Cricket 1899

F eb . 23, 1899. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 27 fixed. This is July 10, which has been allotted to Birmingham for a match against the Midland Counties. For the three remaining dates (May 18, July 6 and 20) Eistbourne, Cornwall, and Harrogate are perhaps foremost in the running. L ast year several of the matches played at Old Trafford were finished in two days, with the result that the balance-sheet of the Lancashire County C.C. thows a deficiency of nearly £200. In the previous year there was a balance in favour of the club of £1,370. Fortunately, there has been &n increase in membership, and the prospects of the county are as good as ever. A proposal which was made at the general meeting that members elected after January 30th of this year should pay an entrance fee of a guinea and an annual subscription of two guineas, was not cairied. S ome remarks made by Mr. J. A. Dixon at the annual meeting of the Notts County C.C. on slow play will be found below. “ The slow cricket that was complained about was not the getting of ten runs more or less per hour. It was the clever and calculating hatting that refused to take risks which the batsmen knew would not pay. He did not tee, indeed, why batsmen should take Ihe risks that they knew might be fatal to their innings. They were there to defeat the tactics of the bowler, and 1slow cricket ’ was quite as much the result of the tactics of the bowler as of the batsmen, and if this was not good for the game some­ thing should be done to make it worth the while of the bowler to reject his ‘ off-side’ theory and bowl at the wicket. He also thought that something should be done to make it worth the while of a batsman to hit a half-volley, without the fear of the man in the long field before his eyes. This could be done by shortening the boundary, and giving the batsman a reasonable chance of hitting the ball over the fielder’s head.” In a telegram to the Sportsman , K . S. Ranjitsinhji announces that it ii “ his intention to tour India next winter with an English amateur cricket team .” E. M ills , who died recently, qualified for Surrey, like Lockwood, after playing for his native county of Notts. When he first represented Surrey, which was in 1885, he was twenty-eight years old, and, being on the heavy side, did not last long afterwards in county cricket, only retain­ ing his place in the Surrey Eleven till 1887. Of strong physique, he could hit very hard, and as a left-handed bowler was at times very dangerous, with a delivery which made the ball get up very awkwardly at times. A good steady fellow, he was much respected in Notts »s well as at the Oval. Another old Notts cricketer, J. Briggs, f i t her of the Lancashire bowler, has also passed away within the last few days. which yielded 291 runs for the fifth wicket, has only four times been exceeded in Australia, at least, in a match of any interest. The occasions were as follows : S. E. Gregoiy and E. Noble 4t2 for eighth ■wicket, Sydney v. Warwick, Sydney ... 1891 L. W . Pye and J. C. Wilson 436 for third wicket. O nt»al Cumberland v. Hawkesbury District, Bawkesbury .................................. 1897 C. H. Ro s and R. McLeod 421 for fourth wicket, Melbourne v. Williamstown, Mel­ bourne .................................................................. 1891 J. Slight and J. Rosser 395 for first wicket, South Melbourne v. St. Kilda, South Mel­ bourne ................................. ........................... 1883 The Australian newspapers accord­ ingly claim the performance of Gerber and Carlton as an Australian record for the fifth wicket. “ F e l i x , ” in the Australasian, claims a record for Queensland in Dr. R. MacDonald’s 200 (not out) for Valley v. Toowong at the end of last year. His brother, Dr. Y . MacDonald, also scored 149, and the partnership 300 which, it is said, is also a record for Queensland. Dr. R. Macdonald expects to be in England during the summer, and hopes, of course, to see the test matches. H u g h T k u m b l e ’ s bow ling for Victoria in the three intercolonial matches up to the end of the year deserves to be writ large in the records of the Australia sea­ son. Here are his figures :— South Australia. First Match— Balls. Mdns. Buns. Wkts. First innings ... 294 .. . 4 .. . 129 .. . 3 Second innings 134 .. . 8 .. . 36 .. 