Cricket 1899

308 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u ly 27, 1899i <2Fo rre$pon tience. The Editor does not hold himself responsible Jor tht opin ons of h s correspondents. SLOW SCORING AND DRAWN GAMES. To the Editor of C r ic k e t . Sir,—Is so-called slow scoring the bane some people would have us believe? For myself, I do not think so. Many an important match has been won, or at least saved, by a couple of hours’ steady, slow play, the value of which is, perhaps, not immediately apparent. Take a very recent and most noticeable case, viz., the priceless innings of Tom Hayward when he took ninety minutes to make his first twenty runs. Perhaps your correspondent, Mr. Skelhorn, was fortunate enough to see this magnificent effort. If so, I wonder whether he didn’t feel a trifle foolish, and thank heaven there was still one good pro. who would not bow the knee to Jones’ meteors or Noble’s patent curlers. I must confess that in most matches I can raise up enough partisanship to make the bowling of every ball of vital interest, whether it is scored from or not—that is, of course, when the bowling is worthy of the name—and who can tell when a wicket will not fall ? But Mr. Skelhorn would have all our matches, onall kinds of wickets, “ Sloggers v. Swipers,” and nothing but gallery, gallery, gallery, and only the blooming hard, high,, and often (query the last) type of batsman to succeed. Can’t you see, Sir, the breathless thousands round the ring at the Oval with watches in one hand, and revolvers in the other, ready to give, say, the “ Guvnor,” summary notice to quit, though he is doing his level best for the championship, because, forsooth, he is 2f seconds behind time. No, Sir, we have some better kind of esteem for our national game, and its professional exponents, than that. Surely, no improvement can come with such crude and absurd “ remedies” as your correspondent suggests. In the nature of things at present existing, in a climate such as we enjoy (occasionally), there must always be a good proportion of drawn games, and the more even the sides, the more likelihood there is—under the present three-day limit— of such results, and if (as everybody having the true interest of the game at heart must desire), a levelling-up of all our- fir^t-^lass counties is taking place, we must be prepared for a considerable increase in theproportion of unfinished games. I cannot help thinking, however, that the system on which the county championship is run, has a good bit to do with the methods adopted by some of our players. Apparently, the great thing to do, as a side now, is not so much to win matches, but rather not to lose them, as the latter calamity has usually a most damaging effect on a county’s position in the table. Perhaps this state of affairs could be remedied if points were reckoned on the proportion of wins in completed games— ignoring losses and draws. No doubt there are objections to this, but I have carefully gone through the last four years’ final results, and am convinced that, working on this basis, the new allocations, on the whole, are at least equally accurate and just (except to Surrey-haters) as those obtained under the existing rules. If the championship were to be attained by winning matches, purely and simply, surely this would have a tendency toward improvement in batsmen’s methods of scoring runs. And are batsmen only to be blamed for the ‘ slow 1 scoring which obtains now-a-days ? Must not weapportionsomeshareofthecensure to the bowlers ? There are men who, with the wicket giving them ever so little assistance— a mere spot is all they want, and this not apparent to anyone else but the batsmen— can send down over after