Cricket 1898

S e pt . 22, 1898. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 431 THE INCOGNITI CLUB IN 1898. B y “ R .T.” This well-known and popular wander- ng club—which has been on the go annually since 1861—“ wound up” the season at Eastbourne on August 30th, having since the beginning of May gone through the long programme of 53 matches. In their peregrinations they have “ dropped in” at colleges and schools at Oxford, Cheltenham, Clifton, Eepton, Uppingham, Sherborne, Dun­ stable, Westminster, and St. Paul’s ; played matches also at the military centres of Aldershot, Sandhurst, Col­ chester, Shoeburyness, and Burton Court, and with many of the chief suburban clubs ; also visited the charming country seats of Baron De Wurms, at Egham; Sir H. Tichborne, at Alresford; W. H. Laverton, atWestbury; andJ. A.Berners, at Wolverton Park, in Suffolk, where, it need hardly be said, they have been most cordially welcomed and entertained; whilst “ Tours " have as usual been made into Wilts, Devon, Hants, Sussex, Essex, and Suffolk—where, at Bury St. Ed­ munds, they were met on their arrival by C. W. Luke, and the “ Funnel ” took good care there was no despondency—-in that locality—during their stay nor on their departure. Cricket has regularly given, from time to time, an account oi the matches, and will, in due course, also their averages; but I may premise and recapitulate that the “ Old Club ” has had a most successful time, better than for some seasons past, seeing that the balance shows considerably on the right side in the number of wins against losses, and that is hardly to be looked for in the case of roving clubs, for visitors, as a rule, mostly have to meet very strong teams, that are got together specially for the occasion by the home party. This success of the “ Incogs.” will indeed be delightful news to their President and late Hon. Sec., Sir Augustus W. L. Hemming, K.C.M.G., when he gets his Cricket forwarded, His Excellency being now in Jamaica—located there with the onerous and anxious duties of Governor- General, as representative for Great Britain. The batsmen who have aided and chiefly contributed to “ bring off” these favourable results, and in doing so have piled up over the century, are:— W. E. Harrison (173), F. D. Browne (157), H. A. Francis (156), L. G. Moon (132), Major C. E. Orman (124 and 101), F. G. Ford (121), W. E. Collins (119), A. C. S- Glover (118 and 102), E. H. Berridge (114), T. A. Higson (114), A. G. Archer (111), H. F. Fox (105), and F. H. Latham (101); whilst those that have “ knocked up ” over the half-hundred, and in many instances got tantalizingly near the cen­ tury, are :—P. B. Yanderbyl, A. P. Snell, A. B. Youles, Eev. F. W. Poland, J. A. Berners, A. G. Archer, H. T. Stanley, S. H. Haynes, W. E. Collins, S. De Winton, E. B. Airey, D. C. Lee, H. H. Harington, H. A. Denham, A. A. Torrens, A. P. Neame, A. L. Ingall, A. R. Malden, P. F. Hadow, C. H. Berridge, G. E. Hunt, F. D. Browne, H. Bond, F. H. Latham, T. A. Higson, M. H. Paine, Capt. H. C. Pritchard, Capt. F. Fleming, E. H. Lushington, M. A. Nicholas, A. C. S. Glover, and Major C. E. Orman. The “ Major ” has been in rare form, for after meetiug with a most painful mishap whilst keeping wicket in a match at Kensington Park in June last, in which he had his thumb dislocated and badly cut, which laid himaside for someweeks, A.ugust found him again resuming the brilliant hitting and strong defence with which he started the season, and which he carried on to the close, as his scores testify. The most effective, andtherefore most conspicuous, bowlers have been:— Sir W. Eussell, C. S. Cobbold (the Incog. Doctor), P. B. Vanderbyl, Capt. F. Fleming, H. A. Denham, Capt. P. C. W. Trevor (with his slows), A. A. Torrens, Rev. H. C. L. Tindall, F. H. Latham, L. Weigall, A. Toomey, C. H. Blake, J. A. Berners, A. C. S. Glover, L. E. G. Abney (who has been one of the chief mainstays, and has never pegged away and bowled more effectively than he has during this season, andespecially in the SussexTour), and T. A. Higson, whose trundling has been specially notified in ‘‘ Pavilion Gossip,” and who as a bowler, batsman and field has shown performances quite up to county form. A meed of praise must be given to Capt. P. C. W. Trevor, J. E. Eaven, Major C. E. Orman, Walter J. Seton, W. P. Carpmael, and L. E. G. Abney for their labours—no easy task at times—in getting together such good teams for the various tours; and very many thanks are due to Sir William Bussell, the Hon. Sec., for the match fixtures and arrangements, and still further to Colonel Ambrose Bircham, the