Cricket 1899

A ug , 31, 1899. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 383 D k . G r a c e , who, as a rule, in his Monday’s notes in the Daily Chronicle, studiously confines himself to the mention of facts, has so far departed from his usual custom as to ciiticise the batting of the Australians, and the behaviour of the crowd at Lord’s. He says :— The spectators, or as I am informed most of them, commenced hy making remarks and dictating to the batsmen how they should play. They annoyed the players hy whistling the “ Dead March ” and “ There is a Happy Land,” etc. The sooner this unseemly behaviour is stamped out the better it will be for cricket. At the same time I must say if Australian cricketers wish large crowds to watch their matches they will have to alter their style of play, as cricketers who can hit and score quickly when they please, with grounds in favour of run-getting, scoring at the rate of a dozen an hour is really ridiculous, and not the way the noble game should be played. O n Saturday afternoon K . S. Eaiijit- sinhji brought his total for the season to 2,964 runs, so that he only required thirty- six runs, in four matches, to reach the third thousand. He had to wait until yesterday before he could get an innings, but he then scored 72 not out, and brought his total to 3,036 runs. I t is reported that last Sunday morn­ ing K .S . Ranjitsinhji might have received, on a postcard from W .G ., the following lines after Moore :— Go where glory waits thee, But when fame elates thee, Oh ! still remember that when I made my 2,739 runs the wickets were nothing like as good as they are now. When the praise thou meetest To thine ear is sweetest, Oh ! then remember that I had nothing like as many innings as thou. I n a letter from Mr. F . G. Harding, he says: “ When I was staying at Cromer the other week I went to Mundesley-on- Sea, and found that one of the principal pastimes there is playing cricket on the sands. To my surprise I discovered that the materials for the game are kept and. supplied by the men at the coast­ guard station, which seemed to me a novel idea.” I might add “ and an excellent one, too.” I n last week’s “ Gossip ” I gave a list of the men who had taken a hundred wickets, and also scored 1,000 runs, during the season. There were three of them. A t the present moment there are four, as follows: — Wickets. Runs. A. E. Trott... ......... 221 ........... ... 1155 H. Trumble... ......... 135 ........... ... 1085 Lockwood ... ......... Ill ... , ... 1196 Brockwell ........ ... 102 .......... ... 1467 C. L . Townsend, with 92 wickets and 2,361 runs, and M . A . Noble, with 82 wickets and 1,529 runs, seem the only other men likely to add their names to the list. To prevent possibility of misunder­ standing it may be as well for me to repeat what I stated in Cricket a week or so ago, that the Australians have no in­ tention of playing any more cricket any­ where after the conclusion of the match at Hastings on September 6th till their return to the colonies. As a matter of fact, Messrs. Darling, Gregory, Howell, Iredale, Jones, Kelly, and Trumper, re­ turn in the Orient steamer, “ Oruba,” which leaves London on September 15. Major Wardill, Messrs. H ill, Laver, McLeod, Noble and Trumble, follow in the “ Ormuz” a fortnight later. Tbe Major and Mrs. Wardill are going to Scotland for a trip after the departure of the first contingent on September 15. R tjmotjr has been busy during the last few days with the suggestion that a team of native West African cricketers should visit England next summer. Mr. A . L. Jones, the head of the big Liverpool steamship company, Elder and Dempster, has received a letter from Messrs. F. Dove, C. J. Bannerman, and T. Hutton Hills, barristers of Acra, proposing such a trip. But at present there is another Richmond in the field. The Parsee cricketers last winter, it will be remem­ bered, intimated their intention of send­ ing another team here for the summer of 1900. Their plans, it is possible, may be influenced by Ranjitsinhji’s decision not to assist. But, as yet, there is no evidence of any intention on their part to abandon the proposed tour. Fok the benefit of our foreign and colonial readers, the County Champion­ ship table (up to to-day) is appended :— Pts. Finished Per- P. W. L. D. in games centage Surrey.............. ..24, .. 9 .. 2...13..,. 7 11.... 63-63 Middlesex ... . .1 7 . ..11 . 3... 3.. 8 14 .. 57-14 Yorkshire ... . ..28. ..14 .. 4.. 10.., 10 18 .. 55-55 Lancashire ... . ..24. ..12 .. 6... 6.. . 6 18.. . 33-33 Sussex.............. ..21.. 7 .. 4 . 10.. . 3 11.. . 27-27 Essex .......... .19. .. 6 .. 6 .. 7.. . 0 12.. — Warwickshire . . 18. .. 4.. . 5 .. 9 . . — 1 9.. . — 11-11 Gloucestershire . . 20.,.. 5.. . 8 .. 7.. . — 3 13..,. — 23-07 Kent ............... ..18., .. 5 .. 8 .. 5 .. — 3 13 .,. — 2307 Hampshire ... . ..19. .. 4 . . 7... 8.. . - 3 11.. . — 27 27 Notts .......... .. 16. ,. 2 .. 4 . .10.. . — 2 6... . — 33-33 Worcestershire . ..12 . .. 2 .. 5 .. 5 .. — 3 7... — 42-85 Leicestershire .. 18.. ,. 2.. . 8 .. 8 . . — 6 10.... — 60 00 Somerset ... . .1 6 . .. 2 . . 8... 6.. . - 6 10 . . — 60 00 Derbyshire ... . ..18.. ,. 2.. . 9 .. 