Cricket 1899

J une 22, 1899. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 215 BUSSEY’S G O l u i j o C m fa p 09 ►J ►J w 5 .09 S3 J w O 4 /3 » l - g 3 " I U J a C D A J H _ CO m c o e a « 8 CO CO W 09 S ' 13 ) o w 03 cu ! C O >> C O o = o £ C O § s AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F . S . A sh le y -C oopeb . The second great match between England and Australia has resulted in an easy victory for the latter by ten wickets, a margin which fairly represents the superiority of the one team over the other. The display given by the English team at Nottingham was very unsatisfactory, from an English point of view, and that alterations would be made in the composition of the eleven for the second match was a foregone conclusion. One or two of the alterations which were made, however, caused some surprise; for example, the inclu­ sion of Mr. MacLaren and the absence of Hearne. There cannot be any doubt that Mr. MacLaren would not have consented to play had he not felt confidence in his powers, and the result of his play showed that he had not misjudged his capabilities. His innings in the second stage of the match was as great and perfect a display as anybody could possibly wish to see. One can easily imagine with what feelings he entered upon that innings. His failure in the first innings and the des­ perate position of his side must have caused it to be a trying time for him. In 1870 Mr. W . A. Stewart went in last man for Oxford against Cambridge when four runs were wanted to win and when Cobden had obtained two wickets with successive balls. Possibly Mr. MacLaren on Saturday last experienced the same indescribable sensations that Mr. Stewart had done twenty-nine years pre­ viously. But, whereas the latter was clean bowled by the first ball he received, Mr. MacLaren played one of the finest innings of his life, and thereby saved England from overwhelming defeat and disgrace. Hardly of any less degree of excellence was Hayward’s second innings, and it is very doubtful whether he has ever played a better or more useful innings. Mr. Jackson, too, played well each time he went to the wickets and was the only batsman on the English side who met with success in each innings. In point of ex­ cellence, however, the innings of Mr. Mac­ Laren and Hayward must rank before those of Hill and Trumper, for they were played at a most critical time and against better bowling and better fielding. The success of Trumper is very pleasing. He was the youngest player in the match, yet the most successful batsman, and on the first appearance which presented itself he gained the “ blue ribbon” of the cricket-field—a century at Lord’s in an Eng­ land v. Australia match. His play through­ out the long innings was perfect, and his strokes excellently timed. At no time did he appear in any difficulties, but played through­ out with the confidence of a veteran. When the history of cricket comes to be written, however, Hill’s innings will probably be more highly praised than Trumper’s. Hill went in on the evening of the first day after fielding for some hours, and when Australia had made a bad commencement and the English bowlers and fieldsmen were on their mettle. His innings was certainly made at a more anxious time and against fresher bowling than Trumper’s, and, moreover, took three-quarters of an hour longer to compile. Praise must also be awarded to Noble for his excellent innings of 54, which was of far more value to his side than the figures would indicate, and to Jones, who, by obtaining seven wickets in the first innings as a cost of only eighty-eight runs, practically decided the result of the game. Two matches have now been played between England and the Australian team, and on each occasion the old country has been outplayed, a result clearly due to the fact that, on hard true wickets, we have no bowlers who can for a moment compare with the best of the Austra­ lian. When the first team visited us in 1878 it was at once seen that in bowling—and fielding—they were our masters. They are so still. “ What is worth doing at all is worth doing well,” and, if we wish to main­ tain our supremacy in our national game, we must give more attention to bowling and fielding. In a recent match in South London, G. H. Swinstead performed the exceptional Teat of making a century without any of his com­ panions reaching double figures in the same innings. Such a performance is extremely rare and, as far as I am aware, has only been accomplished by the following players :— L. Boorer, 115 not out (out of 151), Holmbush v. Horsham, at Horsham, June 10, 1899. Next highest s^ore was eight. C. J. M . Godfrey, 124 (out 0f 156), Audley House School (wi'h Matters) v. Granville 2nd X I., at Lee, May 23 and 24,1898. Next highest score was eight. E. M. Grace, 100 not out (out of 119), Berkeley v. Knole Paik, at Berkeley, August 20, 1861. Next highest score was seven. W. Humphreys, 113 not out (cut of 161), St. Mary’s v. Brighton College, at Brighton, May 27, 1880. Next highest score was six. K. Sharp, 135 (out of 171) in two hcuis, W est of Scot­ land v. Renfrewshire, May, 1875. Next highest score was seven. G. H. Swinstead, 1C6 (out of 141), Artists (E. A. Abbey’s X II.) v. Allahak Banie (J. M. Barrie’s X II.), at Dermark Bill, May 19, 1899. Next highest score was six. C. Turner, 128, Southgate Rovers v. Priory Park, Chichester. July 15,1889. Next highest score was nine. R. D . W ebb, 100 (out of 136), Waverley v. Mitcham, in Australia, February 18,1819. Next highest score was bieg , T. J. Wheeler, 112 not out (out of 157), Williams Deacons Bank v. Brown J&nsons Bank on I rlvate Banks Ground, Catford, June 14,1699. In all the above instances the innings in which the scores were made were completed. The full score of the match in which G. H. Swinstead distinguished himself can be seen in a recent issue of Cricket. The welcome return of Major Poore to first-class cricket in 1899 will long be remem­ bered. By scoring 104, 109 not out, 111 and 40 in one week he has caused his name to be added to the list of those batsmen who have made three separate centuries in successive innings in first-class matches. His scores during the last ten years in matches in India and South Africa will be found to be exceedingly large even for so fine a player. He is one of the very few cricketers who have made over two hundred runs in one innings in India, a feat he performed on the last day of June in 1892, when playing for Gariesh- kind against the Lancashire Fusileers and Worcestershire Regiment, his score on that occasion being 202 not out. Amongst other large scores from his bat in India may be mentioned his 117 for Secunderabad Gymk­ hana v. School of Musketry, on July 30, 1891; 174 for the 7th Hussars v. Bolaium, on August 6, 1891; 131 not out for the 7th Hussars v. the 15th and 26th Madras Infantry on September 10, 1891, and 137 not out for the first eleven of Poona against the next sixteen on June 28, 1892. Proceeding to South Africa, he continued to score largely in all kinds of matche s, and amongst his best performances must be included his two cen­ turies against the team which Lord Hawke took out in 1895-6— 112 for XV . of Pieter­ maritzburg, and 107 not out for XV . of Natal. In a match on November 19, 1897, at Pietermaritzburg, he assisted Captain Mainwaring, of the Royal Dublin Fusileers, in scoring 273 runs for the first wicket of Pietermaritzburg against an Up-Country Eleven, his own score being 174 and Captain Mainwaring’s 1C4. Last year he returned to England and assisted Hampshire in many