Cricket 1898

74 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A pril 21, 1898. P h i l l i p s has given his opinion of Australian crowds to a representative of the Sydney Evening News. “ Australians are a democratic community,” he said, “ they are accustomed to freedom in all th in gs; and they have more money to throw away on sport than their English brethren, who really have to work hard for a living. Their independence and freedom causes Australian crowds to go to greater extremes in expressing their approval or disapprobation than the corresponding English community, who are apathetic, and not so easily moved. M y experience is that you will find a few blackguards in every big crowd in any part of the world, and if these men hurl personal insults at the players, by all means have them arrested and prosecuted. But every first-class cricketer should be able to put up with chaff from the crowd. I f a man misses an easy catch, and is chaffed, whose fault is it but his own ? A first-rate player should not make such a mistake. And if a wicket-keeper or bowler, guilty of ‘ pointing ’ or bluffing, gets the crowd down upon him, he deserves it all. While men, who abuse or insult cricketers on the field, should at once be arrested, I really don’t think that Australian crowds w ill allow themselves to be hindered from expressing, within reasonable limits, their approval or dis­ approval of the play.” Tw o interesting paragraphs appeared in the Annals o f Sporting, for June, 1822, one relating to Surrey cricket and the other to the Hambledon Club. The paragraph concerning Surrey cricket is as follows :— SURREY. This whole county is supposed to have heen out, more or less, for the fortnight that introduced the month of June; about twenty pairs of wickets having been reported to us, as well plied by a gentleman who traversed most parts during the time indicated. The children are said to he horn with a hat in their mouths; and, though but a saying, is, nevertheless, fine descriptive of their known expertness. At Mitcham a club of noblemen and gentlemen amuse themselves four or five times a week, and most of them are good hands. At Oston Green, near Kingston, an excellent match was played on Whit Monday by the cricket club of that place, for a supper, of which they afterwards partook, and spent the evening with much conviviality. The follow ing refers to the Hambledon Club:— HAMBLEDON CLUB. The Hambledon Club commenced their meetings on the 3rd of June, at 11 o’clock, on Windmill-Down, and assemble every Monday till the end of August. The mem­ bers have already recovered their wonted expertness in the various portions of the play usually assigned to them. I t had been arranged that a team of amateurs, guests of Mr. T. Westray, junior, should leave England last Satur­ day morning for Portugal, where two matches were to be played. The journey was, however, postponed on account of an accident to the steamer which was to take the cricketers from Portsmouth. The team consists of T. Westray, jun. (capt.), E. W. Westray, G. Field and E. A. Field (Old Uppinghamians), A. J. L. H ill (Hampshire), P. F. Warner (Ox­ ford University and Middlesex), S. A. P. Kitcat (Gloucestershire), W . N. Fletcher (Northern Nomads), H. R. Bromley- Davenport (Middlesex), L. C. Y . Bathurst (Oxford University and Middlesex), Stanley Christopherson (Kent), and P. R. Earnshaw. A l t h o u g h the members of the present Australian team have pretty clearly shewed their intention of trying to do without the cricket council when the next team comes to England, the cricket associations of Victoria and New South Wales are in favour of letting the team come to England under the auspices of the Council. A n account of the interest­ in g meeting of the Victoria Association will be found on page 66. In last week’s Cricket a complete list was given of the actual figures made by the scorers of two hundreds in matches other than first-class. This week news comes from New Zealand that new figures have to be added to the list, for on February 19 and 26, A. B. Williams made 115 and 105, not out, for the Midland (Wellington) C.C. against the Wellington C.C. This is the only instance on record of a batsman accomp­ lishing the feat in New Zealand. It may be mentioned that in the list given last week the “ W. Townsend,” who made 117 and 106 for Rossall School, should, of course, be W . Townshend. T. B. G a b r i e l has given up the position of Hon. Sec. to the Streatham Club. His successor is N. Miller, of The