Cricket 1900

226 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u n e 28, 1900. boy took six or seven of our wickets with leg breaks, and made 70 or 80 runs against us very well indeed. So I wired to the Oval, and shortly afterwards Key played in his first match for Surrey. It was against Notts. Shrewsbury made over two hundred, but Key took two or three wickets. He and L in partnership once pulled a match against Lancashire out of the fire in the days of Crossland. It was the match at the Oval in which the crowd hooted Crossland so fiercely, for alleged throwing, that Hornby took his men off the field, and declined to go on until quietness had been restored. In our second innings, the last of the match, 140 or 150 runs were required when Key and I came together, with Charlie Horner and Barratt to follow us. Somehow or other we managed to wear Crossland down and knocked off the runs without being parted. I recollect how afraid I was that Key would get out by dashing at Nash on the off side, but he never made the slightest mistake.” “ You were at school at Westminster?” “ I was only in the eleven for one year. I was then a small boy of about fifteen, and got the average bat with an average which I don’t remember, except that it was anything but large. We were all youngsters that year in the eleven except W. S. Rawson. the famous football player, who was captain, but I am pleased to say we beat Charterhouse badly. There was then a batsman in the Charterhouse eleven whom we funked a good deal, for he was always making a lot of runs. Fortunately, however, we got rid of him for a small score. His name was Corrie; he went to the school when ho was fifteen years old, and was at once put into the eleven. A short time ago I told a tale about him, in an article in Illustrated Golf which cricketers may not have seen. Ho was playing for the school against the M.C.C., and when he had brought his score to fifty he electrified the M.C.C. by calling out in a decisive tone, ‘ Bring me a brandy and soda.’ It was brought to him, and he then remarked, ‘ I’ll have another when I get a hundred.’ And he got it. He was a splendid wicket-keeper as a boy, and also bawled very useful lobs; he still keeps up his cricket on a lovely ground which he hasmade in his own village.” “ Where did you really learn your cricket?” “ At Westminster. Old Tom Hearne was coach there in my time -a dear old chap he was, too. He used to make us bowl at a mark in order to get a good length, but I have never heard of any other professional doing this. Old Harry Holmes, who is now the umpire nominated by Hampshire, was the other professional at Westminster; he was a quaint old fellow, a little past his cricketing days, and he only bowled at the nets when he felt disposed to do so. After I left school I went to a crammer’ s at Deal with an old parson, to prepare for Cambridge University. While there I hardly had any cricket at all, and had no practice. Occasionally we had a match, and it was there that 1 first met Colonel Spens, who is now in South Africa.” “ How was it that the authorities managed to leave you out of the eleven ? ” “ Well they never tried me. It is true that I once played for the Sixteen against the Eleven and made about 40 not out, but there were a great m iny fine players at Cambridge, and unless a man had a reputation he had very little chance of getting into the eleven. There were the two Steels, the Lytteltons, Lucas, and many other well-known men, and I believe that it was almost a toss up whether Ivo Bligh should play against Oxford. Some years afterwards I was playing for Surrey against Lancashire in the match in which Walter Read made over 200; I went in first wicket and made 130 or 140, and our score for the second wicket was a recordat the time. In the course of my innings Nab Steel asked me ‘ Why on earth didn’t you play for Cambridge ? ’ to which I of course replied, ‘ You never asked me to do so.’ I remember that I played for Cambridge Past and Present against the Australians, at Brighton, and that I thought Alfred Lyttel­ ton was an excellent captain ; he kept the team trying its hardest the whole time. He was particularly ready to praise anything I did; I think he wanted me to feel that al­ though I had not gained my Blue, I was wel­ comed as a representative of the University. The only other man on our side who was not a Blue was H. B. Steel.” “ When did you first play for Surrey ? ” “ In 1881. They asked me to play in 1880 after a match at Bexley, in which the Shuters was playing; I had got some wickets, but in the match I smashed my knee, which has always given me trouble after it was first damaged in a football match. My first expe­ rience of county cricket was to see Walter Read play a fine innings of 160 against Kent; I was caught at the wicket off Colonel Fel- lowes, a fast bowler, after making about 26. In two or three of the matches, when I first played, Jupp still had a place in the team, and I remember his telling me to get my first run more quickly. This 1 understood to mean that I should not fiddlo about in trying to play myself in—which seemed a curious thing for Jupp to say—but I soon discovered that he meant that I lost runs by not hurrying across the wicket. I used to be greatly amused by the way in which Jupp and Tom Humphrey would play the ball a few feet in front of the wicket, and make a run, almost carrying the ball with them as they went. It must have been very nearly a case of obstructing the field sometimes, for no fields­ man hid a chance of picking up the ball till the