— Denton, 99; C. B. Pry, 99 ; E. A. English, 98 ; Storer, 96 ; Tyldesley, 96; Major Poore, 95; S. M. J. Woods, 95; Carpenter, 95; Storer, 94; J. 11. Mason, 94; Brockwell, 9 3 ; Devey, 93 ; David­ son (G .), 93; Chatterton, 93; Knight, 93; C. B. Fry, 93; W . G. Grace, 93, not ou t; P. H. Latham, 93; H . G. Owen, 92 ; Shrewsbury, 92 ; Wain­ wright, 92; W. H . Patterson, 91 ; W . L. Murdoch, 90 ; Tyldesley, 90. In addition to these, there is Mr. H ill’s famous score of 199. “ The Harrovian,” with good reason, calls particular attention to the per­ formances of E. M . Dowson and W. F. A. Rattigan for Harrow against Eton. Dowson, in seven innings, has scored 189, with an average of 31^, and has taken 29 w ickets; Rattigan, in six innings, has scored 214,with an average of 53J. 1895. 1696. 1897 1698. Dowson.......... 15’0 ... 2612no ... 25‘64 ... 47 taking ... 8 wkts. 4 wkts. ... 8wkts. 9 wkts. Rattigan ... 1972 ... 315no 69 18no taking 2 wkts. Since Lord’s, The Harrovian adds, they have increased their respect for each other by scoring centuries against one another in their house match. F or the Harrow averages which follow , Cricket also is indebted to The Harrovian. BATTING AVERAGES. No. Times Most of not Total in an inns. out. runs. inns. Aver. 1. E. B. T. Studd ... 13 ... 0 ... 218 ... 53 ... 1676 2. A. 8. Drew ..........13 . .. 1 ... 195 ... 59 ... 1625 3. W . S. Medlicott ... 13 ... 0 ... 211 .. . 87 ... 16 23 4. W . F. A. Rattigan 14 ... 2 ... 183 ... 69 ... 15-25 5. G. CooVson ..........14 . .. 1 ... 194 ... 66* 14-92 6. H. J. Wyld ..........15 . .. 2 ... 191 ... 52 ... 14 69 7. W. P. Robertson .. It ... 0 ... 191 ... 49 ... 13-64 8. E. M. Dowson ... 14 ... 1 ... 168 ... 47 ... 12 92 9. J. F. Wilkes.......... 12 . .. 2 .. 116 ... £7 ... 11 6 10. S. F. A. A. Hurt .. 9 ... 1 ... £8 ... 24 ... 7 25 11. C. R. Kenaway ... 1 . .. 1 ... 1 ... 1*.... — * Signifies not out. W. Loner scored......... 6 ... 1 ... 69 ... 28 ... 13-80 W. D. Black............... 9 .. 6 ... 28 ... 8 ... 9 33 T. A. D. Bevington ... 6 ... 0 ... 47 ... 16 ... 7 83 BOWLING AVERAGES. Overs. Mdns. Rns. Wkts Aver. 1. E. M. Dowson ... 3 6 4 ...137 ...667 . 60 ..., 11-11 2. W. F. A. Ratligan 442 ... 18 ... 89 ... 7 ... 12 71 3. S. F. A. A. Hurt .. 182 2 ... 40 .. 362 .. 20 ..., 18-1 4. H. J. W yld......... 75-2 ... 29 ...137 ... 6 ... 22-83 E. B. T. Studd, A. S. Drew and C. B. Kennaway also bowled, but failed to secure any wickets. W . D. Black bowled 177 ... 5i . 351 ...30 ... 11*70 The Ebrington Cups have been awarded— For batting, to E. B. T. Studd. For bowling, to E. M. Dowson. For fielding, to W. S. Medlicott. Mr. Bowen’s cup for the best catch has been awarded to W. S. Medlicott for a catch made iu the Town match. O n page 358 will be found a very interesting account of the recent tour of the Nondescripts, by a valued corres­ pondent. Among the few batsmen who have made a splendid score in their first match for a county must be now numbered Mr. P. H . Latham, who made 93 and 29 not out for Sussex v. Lancashire. H is batting was the more noticeable in ihat, it went a long way towards winning the match for his team, while his runs were made on a difficult wicket. Playing for the Clapham Park Club against the Clapham Police on Clapham Common, on the 10th inst., J. Boughley obtained five wickets, and all of them bowled in five balls. They were not all in one over. The Hastings and St. Leonard’s Cricket Week, which begins on Monday, Septem­ ber 6, bids fair to equal the best of its predecessors. A t all events, the quality of the cricket talent secured ought to ensure its complete success. The players for the two matches will be selected from the follow in g:— September 5, 6 and 7, Mr. Stoddart’s Australian Team v. Rest of England.— Mr. Stoddart's Team: A. E. Stoddart, A. C. MacLaren, J. R. Mason, N. F. Druce, Hayward, J. T. Hearne, Hirst, Richardson, Storer, Wainwright, Briggs, Board. Rest of England: W . G. Grace, Gr. Brann, 0. B. Fry, (*. L. Jessop, C. J. Kortright, C. L. Townsend, Abel, Brockwell, Brown, Lilley, Lockwood, Shrewsbury. September 8, 9 and 10, Surrey and Sussex v. Rest of England .—Surrey and Sussex : W . L. Murdoch, D. L. A. Jephson, G. Brann, C. B. Fry, Abel, Brockwell, Hayward, Lockwood, Richardson, Butt, Parris, Tate. Rest of England: W . G. Grace, A. E. Stoddart, A. C. MacLaren, G. L. Jessop, C. L. Townsend, J. T. Hearne, Hirst, Shrewsbury, Storer, Wainwright, Briggs, Board. The notice given that the Victorian Association should withdraw from the Australasian Cricket Council only those who have read the account of the meet­ ing, held at Melbourne on July 4th, need to be told was only lost by the casting-vote of the chairman. The council’s continuance seems indeed to be very precarious, that is if the support of the representative cricketers of Australia is essential. In addition to the opposi­ tion of the leading Victorians, all the thirteen intercolonial players in Adelaide have signed a letter requesting the South Australian Association to retire from the council. Similar steps have also been taken in Sydney to produce the with­ drawal of the New South Wales Association. Meanwhile the actual position with regard to the visit of an Australian team to England next year is that the Melbourne Club is sending the team with its secretary, B. J. WardUl, as manager. Moreover all the Australians who played against Mr. Stoddart’s team last winter, as well as Lyons, have signed agreements to come to England under the auspices of the Melbourne Club. A CURIOUS match took place on the Richmond Athletic Ground on Tuesday. Richmond Town winning the toss sent the Surrey Club and Ground to the wickets. The latter were ungrateful enough to make 126 and then got Rich­ mond out for 25 and 60 Keene took all ten wickets in the first innings, which was also noteworthy for the fact that R. F. Benn, who went in first, carried his bat out for a single.