Cricket 1899

D ec , 21 , 1899. CR ICKET : A W EEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 473 Worcestershire v. Derbyshire, at Worces­ ter. Whilst the latter were batting a rabbit scurried across the field, dashed between the Worcestershire fielders, gazed reproachfully at the pair of Derbyshire batsmen, and dis­ appeared into the hedge on the opposite side of the ground. A little later onapig strayed into the enclosure and made direct for the umpire. The players chased himoff and the crowd lenttheirassistance, evidentlyenjoying the task. G. E. Bromley-Martin, one of the Worcestershire players, was dismissed in an unluckymanner. Inplaying a ball delivered by Hancock (J.) his bat cracked, a piece flew off, the ball went high into the air, and L. G. Wright dashing in frompoint brought off a smart catch. Hampshire v. Warwickshire, at Bourne­ mouth. Quaife (W. G.) batted an hour for the latter, and during that time changed his bat and compiled one run. Nottinghamshire v. Derbyshire, at Derby. The former’s innings realised 581 without anybody playing a three-figure innings. Kent v. Yorkshire, at Tonbridge. Blythe made his first appearance for Kent and clean bowled a wicket (F. Mitchell’s) with the first ball be delivered. Hampshire v. Worcestershire, at South­ ampton. In the first innings of the latter C. Heseltine bowledE. G. Bromley-Martin with a ball which sent the off-bail fifty-four yards behind the wicket. Gloucestershire v. Esssex, at Clifton. Gloucestershire made 400 runs from the bat, of which number C. L. Townsend and W. Troup claimed 33a. Somersetshire v. Australians, at Taunton. On the first day in the first innings of the county S. M. J. Woods beganhis innings in partnershipwith Robson (E.) In twenty-five minutes he had scored 42 while his partner was making 5. In the next twenty-five minutes the positionswerereversed, forwhile Bobson scored 42Woods made but 5. At the end of the Australians’ innings J. J. Kelly (44) and E. Jcnes (34 not out) added 69 runs in twenty-two minutes. Sussex v. Hampshire, at Portsmouth. Playing for the former A. Collins batted on each of the three days for his score of 60. th e end. DARLING ON THE AUSTRALIAN TOUR. Discretion itself when he was in England, Darling has made free com­ ments on the tour as soon as he reached Australia. He said:— “ We had a great trip, and, on the whole, I think more enjoyable than the one of 1896. All the other fellows think the same. They are a fine lot, and every­ thing worked like clockwork from start to finish. As for the Major, you couldn’t get a better man. His tact and cheerful­ ness went a long way in maintaining the thorough esprit de corps which pre­ vailed.” “ Can you refer to any particular incidents in the tour ? ” “ I can only refer to the umpiring. It was very bad at times; in fact, two or three times English captains have apologised to me on account of some palpably wrong decisions.” “ You heard some barracking ? ” “ Yes ; it is just as bad in England as in Australia. You can class the crowd of both countries od the same footing. I cannot say one is worse than the other.” “ The newmen of the team did well ? ” “ Yes ; I reckon there wasnot a failure on the side. Noble has easily beaten all records for a first visit as an all-round performer. His work in the Manchester test match was wonderful. If he had done nothing else on the tour, he would be worth his place in the team for that two days’ play alone. Trumper is a wonderfully improved batsman, and I never saw a finer innings in my life than his 300 not out against Sussex. The Australian public will see a vast improve­ ment in both these men. McLeod could not get overthe effects of the cold weather for a long time, but the last two months of the tour he was right in his best Australian hatting and bowling form. With anything like ordinary luck he would have come out much better.” “ You have formed an idea, I suppose, of the cricketers likely to be in the next English team p ” “ Well, it is a long time to look ahead, and there is another English season to go through, but looking over the list of names this season, I should think we ought to see Hayward, Jackson, Ranjit- sinhji, MacLaren, Fry, Lilley, Rhodes, Young, Bradley, Townsend, J. T. Brown, A. O. Jones, Lockwood, and Storer, or Board.” “ How is Albert Trott ? ” “ There isnot the slightest doubt about his being the best bowler in England. He would have been a very useful man to us. Englishmen don’t seem to know anything