Cricket 1900

THE FINEST BAT THE WORLD PRODUCES. AY 31, l<JOO CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 163 BUSS£Y’S BUSSEY’S AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F . S. A sh lb y -C ooper . 'JLhe most exciting match played as yet during the season was undoubtedly thut at the Oval last week between Surrey and Essex which was won by the latter by the narrow margin of five runs. Of the thirty- two matches played between the two sides Surrey have won twenty-three, Essex five, and four have been left undecided. There was a time, not very far distant, when Essex was but an insignificant county, but during tbe past ten j^ears or so the strength of the team has been so increasing by leaps and bounds that at the present day—thanks chiefly to the energy of Mr. C. E. Green, who has worked so untiringly in the best interests of Essex cricket—the county is ableto place in the field one of the strongest sides in the country. The recent match was throughout—like many of the games in days gone by between York­ shire and Notts—a battle of bowlers, owing to the fact that the wicket was rendered all against run-getting on account of rain. By winning the toss, Essex gained a great advant­ age, asthewicketclearlybecamemoreandmore difficult as the game proceeded. Despite this fact, however, the team is to be heartily congratulated on the excellent way it pulled off the match. “ It was a glorious victory,” and the losers deserved as much praise as the winners. The bowling of Lockwood, Brock­ well and Mead, and the batting of Perrin and Abel stood out very prominently. Mr. Perrin at the present time is in capital form, whilst Abel’s 68 was the re'ult of very sound cricket and was, taking everything into consideration, a finer innings than his 2*21against Worcester­ shire earlier in the week. At Manchester much excellent cricket was seen in the match between Lancashire and Worcestershire. The match will be chiefly memorable on account of the bowling per­ formance of Briggs in the first innings of Worcestershire of taking all ten wickets at a cost of five and a-half runs apiece. It scarcely seems twenty-one years since he first appeared in first-class matches. During the many years he has been the chief bowler for Lanca­ shire he has never before obtained all the wickets in one innings, although in all first- class matches he has obtained more wickets than any other player except “ W. G.” Only once before had a bowler credited him­ self with all the wickets in an innings when representing Lancashire, and that was as long ago as 1870, when the late W . Hickton performed the feat against Hampshire, at Manchester. As Briggs obtained thirteen wickets in the match in addition to scoring 47 runs he had a great deal to do with the victory of his side. Tyldesley, like J. T. Brown, sen., and Mr. Perrin, is in great run-getting form just now, and but for his scores of 79 and 71 not out it is very probable that the result of the match would have been different. It would seem that in Mr. A. E. Lawton Derbyshire had discovered a batsman of more than usual ability. To very few cricketers indeed is it given to make two such splendid scores as 60 and 53 on their first appearance at Lord’s. Storer (55 and 175 not out) was also seen to great advantage in each innings, and these two batsmen, who, curiously enough, added 111 runs for the fourth wicket in each innings, were the only players who exceeded the half-century for the county. Storer, in the second innings, was seen quite at his best, his driving and [leg-play being very fine. His chief hits were two 7’s, five 6’s and five 5’s, hits which sound somewhat^ unusual, until it is re­ membered that the match was played under the private rules of the M.C.C. In the second innings of Derbyshire Mr. S. H. Wood, the captain, made a hit for ten off Mr. Burnup. Tho stroke was a cut, the ball reaching the net and four being run. The return, however, yielded an ovcrlhrow to the opposite net, the tired batsmen being content to run two, though a third might have been obtained. In a great match on Moulsey Hurst, in 1787, William Beldham, made a hit for ten, and in 1842, the Hon. F. Ponsonby for Cambridge University v. the Marylebone Club, on Parker’s Piece, made a leg-hit for nine, in each case the hit being run out and no overthrows included. To Mr. F. G. Harding I am indebted for the following details respecting some very fast scoring in the match between Lordship Park and Beckton, at Beckton, on May 19th : “ Beckton did as they liked, and knocked up 195 for six wickets and then declared. Of this total Cooper made 89 and broke the world’s record, for he actually made 46 in two overs. The first of the overs in question yielded five 4’s and one 2 ; the next and suc­ cessive over consisted of six 4’s. It is an open secret that Essex will shortly be giving a trial to this local ‘ Jessop.’ ” For the benefit of those who take an interest in the history of the game I append a list of some of the most notable instances of fast scoring. Details connected with some of the perform­ ances are, unfortunately lost, but, when known, full particulars are given. R’s. O’s. 36 in 1, W . H. Caldecourt, Watford v. Hertfordshire, at W atford, between 1828 and 1832. 30 „ 1, E. G. 8. Sutton. (Five 6’s.) 30 „ 1, J. J. Lyons. (Fiye 6’s.) 30 „ 1, Lloyd, at Hagley Park, Canterbury (N.Z.), April, 1883. 28 „ 1, V. F. 8. Crawford, Whitgift Grammar School v. St. Donstan’s College, at Croydon, July 22,1896. 48 „ 2, V. Ryrie, Commercial Banking Companyv. I. Zingari, at Rushcutter’s Bay Oval, Sydney, October 19,1898. 46 „ 2, Cooper, beckton v. Lordship Park, at Beck­ ton, May 19, 1900. 44 „ 2, C. Holden, Birkenhead Park v. Northern Club, July 9, 1896. 58 „ 3, G. Brann, X V I. of Reigate v. W . W . Read’s X I., at Reigate, September 12 and 13,1892. 50 ,, 3, G. J. Puckle, Warsop’s X I. v. Wisden’s X I., at Lord’s, September 30,1899. The above list must not be considered complete, details of several equally notable performances having possibly never been published. On account of space, or rather lack of it, but little can be said this week in this column anent current cricket. The surprise of the week was undoubtedly Board’s great innings of 214 against Somersetshire at Bristol, which lasted three hours and twenty-five minutes. On many occasions Board has given many excellent displays with the bat, but never before has he been seen to such great advan­ tage. His 214 is, with the exception of Storers 216 not out against Leicestershire last year, the largest score yet hit in great matches by a wicket-keeper. To how great an extent the Gloucestershire victory was due to Board can be estimated from the fact that apart from his 214, the innings contained but two scores of over 30. Roberts, too, had a great deal to do with the success of the side, his bowling being worthy of his best days. Whilst Gloucestershire were gaining a some­ what remarkablevictory over theirneighbours, Kent were unexpectedly beating Essex at Maidstone by an innings. After their sensational win at the Oval the previous week, but few could have anticipated Essex losing to Mr. Mason’s men. To Mr. Mason chiefly belongs the credit of the victory, for, on a wicket at no time in favour of the bats­ men, he made 117 against Mead, Kortright,