Cricket 1898

S e p t. 15, 1898. CRI0KJ5T : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 419 THE FIRST-CLASS SEASON OF 1898 Despite the absence of any foreign or colonial touring team, the season of 1898 did not by any means fall flat. It is true that there were only two or three really great matches—Gentlemen v. Players, at Lord’s, Oxford v. Cambridge, and Surrey v. Yorkshire, were, perhaps, the most notable— but the doings of the counties afforded more than ordinary interest, and it was not certain which county would be at the head of the table until the very end of the season. The highest honour which could fall to a player in 1898 was to have a part in Gentlemen v. P ayers at Lord’s, a match which was generally known as “ Grace’s Jubilee Match,” inas­ much as it was specially arranged to take place at the time of his fiftieth birthday. It is an exceedingly difficult matter to choose the best team for such a match, hut except that the M .C.C. committee strangely forgot to include Tyldesley among the Players, it was admitted on all sides that they had chosen well. The weather in the first half of the season was cold, wet, and cheerless; in the second half it was almost perfect from the point of view of a cricketer, although during August it was at times excessively hot. On the slow wickets the members of Mr. Stoddart’s Australian team of 1896-7 generally distinguished themselves, but on the hard ones Hearne alone did justice to his great reputation. On Richardson the visit to Australia, and the continued work entailed by it, had a disastrous effect; for a match or two he did well, and then fell off to such an extent that Surrey men despaired of him. Prom time to time he did a good performance, but he bowled much slower than last year, and seemed to be quite played out until the very end of the season, when he suddenly came forth as the Bichardson of old—just in time to be of great assistance to Mr. Stoddart’s team at Hastings. No less remarkable than the falling-off of Eichardson was the return to form of Lockwood, who, after losing his tkill entirely, was nearly as fine a bowler in 1898 as he had been three or four years previously. Another bowler who had apparently lost all his former skill was Mr. Townsend, but in 1898 he startled cricketi rs b y some truly remark­ able performances even on the best of wickets. It was feared b y many that the absence of Peel from the Yorkshire team would handicap the county considerably, but his place was more than filled by Rhodes, a slow, left-hand bowler of the very greatest promise. Much had been hoped of Albert Trott, who, after he had recovered from a severe accident to his hand, was a tower of strength to the Middlesex team. Am ong the bowlers who added to their reputation was Mead, Mr. Kortright, Baldwin (the Hampshire professional), and G. Davidson, while among the new comers of merit were Mr. Bosanquet and Mr. W . B. Stoddart. During the earlier part of the season bowlers were for the most part content to practise their old methods, and leave the rest to the wicket, but when it became increasingly difficult to get men out it was noticeable that there was an attempt to obtain wickets b y strategy, and to puzzle a batsman in every way that could be suggested. Hearne, in par­ ticular, has evidently learned something from his visit to Australia. But although an attempt was made by several bowlers to do something other than merely try to keep a good length, it is to be feared that the vast majority were content to go on as usual, and if the Australian batsmen are all that is claimed for them, and if on perfect wickets their bowlers can do the the wonderful things with the ball with which they are credited, the touring team of 1899 ought to beat all the counties with perhaps the exception of Yorkshire, with almost ridiculous ease. And as there is certainly no bowler in England at the present time who can make a ball come back six or seven inches on a perfect wicket, it is to be presumed that England will have to work very hard to put any team on the field which can cope with bowlers who are said to do this. Possibly English wickets may not be as suitable for these feats as those in Australia. But whatever happens it is quite certain that the great majority of first-class bowlers do not make much attempt to try experiments, although it would pay very many of them a hundred per cent, to do so. Nothing in the way of batting has been more remarkable this year than the form shown b y Mr. Fry, who is second in the averages. He did not begin to play until June, and therefore missed some of the worst wickets, but thereafter whatever the state of the pitch might be he nearly always played a brilliant innings. Some years ago, he was a bat with the most ugly style in E n gland; he could hit but preferred to potter about. Nowadays, he has a command over any sort of bowling, and plays a most attractive game. He has certainly been the Eanjitsinhji of 1898. W. G. Quaife, who heads the averages, has been consistent beyond the lot of ordinary mortals ; his style is attractive, tedious as is his batting, and he never alters it, whatever may be the state of the game, chiefly because to do so would probably be fatal to him. It must be remembered, that in the majority of his matches for Warwickshire he had to play an uphill game, and that he did this to perfection. Abel still holds his own as one of the greatest batsmen of the day, and still makes his 2,000 runs during the season—this year he is alone in his glory. The evergreen W .G . has generally made a useful score, and at about the time of his fiftieth birthday he played all-round cricket such as might indeed have been shown by Mr. Jackson and Mr. Townsend, but by no one else. Mr. Jackson, as an all-round man, has been better than ever. Shrewsbury, Gunn, Storer, Hayward, Mr. Mason, Brockwell, Tunnicliffe, Brown, Mr. L. C. H. Palairet, Captain Wynyard, Mr. J. Douglas, Mr. Woods, Mr. Burnup, Lilley, Lord Hawke, Holland, Mr. A. P. Lucas, Mr. Brann, Alec. Heame, Carp­ enter, Mr. Owen, Mr. Evershed, Mr. Key, Mr. Roe, Chatterton, and many others, have quite held their own against all comers. Tyldesley, Captain Quinton, Mr. A. J. L . Hill, Mr. Sewell, Mr. Perrin, Mr. McGahey, Mr. Jephson and Mr. P. A Phillips have greatly improved. Lockwood and Mr. Stoddart, whose batting days seemed to have passed away, have both been in great form, while Mr. Patterson has once more returned to first-class cricket, to meet with the greatest success. Of the new­ comers, Mr. Troup, Kinneir. Major Poore, Mr. de Montezuma, Mr. E. A. English have been by far the most noticeable. Among the men who have had a tem­ porary decline from greatness are Mr. MacLaren (who has, nevertheless, played good cricket), Mr. Newham, George Davidson and Mr. Jessop, althoug i they have all done well at times. It was hardly expected that Mr. Jessop’s style of last year would be continued, for to hit everything and everybody requires a quickness of movement, a feeling of irre­ sponsibility, and an amount of downright cheek which can seldom last for long. Once a man loses his nerve for a moment he had better take to a quieter game, as Mr. Jessop has done. At the end of the season at Hastings he showed plainly enough that he has not forgotten how to take the bull b y the horns. It is not at all unlikely that next year his great powers of hitting may be comb'n^d with equally great powers of defence, and that he may be one of the men of the year. SUBJECTS OF CONVERSATION DUR ING THE SEASON OF 1898. M a y . The unpleasant weather. Abandoned matches. Defeat of Surrey by Essex. The apparent revival of Leicestershire cricket as shown by their match against Lancashire. Defeat of Lancashire b y Warwickshire. An innings of 500 for four wickets by Surrey v. Gloucestershire. Defeat of Hampshire v. Yorkshire in one day. Abandoned matches. J u n e . Remarkable fight made by Essex v. Yorkshire at Leyton. Innings of 143 b y Mr. Woods at Brighton in 2| hours. Ranjitsinhji to take the next team to Australia. Ignominious defeat of Surrey by Yorkshire. An innings of 634 by Gloucestershire v. Notts. The weak team in Gentlemen v. Players at the Oval. Death of George Ulyett. Shrewsbury run out three times in two consecutive matches. Innings of 571 b y Kent v. Warwick­ shire. The no-balling of Mr. Fry by Phillips, and the threatened but abortive crusade against throwing. ^Falling off of Riohardson’s bow ling, and revival of Lookwood.