Cricket 1899

“ Together joined In Cricket’s manly toll.” — Byron. uo. 506 . voi.. x v i i i . THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1899. p r i c e 2 d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. ERNEST HAYES. Since the time when South African cricketers began to discover that they could derive much benefit from coaching, so many English professionals have been engaged by the well-known clubs that it might be thought that nothing new could be found about South African cricket. But it was left to Hayes, the young Surrey professional, to open up new ground, and to work upon raw material at a town 180 miles from the sea. Here he had a pleasant ex­ perience, and was able to lay up a goodly store of runs and wickets. H is highest score was 161, but twice after that he retired when he had made 50. In bow ling, he took 73 wickets, at an average of 5 runs apiece. When Hayes was at school, at East Dulwich College, and later, when he played for Honor Oak C.C., he bowled at a medium pace, but for occasional use always had the slow leg break, which on two or three occasions last year—notably, in the match at the Oval against Sussex— met with so much success. He first made his appearance for Surrey in the second eleven, in 1895, and after doing very well, he was chosen to play against the Austra­ lians in 1896, with the result that he scored 62. This gave him a good send off, and as he is only twenty-three years of age, he has plenty of time before him in which to make a name for himself. He still plays for H onor Oak when he can get away, and last year had an average of nearly a hundred for the club. Hayes was this winter engaged to go to South Africa to coach the members of the Cradock C.C. “ Cradock is a small town of about 2,000 inhabitants,” he said, “ situated some 180 miles inland on the road from Port Elizabeth to Kimberley. One reaches it by train. It is true that the trains are not always punctual, but one doesn’t mind waiting in Africa—within reasonable limits, of course. On this line you have only to tell the engine-driver if you want to get down at any particular field or house. Once we had to meet another train which was due at four o ’clock in the morning. We went to sleep, and woke up at half-past five to find that we were still on a siding waiting for the other train. After many enquiries we found that this had been delayed, and was not expected for several hours. So we got out bats and a ball and played cricket on the veldt, with a crowd of about a hun­ dred Kaffirs standing up in cattle-trucks watching us and cheering every hit, until at last the truant train appeared at half- past eight. These Kaffirs were placed in cattletrucks like herrings in a barrel, and had no room to sit down.” “ D id you have anything to do with the Kaffirs at cricket?” “ Not in the way of coaching. At Cradock they are very keen on the game, and know the rules like a first-class cricketer; two or three of them could speak English. They gave the English club a good game. They all be­ haved exceedingly well to me, and took a great interest in m y doings and my cricket things. Once I split the India-rubber coveting of my bat-handle, and was going to throw it away when there was a rush for it by the Kaffirs. I noticed afterwards that it changed hands several time?, and that it was tried on every bat that they pos sessed. I believe they thought it was a sort of talisman.” “ Had you very much coaching to d o ? ” “ No. Practice lasted from half-past four to six, so that I had an easy time, more particularly as everybody tried to make things as pleasant as possible for me. I should like particularly to mention the great kindness which was shown to me by Mr. Gedye and Mr. Grant, the secretary of the club. The only thing which nobody could make pleasant was the heat, which was quite out of the common. A ll visiting clubs complained of it. It was one of the drawbacks to the success of the club that most of its members were unable to come regularly to practice on account of business, which is the more to be regretted because many of them showed signs of becoming ex­ cellent players. I am glad to be able to say tha'j those who could practise regu­ larly came on a lot.” “ What sort of teams did the club oppose ? ” “ For the most part they were very ERNEST HAYES. (From a Photo by A. B. Perry , Hastings.)