over, four balls in every five of which it would be fatal to play with any stroke but a “ smother” or “ poke.” Once bitten, your professional is more than twice shy of such bowling. Thus, we have something like a deadlock, and the scoring-men slumber on undisturbed, till, by the accident of some piece of good or bad luck, the “ open sesame” is only pro­ vided. Again, another measure which I fancy would help to diminish the number of drawn games, is the extension of the “ closure ” to any of the three days allotted to a match (to say nothing of the optional “ follow-on.” ) Why the benefit should be confined to the last day only I cannot understand. If the idea was to bring about a definite conclusion to a match, why stop one-third of the way, when it is nearly always useless. And I would add that as many finished matches would have had different results if more attention had been given to the fielding, so many a drawn game would have found a definite conclusion, if a larger proportion of chances had been accepted, or runs not pre­ sented gratis. How few “ centuries” have been compiled that are without blemish? If the Australians teach us nothing else — which is putting it rather mildly—as a side, they have again and again demonstrated what a military precision and keenness in the field can do in the way of keeping scoring within reasonable limits, and so, consequently, saving precious time. Yours faithfully, J. W . M c K e c h n ie . P.S.—By-the-bye, do any of our “ drawing­ room” batsmen ever practise on wickets pur­ posely made difficult ? It is ludicrous to ses some of our “ cracks ” on a pasty wicket, and such exhibitions might be commended to Messieurs The Mutoscope Company, as a good thing. Admittedly, there would be a certain amount of danger in such practice, and where all sides are equally at sea, perhaps it is not worth while running the risk, but it seems a pity that matches should be decided, under the circumstances, almost purely by chance, or by a mere matter of temperament. BALDOCK v. BRTXTON W AN D ERE RS.-Played at Baldock on July 13. B rixto n W a n d erers . C. W . Phillips, b Scott 5 E. Gilbert, b Izzird ... 0 W . A. Gilligan, c Payne, b Scott...........10 C. G. Smith, c W il­ liams, b Izzird ... 2s* A. R. Whitley, b Izzard 36 E. A . Brymer, c J. D. Nairne, b Izzard ... 12 C. Humphries, c Vea- sey, b Izzard ...........15 B a ld o c k . First innings. B.D Nairne,cSmith, b Jones 6 l ev. C. M. Tudor, c Smith, b J ones ........................... 3 H. Williams, c Gilligan, b Jones .................................. 15 H.F.Izzard.cWhitley,bJones 14 J.A.Tumock.cSmith.bJones 0 A. C. J. Veasey, c Whitley, b Jones ........................... 0 F. Scott, run o u t................... 2 F. F. Cockburn, b Jones ... 5 E. Howard,c Whitley,I Jones 0 G. Payne, b Jones ...........10 Rev. J. D. Nairne, not out 7 B y es.................................. 5 Total ...................67 C. F. Jones, c Tudor, b B. D. Naime ... 20 W . J. Benge, not out 60 A. Plews, b B. D. Nairne .................. 4 A. Constanduros, b W illiams .. .. Total ... 1 ... 7 ...185 Second innings, notout.................. £ st Humphries, b Gilbert ........... cBrymer,bGilbert c and b Gilbert b Gilligan ........... c Humphries, b Brymer ........... i not o u t ................. B 10, lb 1 ...11 Ti-tal (5 wkts)100 FOREST H IL L v. CHARLTON PA RK .—Played at Perry Hill. F orest H il l . H. A . Hooker, c Rob­ ertson, b A. L. Mc- Canliss .................. B. Katchelor, b A . L. McOanliss W . M. Bradlev, c Hos- ken,bA.L.McCanliss F. Woodn^n. c Ham- i ton, b Robertson ... 