Cricket 1900

J uly 19, 1900. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THB GAME. 275 BUSSEY’S ca o G* O & P h O £ CB W G P EH GO >— < £■< 1=1 e C O £ 2 5 k - S CO S o s BUSSEY’S AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. Br F. S. A sh le y -C oopeb . Never before in the whole history of the game has such tremendous scoring been witnessed as in the recent match at Leicester between Leicestershire and Sussex. It was a capital performance on the part of the home team to score 609 for the loss of but eight wickets, and little did the captain think, when he declared his innings closed, that his side would leave off with the worst of the draw. To Ranjitsinhji (275), Fry (135) and Collins (98) chief credit for this remarkable performance must be given. The position in which the visitors found themselves, when called upon to bat demanded that a great effort should be made, but not even the most sanguine supporters of the side could have anticipated the task being accomplished in so extraordinary and successful a manner. It is a game which will be constantly referred to for years to come. If Sussex could but unearth two really great bowlers the side would be able to meet England with a good chance of success. In every member of the side being called upon to bowl during the innings at Leicester, Sussex repeated their performance against Surrey, at the Oval, in 1888. Last Sunday I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of a very old cricketer in mid-Sussex, who had played both with and against William Lillywhita and James Broadbridge before Her Majesty ascended the throne, and to whom the doings of Wisden were events of his middle life. He was a delightful old gentleman, quite one of the olden time, and one who would have delighted the heart of the Old Buffer. Un events concerning the old players, he was a veritable cricket encyclopaedia, and it seemed like listening to one from the dead to be told “ I first played against Lillywhite in 1828.’ * His memory was wonderful. “ Fifty years ago to-day,” said the old gentleman, “ I was at Lord’s, and saw Johnny Wisden clean bowl all ten wickets in the North v. South match for less than thirty runs. Here is the card of the match—you may have it if you like. Sussex had a very fine team in those days, and what we used to pride ourselves upon was that nearly everybody who belonged to the eleven was a Sussex-born man. How different the case is to-day! One might easily mention the names of a dozen men who have played for the county during the past few years under the residential qualification. I cannot help think ing that a team, like Sussex in the old days or Yorkshire at the present time, which plays only home-born men, causes much more interest to be taken in its doings than would otherwise be the case. It is a great pity that something cannot be done which would cause drawn matches to become things of the past. Draws nowadays are the result of the excel­ lent wickets and boundaries. Anybody ought to make runs now, for the ten-ton roller and mowing-machine have revolution­ ised the game. Modern wickets certainly have their drawbacks as well as advantages.” In listening to an old cricketer one must naturally expect him to draw his conclusions slightly in favour of the past, for what one learns in one’s young days seems best and is remembered longest. One may be permitted to ask, however, whether the smoothness and hardness of present-day wickets have not proved more of a curse than a blessing. They have caused scoring to become enormous and, as a consequence, drawn games abound. One so seldom witnesses exciting cricket at Trent Bridge that the concluding stages of the Notts v. Kent match came as a pleasant surprise. William Gunn, following up his large score against the West Indians with a beautiful innings of 137 at his second attempt, enabled the innings to be closed with the score 310 for five wickets, leaving Kent nearly five hours in which to get 359. Gunn played more freely than is usual for him, and of the 102 runs which he and Dench added whilst together for the fourth wicket he claimed all but 17. As a rule, Gunn by no means obtains his runs at a great pace, but on Friday he saw tha't it would be more advantageous to his side to score quickly, and the result was that he played one of the most attractive innings of his career; one cannot help wishing he would play in that manner more frequently. For some time it appeared quite possible that Kent would obtain the runs, P. C. Baker making 130, Mason 55, and Day 44. At half-past five, with only five wickets down for 324, but 35 runs were required to win. It was at this point that Wass, although suffering from a strain, appeared on the scene and secured three of the remaining wickets. Blaker left at 330, Bannon and Blythe were got rid of by Wass with succes­ sive balls, and all were out for 346, Notts winning by 12 runs. The Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord’s will be chiefly remembered because for the first time for thirty-five seasons “ W.G.” was not chosen to represent the Gentlemen. It is true that, judging by his performances in great matches, he hardly merited a place in the eleven, but the same might have been said last season, when he was chosen and made seventy-eight before being run out by his partner. The value of his presence to a side cannot be estimated merely by the number of runs he obtains, although in these matches he generally proves one of the most consistent scorers on the side, and for that reason alone, should I think, have been selected for the Lord’s match. Beyond the absence of “ W .G.,” however, the match was remarkable for the debut of Mr. R. E. Foster, who scored 102 not out and 136. Mr. Foster isthe only batsmanwho has scored two separate hundreds in a Gentlemen v. Players match. The following table may prove of interest:— SUCCES n FUL f ir s t a p p e a r a n c e s i n g e n ­ t l e m e n v. PLAYERS MATCBES. (Oue innings and scoring 50, or two innings and scoring 70.) Year. .. 1860 .. 1819 .. 1899 .. 1877 .. 1897 .. 1865 .. 1882 .. 1896 .. 1900 .. 1895 .. 1865 . 1862 .. 1897 .. 1822 .. 1806 .. 1895 .. 1885 .. 1895 .. 1897 .. 1876 .. 1889 .. 1877 .. 1864 .. 1891 1899 * Signifies not out. N ote . -H . Jupp and T. Humphrey made their first appearance for the Players at the Oval in 1865, and going in first scored 98 runs before the first wicket fell. The proceeds of the match between Lan­ cashire and Yorkshire which commences Batsman. Scores. Ground. Mr. T. E. Bagge ........... 62 and 60 ... Oval T. Beagley ................. 75 „ 26*. .. Lord’s . Mr. B. J. T. Boeanquet. 10 61 ... Oval Mr. F. M. Ruckland ... 50 .. Prince’s Mr. F. H. B. Champain. 82 11 !.. Oval Mr. 8. B. Cooper........... 70 .. Lord’s . W . Flowers ................... 32 50 ’... Oval Mr. U. K. F oster......... 72 6 ... Oval Mr. R. E. Foster . .. 102* 136 .. Lord’s . Mr. L. H. G wynn......... . 80 »» 0 ... Oval T. Humphrey................... 64 » 58 ... Oval R. Iddison ................... 11 62 ... Lord’s . Mr. G. L. Jessop ........... 4 »» 67 ... Lord’ s . Jas. Jordon ................... 38 33 ... Lord’s . W . L a m b ert................... 57 .. Lord’s . A A. Lilley ................... 74 „ 90 ’ Oval . Mr. F. M. Lucas ........... 89 ,, 31 . Lord’s . F. W . Marlow ......... 27 i) 100 ... Oval Mr. F. W . Milligan 47 »» 47 ... Oval . Mr. F. P e n n ................... 52 27* .. Oval W . Quaife ................... 42* £9 ... OV4l Mr. W . W . Read........... 72 .. Prince’s J. Rowbotham ........... 16 57 .. Oval Mr. E. Smith................... 76 .. Oval Mr. * !. L. Townsend ... 96 12 ... Oval E. Wainwright ........... 56* .. Lord’s . A . Ward ................... 50 „ 28 ..Hastings. H. Y ou rg ........... ... 81 .. Oval