about his bowling.” “ But the Australians played him all right.” “ He always did fairlywell at the start, but we know more about his tricks.” (ZTorresfponBcncc. The Editor does not hold himself responsible fo r the opinions o f his correspondents. TAMPERING WITH THE RULES. To the Editor of C ricket. Sir,—I have always held, and have expressed, both in your columns and elsewhere, tbe opinion that until each competing county plays all the others, the championship is a mere matter of figures, and that one scheme is as good as another for those who amuse their leisure with arithmetical problems. Proposals, however, to tamper with the rules of the game in order to gain more precision for these mathe­ matical exercises, are anothermatter, and I was sorry to see in your last issue suggestions from correspondents that in unfinished, or in drawn games (two very different things, by the way), *' points ” should be counted on the first innings. A cricket match comprises two innings for each side, unless, of course, the side which wins does not require two, and it would be as reasonable to give “ points ” for the first wicket, or for the first two wickets, as for the first ten— i.e., for one innings. A game, which is intrinsically subject to changes of fortune as it pro­ ceeds, cannot thus be divided into com­ partments. It is hard enough for a side which seems to have a victory in its grasp to fail to seize it because there is no Joshua on the third day to stay the sun in its course, but it would be harder still if that victory, certain as far as any­ thing is certain in cricket, were made a defeat, or a partial defeat, because the winning side had made a bad start, and not reached its opponent’s total in the first innings. Do your correspondents remember the Surrey and Middlesex match at the Oval in 1895 ? Middlesex, 246 and 290; Surrey, 151 and 303 for four wickets—six wickets to fall and only 83 runs to win. Do they remember the two matches at Brighton in the last week of May in the following year—perhapB the most remarkable pair of matches in the annals of cricket p Gloucestershire, 463 and 88 for seven wickets; Sussex, 246 and 420 (three wickets down, innings declared)—Gloucestershire, 217 ahead on the first innings, 115 to make in the second with only three wickets to fall. Somersetshire, 424 and 122 for seven wickets; Sussex, 217 and 525 ( four wickets down, innings declared)—Somer­ setshire, 207 ahead on the first innings, 196 to make in the second with only three wickets to fall. Would anyone propose seriously to give “ points ” or half “ points,” or decimal anything of a “ point” to Middlesex, Gloucestershire or Somersetshire in these matches, with an equivalent deduction from Surrey or Sussex P Your obedient servant, A. C. C oxhead . Fishbourne, Chichester, December 1th, 1899. P.S.—If it is absolutely necessary for every match to give data for calculation of “ points,” what is to be done when the antagonists are so perverse as not even to finish one innings each, as happened at the Oval this year ? Should one decide by the number of runs made for seven wickets—the number which Surrey had lost ? HAINAULT. BATTING AVERAGES. No. Times Most of not in an Total inns. out. inns. runs. Aver. Meston ................. . ... 10 . .. 0 ... 33 .. . 118 .. 11-8 T. Browne ......... . ... 11 . .. 1 . .. 23*..,. 101 ...10 1 E. Jenner ......... . ... 5 ... 1 ... 19 .. . 37 .. 74 H. Blades ......... . ... 2 ... 0 . .. 13 .... 13 ... 6-1 B. Hyem................. . ... 10 ... 0 ... 24 .. . 5^ ... 5-8 E. Glassborow .. ... 4 ... 1 ... 12*.. .. 22 ... 6 5 E. Knight ......... . ... 9 . .. 0 ... 19 .... 39 . ..4 3 H. Cherry ......... . ... 3 ... 0 . .. 9 .. .. 13 ... 4-3 E. Padden ......... . ... 4 ... 0 ... 12 . . 15 . .. 3 75 B. Bladei ......... . ... 8 ... 0 ... 9 .. . 27 ... 3 37 B. Mollison ......... . ... 5 ... 1 ... 8 .. 16 ... 3-2 C. Kerwin ......... . ... 9 ... 1 ... 9*., .. 23 ... 2-87 A. Kerwin ......... . ... 6 ... 0 ... 5 .. .. 15 . . . 2 5 W . Lumsden......... . ... 8 ... 0 ... 5 .... 14 . .. 175 J. Browne ......... . ... 3 ... 1 ... 2 .. . 2 ... 1 * Signifies not out. BOWLING AVERAGES. Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Av.r. E. Knight ... 68 ... 14 .... 121 ..,. 44 . . 2 7o C. Kerwin ... 4 ... 2 .. 6 .. . 2 ... 3 L. Brown........... ... 2 ... 0 .,.. 3 .. 1 ... 3 T. Browne ... 50 ,... 11 .. . 125 .,,. 37 ... 3-37 T. Glassborow ... 4 .. 1 .. . 14 .. . 1 ... 14 H. Meston ... 8 .... 2 ... 20 .. . 1 . .. 20