batsman had passed by it. As boys we were always under the impression that Jupp and Humphrey could make j ust as many runs as they pleased, and that if either of themgot out, it was on purpose. When I was first asked to represent Surrey I was asked as a bowler. In those days I used to bowl no­ balls, and also to koock down the wicket at my end by touching the stumps when the ball was leaving my hand. Old Thoms always says that he taught me how to bowl properly. Like every other cricketer who played under Mr. John Shuter, Mr. Roller speaks very hignly indeed of the old Surrey captain. “ He never did a mean thing,” he said, “ and was never outmanoeuvred by another captain. I think that one of the finest things he did was ordering the tail to get out in one of the Notts matches at Nottingham, in order that we might have a chance to dispose of our opponents in the time remaining for play. I had got out for 50 odd before the order was given, but the tail acted nobly up to instructions. I have never seen a crowd so nasty. When we had won, about five minutes before time, we were exceedingly pleased with ourselves, for wo had drawn match after match with Notts for years. I remember Lohmann’s bowling in that match very well indeed. He bowled eleven overs in succession to Shrewsbury, every ball on the off side. Shrewsbury wouldn’t touch one of them. But when another chance came Loh- mann still kept on bowling to the off, and at last Shrewsbury touched a ball which went into Walter Read’s hands at point.” Although he was as fine a field as one could wish to see, Mr, Roller, like everybody else, occasionally missed a catch. Once he dropped Mr. Page, the Oxford University captain, rather badly off Mr. C. E. Horner at the Oval. Mrs. Shuter, the mother of Mr. John Shuter, was looking on at the match, and was shocked at such a contretemps by a man with such a reputation. For years she teased him about the missed catch, and suggested that he must have wished that he could sink into the ground into obscurity. W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . ENFIELD v. CLAPTON.—Played at EaEeld on Juae 16. E nfield . F. Rowley, run out ... 28 G. Pratt, c Dodson, b Boyton ................... 5 H.Toms,c3ub.,bHugill 7 L G. Couves, lbw, b Stanley ...................2J L. M. Leggatt, c sub., b Hugill ................... 2 F. W . b'lfield, b Ru^ill 11 T. C. Dixon, c Boys, b R eynolds................... 8 CL4PTON. R. Goriag-Thomas, c Wigg;e&t,b Keynoldi 0 L. Ward, c Boyton, b Reynolds.................. 3f W . Pritchard, not out ........................... 3 R. Pritchard, b Bishop 7 B 25, lb 8, w 1 ... 34 Total ...165 J.H.Douglas,bLeargatt 6 G.Mazengirb,stFifield, b D xoa ................. 9 S. Reynolds, b Dinon 21 H. Bjytoa, b Rowiey 7 i A. Dods >n, b W . Prit­ chard .......................... 23 J. H. Hugill, b Ro arley 26 F. Bishop, c Pratt, b Rowley ................... 5 J.J. vViggett,b Rowley 10 J. Boys, not out ... 1 1 G. Stauley, b Rowley 1 A. W , Renals, absent o Byes ................... 9 Total . ..194 HAMPSTEAD v. ST. M AR Y’S HOSPITAL Played at Hampstead on June 16. S t . M ary ’ s H ospital . E. C. Hobbs, c Cros­ dale, b Marsd^n ... 5 A. R. Hobbs, c M m :o, b Marsden ...........33 W. G. Cheitle, b Spjf- f jr t h ...........................17 R. R. Cruise, b Spof- fo rth ........................... 3 W. S. Mitchell, not out ...........................21 W. H. C. Greene, b M arsden ................... 0 G. Field, b Marsden.. 8 T N. Cheatle, c Moon, b M o n r o ...................23 A. S. Webley. c Mars­ den, b Spofforth ... 2 Heiley, b Spofforth .. 0 C. tf Farqutiarsou, b M ir idea ................ 1 B 17, lb 8 ... 25 Total .138 F. R. D. Monro, b Mitchell ...................17 D. MacGregor,c Cruise, b M itcaell................. 2 H. Greig. b Mitchell .. 3 W. R. Mooa, lbw, b Cruise ................... 3 G. Cros lale, b Cruise 5 T. W. Mackintosh, b M itchei ................... 9 H ampstead . H.C. Prestoi, b Cruise 6 E. W . H. Be itoa, b Mitchell ................... 6 C. H. Gray, b Cruise 10 F. R. Spoffjrth, not out ........................... 2 B y es................. 7 Total (9 wkts)... 70 E. L. Marsien did not bat. SUNNINGDALE SCHOOL v. WOODCOTE HOUSE.—Played at SunuingdaleSihoolon June 16 SuNNINGDALE SCHOOL. C. A.V.Sykea, c Fraser, b Whiting.................. 24 H. K . Dam int, b Whiciag ................... 0 W .D. F. Heaton-Arm­ strong, b W nitiog .. 30 D. C. F. Burton, cand b Whiting ........... 6 W. G. Pease, run out 12 N. E. Baroer, b Warner ...................10 F. C. Pease, b Warner W . P. M. Newman, c Giffard, b Warner... R. V. tJ.Loxley, not out ts. Clegg, c Gitfard, b Chamier ................... H. Scrimgeour, b Whiting 3 B 12, lb 8, w 3 ... 23 Total ...120 W oodcotk H ouse . First in ciings. Second innings. H. F. Martyr, b Sykes ... 14 *■ " ‘ G. H. Giffard, b Sykes R. P. W hiting, c Scrim- geour, b S yk es.................. 0 J. Burt, b B u rto n ........... 7 D. R. Warner, c and b Bur­ ton ........................................ 2 R. O. Chamier, b Burton ... 0 E. F. Matthews, b D mant 3 D. M. Fras3r, b Burton ... 1 M. Shaw-Smith. b Damant 0 G. T. Fisher, b Burton ... 0 L. J. <?iffard, nat out........... 0 B 2, nb 1 ................... 3 b Burton ...........24 cPease.b Heaton- Armstrong ... 5 b Sykes b Sykes cNewman,bSykes b Sykes ........... lbw, b Heaton- Armstrong ... not out................... b Burton ........... c Damant, b Bur­ ton .................. b Burton ........... B 1, w 1 ... 14 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 0 2 Totaj... .,. 31 Total ...........5 2