7.. . — 7 11.... -63*63 The fixture, Lancashire v. Kent (May 22, etc.), abandoned without a ball being bowled, is not ieckoned in the above. The official method of calculation is es follows: A point is reckoned for each win, and a point deducted for each defeat. Unfinished games are left out of the reckoning entirely, and the county which during the season shall have obtained in finished matches the greatest proportionate number of points is reckoned the champion county. T he following are some of the latest hundreds:— AUGUST. 11. Capt. Greig, Bombay Presidency v. Parsees 184 16. H. A. Francis, Teignbridge v. M.C.C. & G. 131 16. P. W. Hale, Old Citizens, v. Hastings and and St. Leonards .......................................104 17. T. Muller, Lewes Priory v . Old Citizens ... 103 —. N. Miller, Streatham v. Mertan .................102* 21. H. A. Francis, Chudleigh v. The Quixotics 104* 22. H. A. Francis, South Devon v. The Quixotics 116* 24. H. A. Francis, Chudleigh v. I Zingari..........113 24. H. E. Murrell, Leamington v. VSellestourne 102* 24. A. O. J o n e s , N o t t s v. M id d le s e x ..........117 24. C. L . T o w n sen d , G lo u c e s t e r v . E s s e x ... 224* 24. W . T koup , G loucester v . E s s e e ......................115 24. J . R . M ason , K ent v . W a r w ic k s h ir e ...........119 24. R ev . W . RASHLkiGH, K ent v. W a r w ic k s h ir e 1.0 25. F. L a v e r , A u s tr a lia n s v. S o m e r s e t .............113 25. L o c k w o o d , S urrey v. L a n c a s h ir e .............131 25. A b e l, S urrey v. L a n c a s h ir e ...............................178 25. D. L . A . J ep h son , S u r re y v . L a n c a s h ir e ... 100 25. Baker, Crystal Palace v. Eastbourne ..........168 26. R. R. tandilands, Upper Tooting v. Kensing­ ton Park .....................................................103 26. A. J. Whyte, Brixton Wanderers (2) v. Forest Bill (2 ).......... .............127* 26. Q u a ifk (W . G.), W a r w ic k s h ir e v. K e n t ... ICO* 26. C a p t. E. G. W y n y a r d , H am p-hi& e v. W o r c e s te r s h ir e ...................................108 26. C. M. W ei ls , M id d le s e x v. N o t t s .............244 26. S. S. Taylor, Surbiton v. Oatlands Park ... 125 2*t. J. C. Bevington, Southgate v. J. Hall’s XI. 131 29. C. B. F r y , S u ssex v. H a m p s h ir e .................157 * Signifies not out. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. P h ilip H a l l (Henley.)—The order (as stated in introduction), is that of the wickets. For first wicket—second v icket—third wicket, etc. R.E.M. —Will look. Reply next weev. . A BATTING HE W ILL GO. [On Tuesday K. S. Ranjitsinhji, anxious to score his three thousandth run, could not get an innings because of the splendid stand made by Mr. Fry and Mr. Collins.] The dusky Prince looks at the sky, All on a Tuesday morn ; While to the wicket goeth Fry— The wicket which is worn. For a batting he will go. And Collins walks to face the foes, But soon returns to fay :— “ My Prince; it rains, it hails, it snows ; You can’t go in to-day.” But a batting he will go. The rain leaves off and Fry hits out, And all the bowling slates; While Collins makes resistance stout,— And Ranji sits and waits. For a batting he would go. But when the rain descends again, The players take to flight; The home-returning Prince is fain To wait till morning light, When a batting he will go. SOMERSET v. GLOUCESTERSHIRE. Played at Taunton on Aug. ‘28, 29 and 30. Somerset won by five wickets. A hot sun after half-an-hour’s heavy rain made the wicket play queerly and run-getting was by no mef*ns easy. For once Mr. Townsend failed to dis­ tinguish himself, but, fortunately for Gloucestershire, all the hitters were long enough at the wickets to make their presence felt, although none of them suc­ ceeded in putting up a big total. Mr. Jessop made 24 in nineminutes; Board and Mr. Hemingway scored 47 runs for the sixth wicket in seventeen miautes; while Brown and Goodwin were together for five minutes under the hour and scored 83 runs. The Gloucestershire innings only lasted for two hours and three-quarters, so that the rate of scoring was very much faster than is usually seen when Gloucestershire are at the wickets. Somersetshire had three-quarters of an hour before them, and managed to lose four wickets, three of them to Jessop, whose bowling kicked a good deal, for 37 runs, so that their position when stump3 were drawn was not enviable. But on Tues­ day Mr. Woods made runs, and the tail played up so well that the follow on was saved, and Gloucestershire went in again 59 runs to the good. Wrathall was in great form, Mr. Jessop made a valuable31 in thirteen minutes, and Mr. Townsend was not easily disposed of again. For some time a good score seemed likely to be made, but although about a hvndred was up when only 4 wickets were down, there was a very decided collapse, and at the end of the day the total was only 156 for the loes of nine wickets—215 runs to the good. During the day presentations were made to Mr. Troup, who soon returns to India, by the Gloucestershire pros, and amateurs. The innings was promptly brought to a conclusion yesterday for the addition of one run, and Somersetshire went in to make 217. And they did it! When they had lost three men for 43 their chances seemed hopeless, but Woods and Phillips made an invaluable stand, putting on 120 in 70 minutes, and paving the way for