Cricket 1898

Nov. 24, 1898. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 465 had played for years for Gloucester, and during that time occasionally for the Gentle­ men of England, and for years represented NewSouth Wales and Australia would play small club cricket simply that he might win trophies? Hardly. More likely that he prefers to play, so to speak, at his own back gate than tiav. 1all over thecityandsuburbs. He probably feels that he has borne the heat andburden of the day up to his share. It is unfortunate that the grade competitions are lost to Ferris, for though he has lost the cunning of his left arm, he still possesses a sound defence, with good strokes anda pretty style, and it is apity that he should hide his light under a bushel. That is, however, his concern, and in following it he shouldnot be chargedwith unworthymotives.” T h e score of 633 for four wickets made by Patiala against a military team repre­ senting Ambala is the largest score ever made in one innings in India. (The previous best was 622, Calcutta v. United Service, at Calcutta, December 22, 23 and 24, 1886.) Towards this large total Banjitsinhji contributed 257 not out, and K. M. Mistri 255. Mr. E. T. Saulez’s 268 against Poona, I may remark, still stands as the record individual innings. His Excellency Lord Sandhurst, the Governor of Bombay, is an excellent captain, says the Bombay Gazette, and has won every match for his sidewith the exception of one. As a batsmau he has had the most persistent bad luck, though he has fully sustained his reputation tor fielding, and as a bowler has been quite successful—at times bowling lcb3 with a curl from leg, at others round arm with break back. Were His Excellency able to give more time to cricket, ha would probably be successful with both bat and ball, and even without practice he sets a very good example in the fielding depart­ ment. A f t e r the usual business had been transacted at the annual meeting of the South Australian C.A. a gold medal was presented to Clement Hill by Sir Edwin Smith on behalf of an Australian news­ paper. In making 1he presentation Sir Edwin said: “ Clem Hill, I don’t know when I shall cease making presentations to you—never, I hope. J. P h i l l i p s left Australia on October 8th for New Zealand, where he has an engagement for twenty weeks to coach the cricketers at Christchurch. F r o m India I hear that in the memor­ able match in which Ranjitsiuhji made his two ducks the natives who formed the crowd solemnly rose to their feet when the great batsman was out the second time and Btalked off the ground. Not a man of themwas left. Mr. F. N. T o w n s e n d , a Pretoria bats­ man, has made a record for that town in a recent match, scoring 220not out. His innings was played on two Saturday afternoons. At the end of the first day he had made 203, a score which tied with an innings by Brockwell in 1896. T h e probable visit to Bombay of the Maharajah of Patiala’s XI., including K. S. Ranjitsinhji, Brockwell, and Hearne, at Christmas time, is thus com­ mented upon by Sport (Bombay):—“ The matches will probably be the Patiala teamv. the Parsees, the Presidency, and a combined team of Europeans aud Parsees. The Patiala teamwill be quite the strongest that has ever visited Bom­ bay, stronger even than Mr. Vernon’s or Lord Hawke’s. With such batsmen as Eanjitsinhji, Brockwell. Mistry, the Maharajah, Hearne and Ba lesisingh, and bowlers such as Hearne and Brockwell, to say nothing of Ranjitsinhji, Nanak Earn, Mistry, and Billiinoria, the team should not lose a match.” F r o m the American Cricketer :— “ I was not a little amused at a remark made by Mr. P. F. Warner after his team’s heavy batting here. I spoke of the great exhibitionhis menhad given, andhe replied, ‘ You ought to bowl us out more.’ O, ye Kanucks, Gothamites, Phillies, Baltimoreans, and Chicagoans, take notice ! ” T h e following btory is told by a writer in the Bombay Gazette :— ‘11 remember playing in some charming village cricket inEngland several years ago, and a very stout old farmer was batting at the other end. I called him for a rather sharprun, andhe just managed to get inside the crease in time. I saw him panting, and out of breath, andhoped that I hadnot called himfor too short arun. His answer tickled us all greatly. ‘ You calledme and I came. Every gentleman would come when he is called. But it is one thing to riska run, and another thing to run arisk, sir ! ’ However, we hada long innings together, and I ranno more risks.” T h e following are the officers for 1899 at theUniversities : Oxford—Mr. F. H. B. Champain, captain; Mr. E. E. Foster, honorary secretary ; aud Mr. H. M. Burge, honorary treasurer. Cambridge— Mr. G. L. Jessop, captain; Mr. T . L. Taylor, honorary secretary; and Mr. H. H. B. Hawkins, honorary treasurer. A t the ani-ual general meeting of the Somerset County C.C., Mr. S. M. J. Woods was appointed secretary at a salary of £200 per annum. Mr. Woods was also again chosen as captain of the county team. The proceeds of the home match against Surrey next year are to be set apart for the benefit of Tyltr. The honorary treasurer announced that the county began the season of 1898 with a debt of £140, that the guarantors had been called upon for £116, and that at present the balance is slightly in favour of the club. T h e address of Mr. Leonard Corke, the honorary secretary of the Nonde­ scripts C.C., has been altered to Arthog, Ewell Eoad, Surbiton Hill. T h e past season of the Kent County C.C. has been very successful as far as finances are concerned, and the balance in hand has increased from£312 to £842. The county committee have not felt able to accede to Martin’s request for a benefit match at Canterbury next year, but they have promised to give him a benefit at Canterbury in 1900. I t is pleasing to note that the proceeds of Alec Hearne’s benefit match, Kent v. Lancashire, at Canterbury last year, amount to more than a £1,000—a record for a Kent professional. The following is a brief summary of the receipts : Gate money, £*>15 ; collections on Canterbury and Tonbridge County Cricket Grounds, £101; subscriptions, £298—total, £1,014. S o m e reminiscences of Mr. Charles Stewart Parnell, the late Irish statesman, appear in the biography of Mr. Parnell, which is written by Mr. Barry O’Brien, and published by Messrs. Smith, Elder and Co. They are as follows :— “ We considered him ill-tempered, and a little hard in his conduct of the pastime. For example, when the next bat was not up to time, Mr. Parnell, as captain of the fielders, used to claim a wicket. Of course, he was withinhis right iu doing so, but his actionwas anything but relishedina country wherea game is never played on the assump­ tion thatthe rulewill be enforced.” On one occasion a match was arranged between the Wicklowteamandan eleven of the Phoenix Club, to be played on the ground of the latter, in the Phoenix Park. Mr. Parnell’s men, with great trouble and inconvenience, many of themhaving to take long drives in the earlymorning, assembled onthe ground. A dispute occurred betweenMr. Parnell and the captain of the Phoenix team. The Wicklowmenwished their captain to give in and let Ihematchproceed. Mr. Parnell was stubborn, and, rather than give upthispoint, marchedhis growling eleven back. Even if his menhadall D een home rulers, theymust, some of them, have had thoughts too deepfor words. As Lord Skelmersdale, the Eail of Lathom, who died last Saturday, was a conspicuous figure on the cricket field. He was at his best towards the end of the fifties, when he had just completed hismajority. A goodall-round cricketer, he did excellent service for the Maryle- bone Club, as well as for I Zingari. Well over six fett in height, hehad every physical advantage, which, too, be fully turned to account on the cricket field. In 1860 he was elected President of the Marylebone Club, and five years later, oneof theVice-Presidents of the recently- formed LancashireClub. In 1874 he was appointed Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard. A keen Freemason, he was elected Deputy Grand Master of the English fraternity in 1878. T h e team which will set out for South Africa from Southampton on December 3rd, under the guidance of Lord Hawke, will, 1 believe, consist of the following : Lord Hawke (captain), Messrs. P. F. Warner, H. R. Bromley-Davenporc, C. E. M. Wilson, F. Mitchell, F. W. Mil­ ligan, A. G. Archer, Board, Haigh, Cut- lell, A. E. Trott, Tyldesley, and another. Matches will be played at Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, Johannes­ burg, Mafeking, and Bulawayo. N E X T ISSUE, T HURSDA Y , DECEMBER 22.