Elms, Gleneagle Road, Streatham, S.W ., to whom all communications should be addressed. FfiW of any of the papers which noticed the death of Mr. Hamar Alfred Bass, M .P. for West Staffordshir e, made mention of the fact that he was a keen cricketer. An all-round sportsman, of course he was best known, perhaps, in racing and coursing. Still, he was not only fond of cricket, but, at his best, by no means a poor exponent of the game. H e played a good deal for the Incogniti Club, and not so very long ago, if I remember rightly. W m . B r o c k w e l l , the Surrey cricketer, is in London again none the worse for his winter’s engagement with the Maharajah of Patiala. On the contrary, he looks particularly well, and expresses himself highly delighted with his Indian experience. Lees and Braund, the two Surrey youngsters, have also returned from South Africa. Like Brockweli they seem very fit. S u r r e y cricket last Saturday lost one of its best friends, the Surrey Club one of its most trusty supporters, by the death of Viscount Oxenbridge. For many years he was president of the club, a position he filled with marked success. To extreme urbanity and tact he added great business capacity, and in every way was an ideal chairman. Ill-health in­ duced him to give up the presidency, in which he was succeeded by Sir Richard Webster. But he never lost touch with the affairs of the club, and took an activo part in the proceedings at the last general meeting. He had only recently consen­ ted to be nominated as a vice-president of the Surrey County C.C. at the forth­ com ing annual meeting. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. R.A.J.M.—(«) There were two brothers. (b) We did not refer to the one who is living. D R . G R A C E ’ S T E A M v. M R . W . H. L O N G ’ S T E AM . Played at Trow bridge on A pril 18 and 19. Drawn. This match, the first of any importance in the season, gave an opportunity to some of the members of the Gloucestershire Eleven to get a little practice against moderate bow ­ ling. The D octor proved him self to be in form , but the best cricket of the m atch was shown b y M r. Troup, who is likely to play for the county this year, now that he has returned from India. M r. Sewell was also in great form . There was nothing remarkable in the batting of the other side, but Captain Poore, who had been doing such b ig things in South A frica, playing tw o good innings. W. G. G race ’ s T eam . W . G. Grace, ju n , c I Dr. W Grace, b Gib- Medlico't, b Miller . 36 ; son ................. ... 43 C.B. Grace, b Gibson . 2 l W . Morgan, b Gitson 8 Rev. F.Meyrich-.Tonfs, ■J. A. Bush, b Gibson 24 c Medlicott.b Milltr 16 C. M. King, st Stan- C. O. H. Sewell, b comb, b Gibson ... 27 Gibson .................67 T. Gordon, not oug ... 2 W. Troup, b Miller ... 1-7 Extras................. 40 C. Champain, c Poore, — b Miller ... ........ 38 Tolal ..................40 W. 8. A. Brown, b Gibson ..................... 4 M b . L ong ’ s T eam . F. W . Stancomb, b Dr. Grace ................. .-.. ... 32 c Mejrick-Jones, b Morgan ... 2 H. S. Medlicott, c King, b C. B. Grace........................ 0 c Meyrick-Jones, b Grace, jun.... Capt. Poore, b Brown..........22 c C. B. Grace, b Grace, jun. ... 22 J. F. Beaven, b Brown ... 9 c Grace, jun., b Morgan .......... 7 V, F. Leese, c Grace, jun., b Brown ........................ 8 lbw.bGrace, jun. 0 E. T. Shorland, b Brown ... 3 c Troup, b Grace, jun.................... 0 A. M. Miller, c Sewell, b C. B. Grace ........................17 c Troup, b Grace, jun.................... X B.Usher, st. Meyrick-Jones, b C. H. Grace .................18 not out................... 5 R. W.Awdry, b C. B. Grace 25 notout................ 5 H. C. B. Gioeon, c Morgan, b C. B. Grace ... ... 38 J. C. Heathcote, st Meyrick- Jones, b C. B. Grace ... 3 T. Wheeler, not out ..........15 Extras ... .................15 E xtra............ 1 Total ................ 205 Total (7 wkts.) 47 D r . G race ’ s T eam . Gilson .. Shorland Miller .. O. M. R W. 60-215 153 7 24 8 47 0 i>9 10 105 4 Poore Beaven . O. M. R. W . 15 1 52 0 4 1 7 0 C. B. Grace K in g .......... Morgan Brown W. G. Grace Grace, jun. M r. L ong’ s Team. O. M. R. W. . 28 2 0 103 6 6 5 . 17 . 9 . 9 0 ... 0 ... 4 0 0 ... O. M. R. W. 5 5 1 10 0 0 12 2 10 4 21 5 C K1CKET AND LAWN TENNIS CLUB Captains and Secretaries are invited to write for estimate for complete or partial Club outfits for the season to : — H a y o ra ft & Son, Lim ited, Sporls Furnishers, The Broadway, Deptford, London, S.E.