41 W . R. Williams, b H. C. Pargent W . L. Pierce, hurt ... C. G. Hill, not out ... C. F. Phillips, b H. C. 8argent ................... C. Moore, not out ... Extras................... Total (7 wkts)*200 T. Balknill and P. Gibbon did not bat. * Innings declared closed. C h arlton P abk . C ipt. Mc^anliss, c W il­ liams, b Batchelor .. 4 S. R. Sargent, b Brad­ ley .......................... 3 J. F. Ho9ken, b Bat­ chelor .......................... 9 H .' ’. 8argent, not out 15 H. Tarrell, b Bradley 3 A. L . McCanliss, b B a tch elor................. 4 Rev fl. A. D. Hamil­ ton, b Batchelor S. H. Thomas, b Bat­ chelor ................... S.Robertson,bBradley S. K. Mills, b Bradley A . H. Pease,b Bradley E xtras................... Total ........... M ILL H IL L SCHOOL GRAMMAR SCHOOL July 14. W ELLINGBO BOUGH F.E. Berry, c Croggon, b R oberts.................. 0 F. Gaine. b Butcher ... 9 L. N. Taylor, lbw, b Butcher ... ... 3 J. F. Morris, c Butcher, b Auty ...................13 H. A . Ismav, c Robin­ son. b Butcher ... 0 Jas. Goodman, c M am - ham, b Butcher ... 42 W E LLINGBOROUGH .—Played at Mill Hill on G ram m ar S ch o o l . C. J Brookes, not out 14 W . A . Alexander, run out ........................... 7 E.W . Ismay.bRoberts 0 A. W . Hepburn, b Roberts ................... 4 Joe Goodman, c and b Butcher ................... 4 B 30, lb 10 ...........40 Total .136 M ill H ill S ch ool . A. E. Davis, b Morris 74 W . S. Young, lbw, b H. A. Ismay ...........40 G. C. Hollis, b H. A . Iem ay......................... 6 J. Butcher, b Morris... 8 A. T. Knight, not out 78 A. J. R. Roberts, c Berry, b Morris ... 5 R. J. Mamham, b H. A. Ism a y................... 1 J. F. S. Croggon, b Joe Goodman...........25 H. Wright, run out... 9 T. H. Robinson, c and b M orris........... ... 2 J. S. Auty, c Joe Goodman, b Morris 7 B 31, lb 15, nb 6 ... 55 Total , ...310 LONDON AND COUNTY BANK v. LLOYD’S BANK.— L ondon and C o u nty B a n k . H. E. W . Ingram, b Taylor ...................21 F. A . Spackman, c Williams, b Johnson 4 P. F. Allen, c Danby, b Johnson ........... 0 W right, b Johnson ... 5 H L. Hearsum, c Swatman.bWilliams 26 A. Jackson, b Johnson 0 C K. Trowell, b W il­ liams...........................10 C.W .Goddard,notout 38 E. G. Livermore, b W illiam s.................. 10 B 1, lb 2, nb 1 ... 4 Total (8 wkts)118 L lo y d ’ s B a n k . H. R. Swatman, c and b Hearsum ...........48 R. H. More, c Allen, b Ingram ... ......... 2 M. 8. Knowles, b In­ gram .......................... 0 L. B. Johnson, o sub., b Goddard ...........39 C. P. Johnstone, 8. Williams, C. L. Bennett, and R. W . Danby did not bat. C. E. Melville, not out 4 C. Penman, b Goddard 9 A . 8. Taylor, b God­ dard ...........................13 B 4, lb 2 ........... 6 Total (6 wkts) 121 HAMPSTEAD v. TEDDINGTON.—Played Hampstead on July 19. T e d d in g t o n . at G. S. F. Griffin, c Le’gli-Ibbs, b Ali ...157 G. W . Beldam, c Stod­ dart, b Marsden ... 10 Scoones, b Price-W il­ liams ..........................31 H. S. Barkworth, c and b Hayman .. 37 H. L. Dawson, not out 57 P. E. Boddiogton, lbw, b Hayman ... 2 A. E. Boddington, not out ...................15 E xtras...................£2 Total (5wkt8)*331 Greenfield, A. E. Sparkes, 8. 8. Pawling, and Mack did not bat. * Innings declared closed. H am pstead . F. J. Potter, not out... 57 E L. Marsden. c P. Boddiogton, b Bel­ dam ........................... 9 J. C. Toller, c Scoones, b Griffin ...................67 Mohamed Ali, b Bel­ dam ................... 2 G. 1.. Jeffery, not out 26 E xtras...................25 Total (3 wkts) 186 A. E. Stoddart, H. B. Eayman, R. Leigh-Ibbs, H. C. McNeill, L. Holland, and H. G. Price-Williams did not bat. Printed and Published for the Proprietor by M k r r itt & H atc h e r , L t d ., 167, 168, and lt9, Upper Thames Street, London, E.C., J u ly i7th, 1899.