3 New South W ales— Firatitnings ... 356 . 10 ... 45 ., . 3 Second innings 151 .. . 5 .. . 58 .... 8 South Australia. Return— Fiist innings ... 138 .. . 3 .. . 57 .,.. 3 Second innings 156 .. . 8 .. . 39 .... 8 The three matches gave a grand total of thirty-three wickets at a cost of 364 runs. Average 11'1. T h e follow ing are the principal fixtures W .G . has arranged for the opening season for his new club (the London County C.C.) at the Crystal Palace. TheL.C .C .C . has for its first committee Sir R . E. Webster, the Surrey president, A. J. Webbe, Sir Arthur Sullivan, and four representatives of the Crystal Palace C.C. in the persons of F. C. Barchard, G. Cosens, W. H . Stone, and W . F. Umney. T h e chief matches already arranged to be played at the Crystal Palace are as below :— May 8.—Crytt.l Palace, Australians v. South of England. ,, 5 . —Swiudon, London County C.C. and Ground v. W iltithire. „ 19.—Crystal Palace, London County C.C. and Ground v. M.C.C. and Ground. ,, 29.—Worcester, Londo aCounty C.C. and Groutd v. Woicestershire. June 26.—Crystal Palace, London County C.C. and Uround v. Oxford University. July 27.—Crystal Palace, London County C.C. and Ground v. Wiltsh re. Aug. 3.—Crystal Palace, CLaltenham College v. Haileybury College. „ 21.—Crystal Palace, London Cuunty C.C. and Ground v. Worcestershire. T h e sensational partne:si,ip between J. Gerber and W. Carlton for North v. South Melbourne at the close of 1898, F OREST B IL L C.C.—First Eleven want match on oppcnent’s ground, July 1st.—Apply, W . R. Williams, Langley, Brockley Grove, S.E. THE HONORARY COLONEL’S SONG. [With apologies to Mr. W . S. Gilbert.] \\lun I was at Cambridge I made big scores, And on Parker’s Piece knocked up sixes and fours; So in course of time I received my “ blue,” And polished off the bowlers for a hundred or two. I polished them off, and their average marred, And now I ’m the Colonel of the Rajah’s Guard. C h o r u s : H o polish ed them off, and th eir av eiage m arred, And now he’s the Colonel of the Rajah’s Guard. As a Cambiidge man I did so well, That the newrpapers learned my name to spell. With my light blue cap, and my face so brown, I v as famous in the country and in every town; My fame was sung by the Surrey Bard, And so I ’m the Colonel of the Rajah’s Guard. C horus : His fame, etc. At pulls from the off I became so expert, That the bowler's expressions were strangely curt. I went to Brighton, with much good sense, And qualified for Sussex by my residence ; Now Sussex cricket was for me a trump card, And so I ’m the Colonel of the ltijab’s Guard. C hokus : Now Sussex cricket, etc. Of cricket m axim s I acqu ired a few ; So I wrote a book with a man I knew, And this Jubilee book was the means, I ween, Of bringing me a letter from the Empress Queen ; The book was so good (here’ s a health to my paid!) That now I ’m the Colonel of the Rajah’s Guard. C horus : The book was so good, etc. I became so renowned that when I sailed To Australia with Stoddart I was Champion hailed. I did my best for our unlucky crew, And criticised the critics in a new Review ; I criticised the play vsithout butter or lard, And now I ’m the Colonel of the Rajah’s Guard. C horus : He criticised th e p lay, etc. Now amateurs all, wherever you may be, If you want to be turned to a soldier like me, Be you veterans or undergrads or boys at school, Be careful to be guided by thisgolden rule,— ‘ ‘ Stick close to the nets ; write ‘ copy ’ by the yard,” And you all may be Colonels of the Rajah’s Guard. C hokus : Stick close to the nets, etc. The follow ing are some of the latest hundreds :— DECEMBER. 17. Dr. R. Macdonald, Valley v. Toowong (Brisbane) ... .................................................. 2C0* 17. Dr. V. Macdonald, Valley v. Toowong (Brisbane}........... ...........................................149 JANU ARY. 7. C. J. Eady, Break o’ Day v. Derwent (Tas­ mania) ..........................................(unfinished) 231* 7. P. M. Robinson, Calcutta v. Y.M.C A ............146 7. Capt. Byass, 2nd York and Lancaster Regi­ ment v. Connaught Rangers (India) ... 197* 7. H. B. Champain, Punjab C.C. v. Punjab Commission ..................................................109 14. C. L, Johnston, Wanderers v. Pirates (P retoria)..........................................................116 • Signifies not out.