Hon. Treasurer, the “ cheerytapping ” of the “ Woodcock ” being re-echoed with the most harmonious of jingling sounds, from the so-called “ root of all evil,” which, however, as mortals know, more often ‘‘ shoots forth” blossoms of good­ ness ; for it is very certain that without it recreation and sports of all kindswould soon vanish, from the “ King of Games ” down to shove-halfpenny. And thus, in bidding adieu to season 1898, the “ Incogs.” wish, through the medium of Cricket, to return their warmest thanks for the genialwelcomes theyhavereceived everywhere, and will, during the recess, look happily forward with the hope of again meeting all old friends—and many new ones—in 1899. P A N T H E R v. B A R N E S.—Played at Barnes on September 10. P a n t h e r . A . E. Taylor, c Rat­ cliffe, b H ackm an... 16 W . Li. Bayley, not out 102 fe ld ,' “ A. G. B lo l , b Hack­ m an ..................... S. Silverthom e, H ackm an. W . A . Standish, c Earnshaw, bRatclitfe 7 R .H . D ay, b flacfcm an 29 S. F . Prior, not out ... 0 B 13, lb 3, nb 1... 17 5 T otal (5 w kts.)*188 B. W . Green, J. Buck, C. F . Suiley and R. Golby did not bat. * Innings declared closed. P. R . Earnshaw, b P rio r............................. 2 T. W . Purkiss, c Sil- verthorne, b Prior... 8 S. M ossop, b Bayley... 3 J. G. ltobertson, b Bayley .................... 2 F . Besstell, b D ay ... 1 A . Sissons, b Prior ... 11 O. Ratcliffe, not ou t... 4 B a r n e s . A . Benjamin, b Day... d.Sherreff,c Standish, b D ay............................. C. Hackman, lbw , b P r io r ............................. At. H . Erskine, b Prior B 12, lb 2, nb 1... 15 T otal 47 AMERICAN CRICKET LEAGUES. (By Jerom e Flannery, in Cricket Club Life.) The general secretary of New York’s governing body of willow wielders has come to the conclusion that the league has outgrown its usefulness. He observes in the championship matches a display of too much desire “ to win; ” the players are out for “ blood,” and even “ the courtesy of friendly struggles frequently There may be a great deal of truth in this, but the class of players who would be lacking in the usual courtesies of the gameinachampionshipmatchcouldnever be made sportsmen by playingin contests of minor importance. Taking the two leading clubs of New York, for instance. A Metropolitan League game between Staten Island and New Jersey is keenly contested; theplayers put forththeir best efforts both at the bat and in the field; there is an absence of the slovenly play and lethargy too often seen in what have come to be termed “ friendly” games. The spectators are not treatedto tantaliz­ ing waits between the fall of wickets, and the game altogether is enthusiastically contested. At the same time there is an absoluteabsence of anyfrictionwhatever. If a man be given out l.b.w., he doesn’t question the decision on the field; the rules of the game are observed as they should be, but it would be a mostunusual thing for either side to take the slightest advantage of the other. On the other hand we go to witness a game at, say, CentralPark, betweenGoat- ville and Shantytown. Little depends upon the result of the contest. It is for­ gotten in a week, probably ; but fromthe moment the first ball is bowled there is likely to be a wrangle at any moment. A man was never known to leave the field there l.b.w. without agood “ kick” at the umpire. The latter unfortunateindividual is changed on the slightest pretence, con­ trary to all rules of the game, and once in a way a man leaves the field and refuses to play any longer. The usefulness of the Leagueinarrang­ ing a good list of interesting matches should not, therefore be questioned. I, however, agree with Mr. Fenwick when he says that the usefulness of the League in arranging international or representa­ tive games appears to have passed. But thisis brought about by the concentration of the best players in one or two clubs. If the New Jersey A.C. can go to Phila­ delphia with almost as strong a team as All-New-York can place in the field, its members can hardly be blamed if they prefer to play with their own club. If, however, a representative team could not be selected without going to four or five clubs, a combination would be necessary and the League would fill the want. But so long as cricket is constituted as it is at present in New York, there is not much need for combination, and until the strong players are more scattered, the League will have to go on, as it has now for a decade, endeavouring in a certain manner to promote interestincricket, and be useful in other ways to its members and votaries of the game in general.