Cricket 1899

Tim FINEST BAT THE WOULD PRODUCES. A do . 3, 1899. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 311 BUSSEY’S BUSSEY’S AT TH E S IGN OF TH E W IC K E T . By F. S. A sh le y -C oopbr . Victor Trumper’s huge score of 300 not out against Sussex, at Brighton, is the largest score ever made by an Australian batsman against English bowling, sur­ passing W. L. Murdoch’s 286 not out in 1882, made, curiously enough, on the same ground and against the same county. Of the 22 players who took part in the match last week, not one played in the 1882 fixture. When Mur­ doch made his 286 not out, the total of the innings was 643 (then the record in first-class matches in England), and every batsman was dismissed, yet, although the total was such a large one, there was but one three-figure partnership—Giflfen (74) assisting Murdoch to add 108 runs for the sixth wicket. List week only four wickets fell and the total was 624, Trum­ per taking part in three separate three- figure partnerships, Worrall (128) helping to add 178 for the second wicket, Gregory (73) 211 for the third, and Darling (56 not out) 106, without a separation being effected after the dismissal of the fourth batsman. But few cricketers will be found to have taken part in three separate three-figure partnerships in one innings of a 6rst-class match. Trumper’s score, although the highest of the twelve scores of over 200 made in Brighton, is not the largest innings made against Sussex bowling, Mr. W . G. Grace having made 301 for Gloucestershire, at Bristol, in August, 1896. Trumper’s success was very popular, not only because he is the youngest member of the Australian team, but because he is the prettiest and most stylish batsman on the side, and obtains his runs at a good rate. Longe floreat. The wonderful performance of the bro­ thers W . L. and It. E. Foster in each scoring two separate centuries in one match is without a precedent in the entire history of tbe game. The Hampshire bowling, against which the runs were made, is certainly very weak, but, never­ theless, the feat performed by the two brothers must be regarded as a marvellous one, even in these days of such huge scoring. Until August, 1892, Mr. W . G. Grace was the only batsman who had obtained a century in each innings of a first-class match. Since that time the feat has been performed by no less than eleven batsmen—a proof, were any needed, how easy a task run-getting has been during the past few years on perfect wickets. A curious fact in connection with the feat achieved by the Fosters is that in each innings they added over 150 runs for the third wicket—which is, as far as I am aware, a record in important cricket. In the first innings the two batsmen added 170 runs, W. L. making 140 and R. E. 134, and in the second 219 without being parted, W .L .’s share being 172 not out and R. E .’s 101 not out. By the way, are any special cards being struck off as mementoes of the match p Surrey’s defeat at the hands of Middle­ sex at Lord’s certainly came as rather a surprise, as the day before the former had gained a brilliant viotory over the Australians and the latter had gone down before Sussex at Hastings. To two men the Middlesex victory was chiefly due— to Rawlin who made 100, the only century of his life in a first-class match, and to Trott, who claimed 13 wickets in the match at a cost of 140 runs. Rawlin’s success with the bat was somewhat unex­ pected, as his last few scores for the county had been 0 and 0, 4 and 0, 1, 0 and 1—or five runs in seven completed innings. L. J. Moon batted finely in each innings of Middlesex, and his stand in the first innings with Rawlin, after three wickets were down for 17 runs, was one of the features of the match. Rich­ ardson was greatly missed, and his omis­ sion from the Surrey ranks after his good bowling in the second innings of the Australians reminded one of Voltaire’s famous saying, “ They kill one admiral to encourage the rest.” “ All the world’s a oricket-ground, And all the men and women players.” The late Mr. Pycroft, in that most en­ tertaining book, the Cricket Field, stated that “ Every regiment and every man- of-war has its club, and our soldiers and sailors astonish the natives of every clime, both inland and maritime, with a specimen of a British game.” A short time ago Omdurman defeated Khartoum, and now comes news of a match between Wei-Hai-Wei and Shanghai, in which the former proved successful by nine wickets. The match took place on June 7th and 8th, and was the chief feature of the first “ week” held at Wei-Hai-Wei. For the winners Sub-Lieut. Jelf scored 149, a very good score considering the stony nature of the ground. But large scoring out there is nothing new, for on June 21st, 1898, soon after the cricket ground was formed, Lieut. Farie (127) and Capt. Sellicoe (120) scored 251 for the first wicket of H .M.S. Centurion and Handj v. H .M .S. Narcissus and Victorious. The first Wei-Hai-Wei “ week” seems to have been a great success; may those in the future be as successful! The Warwickshire team is certainly in great batting form just at the present time, their last two innings, against Hampshire and Leicestershire respec­ tively, having realised 657 for six wickets and 605. On each occasion, too, three batsmen scored over a hundred, which is a record in consecutive innings in first- class matches, although in 1896 Sussex performed the feat twice in one week in consecutive matches on the Brighton ground. On each occasion, after having followed on, Warwickshire’s two con­ secutive scores of over 600 is also a record for first-class cricket. At the Oval on Tuesday, in the second innings of Surrey, a section of the crowd expressed disapproval in no half-hearted manner at the action of Mr. W . H. Patterson in bowling the ball very high in the air so as to fall vertically on the wicket. As the bowler was quite within his rights, the remarks made by the crowd when Hayward, in playing a lob which came high up at his face, stepped back on his wicket, were quite uncalled for. A similar incident occurred at the