Cricket 1898

420 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . 15. J ULY. Defeat of Cambridge by Oxford. Death of Mr. I. D . Walker. The E ton and Harrow match brought to a conclusion for the first time for many years. Innings of 126 and 49 and seven wickets for 44 b y W .G . for Gloucestershire v. Essex. Y ictory of Gloucestershire by one wicket. Dr. Grace’s Jubilee. F ifty years old. Wainwright’s Benefit Match.—Y ork ­ shire v. Ltncishire. Innings of 504 b y Gloucestershire v. Warwickshire. First defeat of Yorkshire. Kent won b y six wickets. Innings of 505 b y Gloucestershire v. Somerset. Dr. Grace’s speech at the Sport’s Club dinner. Gentlemen v P layers a t Lord’s.— The big match of the season. Absence of Tyldesley from the Player’s team. Innings of 199 by Mr. A. J. L . H ill for Hants v. Surrey. Wonderful form of W . G. Tyldesley was tbe first man to make 1,000 runs during the season. Drawn matches played by Notts. Mr. F ry made 108 and 123 not out for Sussex v. Middlesex. A ugust . Innings of 645 b y Derbyshire v. Hampshire (four individual hundreds). Innings of 515 b y Essex v. Leicester­ shire. Innings of 236 by W . Gunn in a total of 548 for nine wickets against Surrey at the Oval. The Canterbury Week. Ignominious defeat of Yorkshire by Surrey at the Oval. Surrey made 536. D^ath of J. Platts. Matches abandoned. Wonderful form shown by the Middle­ sex team. Good uphill fight made by Sussex v. Surrey at the Oval. Surrey disposed of for less than S 00 for the first time at the Oval in 1898. Innings of 503 by Somerset v. Kent. Intense heat. Fine batting of Mr. Ford and Mr. Fry. Innings of 534 b y Surrey v. Kent at the Oval. Abel made 219. Leicestershire being defeated, Derby­ shire won their first match of the season. Walter Sugg’s Benefit Match at Ches­ terfield. Yorkshire made 662. Record for first wicket in above match. Brown 300 and Tunnicliffe 243, put on 554. On the same day Hayward made 315 not out for Surrey v. Lancashire at the Oval, in a total of 634. Intense heat. Batting of Mr. Fry, Mr. Ford, and Mr. Latham. Y ictory of Yorkshire in the Champion­ ship Competition. Scarborough Festival. Innings of 546 by Lancashire v. Derby­ shire. Tyldesley made 200. S eptember . Partnership of 265 runs for first wicket by Abel and Brockwell for Surrey v. Warwickshire. The Hastings Week. Remarkable innings by Mr. Jessop at Hastings. Intense heat. Bemarkable innings by Mr. Jepbson at Hastings. THE SITUATION IN AUSTRALIA. [From the Point of View of “ F elix ” in the Australasian ] Whatever may be the fiaal issue of the differences between the Australasian Cricket Council and the Melbourne Cricket Clubitmustbeadm ittedthatthetoneof the proceedings at the meeting of the council was, on the whole, very satisfactory. Every desire was manifested by the majority of speakers to bring about an amicable settlement, and if the present temperate and conciliatory course be maintained when the questions involved ccme up again for discussion in Sep­ tember, it is not unreasonable to hope that the Melbourne Cricket Club, having at heart the welfare of cricket, will after due deliberation be prepared to make such concession in the matter of control as will be acceptable to the council, both with regard to English teams visiting Australia and the visit of an Australian team to England in 1899. In the annual report presented b y Mr. W. A. Whitridge, the retiring president of the council, due praise is given to the Melbourne Cricket Club and to the trustees of the Sydney ground for intro­ ducing recent English teams to Australia. The M.C.C. is, indeed, entitled to the very heartiest praise, for that club took the initiative in bringing out A. E. Stoddart’s team of 1894-5, notwithstand­ ing that a heavy monetary loss resulted to the club when it brought out an English team in 1887-8. There were persons to be found who predicted a loss when A. E. Stoddart’s team of 1894-5 came. That tour, however, was a splen­ did financial and social success, and as a financial success it was surpassed by the tour of the last English team. It is, indeed, this remarkable financial success which in the main has led to the present regrettable position. Says the council report :—‘1 The visits of the last two teams resulted in such finan­ cial success that the M.C.C. and the trustees of the Sydney ground might resist any suggestion that others should have an interest in promoting the visits of future teams. I f the associations con­ nected with the council desired to join in the next venture the Melbourne Club and the Sydney trustees should not object to any profits being distiibuted over a larger area. A t present they are used for the purpose of improving two grounds, while the associations reap no benefit. On the contrary, they are severely handicapped by losses sustained over the intercolonial matches during the season the English team is touriug the colonies. Would there be anything un­ fair in the associations of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia joining the Melbourne Club and the trustees of the Sydney ground in bringing to Australia future English teams ? ” There is no doubt that the receipts from intercolonial matches are much less in seasons when English teams are here than in other seasons. The Yictorian Associa­ tion suffers severely, for it has no ground of its own. A ll the clubs represented on it sustain loss except the M .C.C., which benefits not only from the profits arising from the English tours, but from a largely augmented member roll. It is true that the M.C.C. out of the profits of the last tour has made some monetary grant to other associated clubs, but I am in­ formed by the secretary of one club that it is not one fourth of what was received by the club as its legitimate share from intercolonial and pennant cricket in the season prior to the advent of A. E. Stoddart’s team of 1894-5. The South Australian Association having a ground of its own does not suffer like the V ic­ torian Association, and had, moreover, an opportunity of joining the M.C.C. and Sydney trustees in the project of bringing out English teams. The chief factor in giving a much needed accession of strength to the council is the New South Wales Association. Formerly, the trustees of the Sydney ground exer­ cised full power in connection with the Sydney ground, but it seems the trustees were not legally entitled to such power, and that an examination of the Crown grant shows that the ground is under the sole control of the New South Wales Association. This being so, the Melbourne Cricket Club will lose its right bower, unless the club becomes associated with the council in connection with the visits of future English teams. I appre­ hend that the M .C.C. will fall in with the views of the council in this matter, so soon as the club is satisfied that the trustees of the Sydney ground can no longer co-operate with the M .C.C. Months ago it was well known that leading players of Australia had asked Major Wardill if he would consent to act as manager of the Australian team to visit England in 1899. There is, there­ fore, nothing that takes one b y surprise in the follow ing statement, made b y the Major in The Argus of Saturday, July 30 : “ A t the close of the fifth test match in Sydney, the Australian team then playing against Stoddart’s eleven asked me if I would manage the next team gcin g home. No answer was then given, but I promised to act for the team in the meanwhile, and communi­ cated with the English authorities as to whether a representative team would be welcomed in England next season. The answers received from the various counties were very en­ couraging, and the Australian players eventually asked the Melbourne C.C. to take the team home, under their auspices, with Major Wardill as manager. Mr. C. W . Alcock, the well-known secretary of the Surrey Cricket Club (and who has acted for almost all the Australian elevens in arranging matches at the meeting of the county secretaries, held in December of each year), has cabled out to me that he will act for me. The M .C.C. have