Cricket 1899

66 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A pril 20, 1899. when the Cricket Council came to grief. It was a body which could have dealt with abuses effectually. I am convinced that it never would have come to an end if Lord Harris had not gone to India, but it was a difficult thing to carry out properly, and there was no one strong enough to revive it.” “ D o you think that anything ought to be done to check the present high scoring ? ” “ I f every hit had to be run out the bowlers would have a much better chance of distinguishing themselves than they have now. It is true that this plan would not commend itself to some of the best men who are playing, for they are getting old, and would find much running a great inconvenience; but the bowlers would not agree with them. It has been pointed out to me that if all hits were run out, a batsman would be handicapped unfairly, since the harder the hit the greater the rebound if the ball struck railings or seats. But this might easily be prevented b y using nets, or even canvaB, as was once the custom at Tunbridge Wells. A fieldsman might, indeed, fall over the net or the canvas, but he sometimes falls over seats, as I once did to my cost at Lord’s. I don’t think it would do at all to make the wicket wider or higher.” “ What is your opinion about present- day batting ?” “ Grounds have so improved, and so much more cricket is played that so many more men have a chance of com ing to the front, and therefore good batsmen seem to increase to an alarming extent. But there are, and always have been, heaps and heaps of good batsmen playing in second-class cricket who would come to the front if they only had the opportunity. Consider the days when Surrey began to play matches against the so-called second class counties. When a man made a hundred against Essex, it was always pointed out that there was no merit whatever in the per­ formance, and that the matches simply gave Surrey a chance t o ‘ show off.’ But when these second class counties were turned into the firBt-class, it was suddenly discovered that to make a lot of runs against them was a splendid performance, and worthy of all admiration.” “ D id your heavy duties as captain interfere much with your enjoyment of county cricket ? ” “ No. I had a very good time indeed while I was captain, and was very sorry when I had to give up the game, owing to pressure of business. I was fortunate enough to have the complete confidence of the committee of the County Club, who practically left everything to me, and never interfered. Undoubtedly it is best that a team should be left in the hands of one man. As a member of the county com ­ mittee, I often say that I cannot judge of the performances of some man who has apparently been doing badly. We don’t know how a man gets his duck down at Clifton or Nottingham, or how much accuracy there lies in a reporter’s account of his fielding at Sheffield or Brighton. I think that the reporter’s idea of a fieldsman is a very lofty one indeed.” “ Y ou still play in local cricket ? ” “ When I ceased to play for Surrey I was asked to revive the cricket club at Lessness Park—a very pretty ground near Abbey Wood, where I live. The club had come to grief, owing to lack of funds. I offered to do what I could, provided that the committee could get a hundred members, and as there was found to be no difficulty in this, the club was revived, and is now doing well. I have quite fallen into the game of second- class cricket once more, and find that I can hit again. When I was playing for Surrey I had such a lot of first-class cricket that when there was a Saturday off I was glad to have a quiet holiday at home, and so I took part in very little club cricket. When I did play I could not get into the style which is necessary if club cricket is to be really enjoyed, for you have to be so careful in first-class matches. As a matter of fact, if you only begin an afternoon match at about two o ’clock you can get quite as much enjoy­ ment as you do when you begin at twelve, with an interval for luncheon. The drawbacks to the complete enjoyment of club cricket are that the grounds are too good, that there is too much declaring, and that so many men play too carefully. It m ight not be a bad idea if a few trial matches were to be played, dividing the available time into two parts, so that each side m ight have an equal share of batting. But if this were done it would probably be worse than ever for the tail of the eleven.” “ Y ou were playing in the famous match when Notts got Surrey out for 1 6 ? ” “ I was. That was in the first innings, and was the smallest score in first- class cricket that year. In our second innings the ground was in a terrible condition. A. P. Lucas and I were in together for twenty-five or thirty overs against Shaw and Morley for about a bye, and I couldn’t see how it was possible to make a run. Thoms was umpiring. He is always very good to youngsters, and always will be. He said to m e: ‘ Look here, just you fancy that you are playing for the Incogs.’ So I hit Shaw into the pavilion three or four times, and made about 50 before I was out. But for this word of advice by Thoms I am sure I could not have made a four by any chance. Thoms always took a great interest in my cricket—for the matter of that he takes an interest in all youngsters—but for all that I could not persuade him to come to m y wedding breakfast, though he came to the wedding itself.” Although Mr. Shuter was a splendid fieldsman he once had as trying an ex­ perience as one could wish for one’sworst enemy. “ Very soon after I was in the Surrey Eleven,” he said, “ we were pla jiu g on the Clifton College Ground against Gloucestershire. G. F. Grace hit a ball to me at square-leg, right into my hands. I missed it badly. Then I dropped two very easy catches in the country, with the result that I became so nervous that I hardly knew what to do. To be out of harm’s way I went to point. Almost immediately afterwards a ball was put up which a child might have caught without the least difficulty, but I dropped it. Thus, in less than half-an-hour I had missed four very easy chances. Pooley did his best to console me by saying, in a cheerful way, ‘ Never mind, sir, they will follow you about sometimes.’ If there is anything which makes a man feel thoroughly unhappy it is to miss a few catches, and for my part I often think that fielding is more nervous work than batting. The mention of fielding reminds rne how disgusted I once was when I was caught by W . G. I had hit Miles to the boundary, and W .G . who had gone after the ball, was leisurely strolling back when the next ball was bowled, and was just in time to intercept a ball which in ordinary circumstances would have been an easy boundary. He made a wonderful catch, very low down.” A t Winchester College Mr. Shuter was in the Eleven in 1871, 1872 and 1873, being captain in the last of these years. “ To the best of my belief,” he said, “ I never got my Senior Match cap, and I certainly never got into the School Second X I . This I have always considered as hard luck, but I was so very small in those days that I suppose no one could be blamed for passing me over. I shall never forget a certain evening’s practice during my Winchester days. As there had been some rain, I had the nets and the two professionals, Luke Greenwood and Lapworth, all to myself. In a moment of mistaken enthusiasm I put something on the stumps —I don’t suppose it was very much—and told the two bowlers to do their worst. The ground was wet on the top and hard underneath. Toe ball shot, and the bowlers knocked down my wicket time after time, and I never had a look in. They quite fleeced me before my time was up.” W . A. B e TTESWORTH. Mr. Shuter’s batting averages for Surrey in all matches are appended :— Not Total Highest Yr. Matches Inns. out. runs. score. Aver. 1877 .. . 3 ... 5 .. . 0 ... 25 .. 15 .. . 6 00 1878 .. . 12 22 .. . 2 ... 502 ... 98 ...2510 1&79 .. . 12 ... 20 ... 0 ... 436 . .. 110 ..21*80 I8b0 .. . 15 .. 28 ... 0 ... 659 .,. 109 ... 19 96 1881 . 11 ... 20 . . 1 ... 270 88* ...1421 18s<2 .. . 17 ... 32 ... 1 ... 804 93 . ..2593 It-83 . 21 ... 36 ... 2 ... 836 .,. 108* . ..24-68 1884 . . 23 ... 38 ... 2 ... 844 . 125 ... 23 44 1836 ... 24 ... 35 ... 0 ... 841 .,. 135 ..24-02 1886 ... 22 ... 36. ... 3 ... 6*1 .... 86 ...19 72 18s7 ... 23 ... 32 ... 0 ...1,061 .. I ll .. 31-16 1888 ... 22 ... 29 .. . 2 ... 706 .. . 95 .26-14 18*59 ... 19 ... 30 ... 1 ... 507 . 66 . ..17 48 1890 ... 20 ... 29 ... 0 . ... 599 .. 117 ..20 65 1891 .. . 21 ... 32 ... 3 ... 417 .. 66 .. 15-41 1892 ... 23 ... 33 ... 2 ... 761 ,. 93 . ..24-54 1893 .. 22 ... 36 .. . 2 ... 511 .. 60 .,.. 16 02 Totals 310 ... 49 J . . 21 10,30 ... 1;5 . ..21-94 HUNDREDS FOR SURREY. 1879, v. Sussex, at Brighton ...................110 1880, v. Kent, at Oval ...........................109 1883, v. Sussex, at Oval ...........................108* 1884, v. Hampshire, at Southampton ... 125 1884, v. Gloucestershire, at Clifton .. 101 1885, v. Hampshire, at Oval ...................135 1887, v. Oxford University, at Oxford ... I ll 1887, v. Middlesex, at Oval ...................100 1890, v. Essex, at Oval ...........................117 •Signifies not out.