Cricket 1898

450 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. O ct . 27 , 1808. G. L. W ils o n , it will interest his many friends in England to know, has the privilege of a special place in 1he latest report of theMelbourne Club. This time it is as a howler. His performances last season have secured for him the distinc­ tion of appearing on the Merit Board of the club for bowling. His record showed seventeen wickets for an average of 25 88 runs per wicket. T he Committee of the East Melbourne C.C. have indeed good reason for the satisfaction expressed in their annual report on the Club’s brilliant record during the season of 1897-98. In the first place, after long years theClub succeeded in attaining the object of its ambition in winning the premiership of the Victorian Association. But altogether the season was one of unexampled success. How is this, indeed, fora summary ? First Eleven Pennant Matches, undefeated; Second Eleven PennantMatches, onedefeat, final matcb ; Non-Pennant Eleven, undefeated; First Eleven, all matches, twicedefeated. This makes a collective total of fifty- one matches of which twenty-seven were won, twenty-one drawn and only three lost. As a matter of history it might be added that East Melbourne’s First Eleven’s record for the last eleven years, stands at 357 matches with 173 wins, 142 drawn games and forty-two defeats. Cricket readers, or some of them, will be interested to knowthat East Melbourne’s Secretary, E. B. Manning, is an old Cheltonian. ------ A C o r r e s p o n d e n t (J. E. Oxonian) has been good enough to send us a list of the Public School cricketers whose names appeared in the list of Freshmen in Saturday’s Oxford Times :— Charterhousehas sent W. L. Moss (Oriel) and M. F. Wingfield (Magdalen); Chelten­ ham, F. Kershaw (Trinity); Clifton, B. G. Haw (S. N. C.) ; Dulwich, F. P. Knox and E. A. Wodehouse (both at Corpus); Eton, H. C. Pilkington G. Eoharts (both at Magdalen), C. H. B. Marsham and Lord F. Scott (both at Christ Church) ; Harrow, W. E. A. Battigan and W. S. Medlicott (bothatMagdalen); Lancing, B. F. ('ardale (Keble); Loretto, J. H. Orr (Trinity); Badley, C. Gathome-Hardy (Balliol), V. B. Balfour-Browne (Magdalen), E. G. de Capel Brooke (Merton), and A. G. Biden (Trinity); Bepton, H. Jameson ; Bugby, C. S. Hannay; TJppingham, H. F. Terry (University); 'Winchester, A. B. Reynolds (New), B. A. Williams (University), and J. L. Stow (Exeter). Threemembers of the Shrewsbury Eleven, F. H. Humphrys, F. H. Bowring, and C. C. H. Twiss are all at Christ Church. E n g l i s h cricketers, with whom he has always been very popular, will be very pleased to learn that Harry Trott is, if slowly, still surely recovering his health, although I heard from Australia under date of September 17th that some time would elapse before he would be able to resume bis daily work. The one touch of nature which makes the whole cricket wold kin has been exemplified in the ui.ivtrsal sympathy expressed to Aus­ tralia’s cricket skipper. In Australiait has tsken a substantial shape in the form of a testimonial, whichhas openedwithgreat success. With its accustomed liberality, the Melbourne Club at once came to the frontwith a handsome donation of £100. Its_goodexample was quickly followedby the Victoria Association, with a vote of £25 andthe SouthMelbourneClubof £20. The Presidents of the Associated Cricket Clubs of Melbourne, at the time the last mail left Australia, weretakingthematter up warmly, so that there seems every chance of asuccess befitting the occasion. It. McLeod, the Victorian cricketer, is acting as hon. sec. to the fund. There are testimonials andtestimonials, of course. Yet it is not altogether satis­ factory to learn that the fund raised in Australia in recognition of the quite ex­ ceptional services rendered to cricket out there by the prince of all wicket-keepers, J. McC. Blackham, only produced a sum of £128 11s. lOd. in all. Of this fifty guineas came from the Melbourne C.C., so that all Australia was responsible for the balance of £76 Is. lOd. Hardly a fitting appreciation of twenty-one years brilliant work, as well as faithful and loyal service to Australian cricket. Is the air clearing in Australia over the question of the visit of the next Eng­ lish team to the Colonies? “ I wonder.” At any rate the following extract from the annual report will perhaps show the trend of events. It was carried, I may add, unanimously:—“ That the com­ mittee be empowered to arrange for the visit of the next English Eleven to Aus­ tralia, either in conjunction with one other cricketing organisation in the colonies or on the club’s sole account, and to make such distribution of any profits arising from this visit as may appear to be expedient.” A m o n g the bequests in the will of the late I. D. Walker are two sums of one thousand pounds each to J. W. Dale, the old Cambridge “ double blue,” and A. J. Webbe. To the latter, also, has been left five hundred pounds for the furtherance of cricket at Harrow School. The executors are his brothers, V. E. and R. D. Walker, and his nephew, J. Brad­ shaw, of The Grange, Southgate. C ric k e t has lost a staunch friend and liberal supporter by the death of C. M. Tebbut. The extent of his lossto county cricket can only be fully estimated by the Essex Club, of whose finances he took such care, besides contributing in such practical and munificent form of late years. A good all-round athlete in his day, it was my privilege to know Charlie Tebbut in the early sixties and onward. A footballer of no mean capacity, he was a prominent member of the old Forest Club, and didmuch in his quiet way to place Association football on a firm basis. As a cricketer, too, he was distinctly above the average as an all-round player, as those who remember him in the old days of the Clapton C.C., and subsequently in Middlesex cricket know well. Unosten­ tatious to a degree, the full value of the work he did for cricket can only be appreciated by those who had an oppor­ tunity of judging. As onewhoknewhim for nearly forty years, and for a small part of the time was actively connected with him in sport, I can personally testify not only to his excellence as an athlete in his >oungerdays, butto hislife-longandprac­ tical sympathy with sport of every kind. T h e Committee appointed to control tbe arrangements of future test matches between England and Australia in this country held their first meeting at Lord’s on Monday last. All the twelve mem­ bers were present, to wit :•—-Hon. Alfred Lyttelton (President), Earl of Lichfield, Lord Harris, W. E. Denison, H. D. G. Leveson-Gower, and W. H. Patterson of M.C.C., Lord Hawke (Yorkshire), Sir Richard Webster (Surrey), A. J. Webbe (Middlesex), W. G. Grace (Gloucester­ shire), C- M. Green (Essex), and A. N. Hornby (Lancashire). Mr. F. E. Lacey (See. M.C.C.) acted as Secretary. THEBoa>-d discussedtbescbemeoriginally propounded by Lord Hawke for over two hours and a-half, and eventually passed the following resolution : “ That fivetest matches should be played against Aus­ tralia next season at Lord’s, the Oval, Manchester, in Yorkshire (probably at Leeds), and also at Nottingham.” As hitherto, each match will be limited to three days. The scheme provides that all the first-cW8 counties shall propor­ tionately participate in the profits arising from the various matches, but b efo re being made public this scheme will first be submitted to the Hon. Alfred Lyttel­ ton and Sir Richard Webster. It was also decided that the professionals should be paid at a much higher rate in the test matches. In all probability the Board of Control will appoint a sub-committee to select the English team. The scheme will be published in extemo in a fewdays. T h a t General Sir Frederick Marshall should have been invited to accept the mayoralty of Godalming will be no sur­ prise to those who know his universal popularity,notonlydownGodalmingway, but throughout Surrey. T h e General isan old cricketer, and not only served for many years as president of the Surrey County Cricket Club, but occupies, as he has for some time past now, the position of vice-president of the club. T h e Singapore clubrecentlyestablished a cricket tournament, and what is more to the purpose, carried it through in the middle of August and early in September, with success. The matches excited great interest, so that the pro­ moters have every reason to be satisfied with their scheme. The competition is open to (1) the Officers of the Infantry Regiment; (2) the rest of the Officers of the Army and Navy; (3) the Singapore Volunteer Artillery; (4) two teams from the Singapore Cricket Club. As the evenings are short, a match is usually commenced onFriday, and after occupy­ ing from 4.30 to 5.45 or 6 p.m., is continued on Saturday at 2 p.m. The matches are played on matting. N E X T ISSUE, T HUR SDA Y NOVEMBER 24.