Cricket 1900

“ Together joined in Cricket's manly toil.”— Byron. No. 5 5 0 VO I.. X I X TH U R S D A Y , A U G U S T 9, 1900. p b i c e a * . CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD- MR. R. J. P. BROUGHTON. Like Sir Kenelm Digby, Mr. Broughton, having: played for Harrow in 1832 and 1833, was the only member of the school eleven who returned to Harrow at the beginning'of the following season. By the rules in kforce at the time (this was in 1834) which ordained that the captain should be the boy who had been longest in the eleven, he, of course, became captain, and, of course, had a most difficult task in choosing the team. For all that his side beat Eton by 13 runs, although it was beaten bv Winchester by a wicket. He was also captain in 1835, as well as head of the school. After this he went to Cam­ bridge, where he was in the eleven in 1836 (the third match played between the Universi­ ties), 1838 and 1839 (there was no match in 1837). He was a sound bat, and a magnificent field at cover-point; in fact the best of his time. In 1853 “ Lillywhite’s Guide’ ’ said of him: “ We again repeat is a star at cricket that has never shown to its full brilliancy. Although business prevents him playing often, he is one of the best men in any eleven that he joins.” Mr. Broughton, who is 84 years old, is still hale and hearty, and as enthusiastic as a boy ; he is perhaps the oldest well-known cricketer living, except Mr. Herbert Jenner Fust. He was one of the founders of I Zingari, has been on the M.C.C. committee for 40 years or so, being one of the trustees, and was on the first committee of the Surrey club. Mr. Broughton still goes to Lord’s to attend a few com­ mittee meetings and to watch the Oxford and Cambridge and Eton and Harrow matches, invariably wearing a famous white moss rose of his own growing. He naturally has something to say about modem cricket. “ The Eton and Harrow match is nowadays,” he said, “ constantly drawn. Why cannot they begin earlier? We used to begin at ten o’clock and play on until half-past seven or eight, with a very short interval for luncheon, and we did not consider ourselves martyrs. Can it be to practise until they could pitch the ball where they liked, and I have seen Lillywhite bowling to Fuller Pilch for over after over pitching the ball on the same spot, but with now and then a slight alteration in height and pace which would have beaten any man except Pilch. I hate the modem system of boundary hits. Sometimes I am asked to umpire on the common in the village matches here, and I always make it a condition that if I do there shall be no boundaries. *But, suppose a ball is hit into the furze ? ’ asks someone. ‘ Then go after it,’ I reply. The thing works exceedingly well except in the case of one or two very stout men, who get worn out after running for a hit or two. Not long ago a gentleman who had made 68 runs on a Saturday on a ground in Kent (running everything out) said to me on Monday morning, ‘ I ’m dreadfully tired, and couldn’t get up in time for church at eleven yesterday morning.’ I said, ‘ My boy, we used sometimes to get more than 68 runs on a Saturday and go to church regularly on Sunday morning.’ But times have changed, and everything is done nowadays to make things easy for the batsman, while cricket has become very much a question of gate money and averages.” Mr. Broughton had a large share in bringing about the purchase by the M.C.C. of Lord’s ground from Mr. Dark, the owner. ‘ ‘ Everybody felt,’ ’ he said, “ that it was time that the M.C.C. got the ground into their own hands, for Dark, although an honest and straightforward man, was a bit of a despot, and things did not always work smoothly. I re­ member that when our honorary secretary, at one of our com­ mittees, pointed out to him that the boots and shoes of members were not properly cleaned he replied, *Go and clean ’em yourselves.’ It was seen also that if Dark were to die before anything was done, the ground would at once be in the hands of the builders. Eventually he made an offer to sell the twenty-seven years’ lease at £420 a year, for £12,000. We arranged to pay him £11,500 and then there was an extraordinary difficulty to get him to sign that the past generation was hardier than the present one P Why, bless me, as captain of the Harrow team I would not get to bed till late, had to look up my team at half-past nine, played all throughout the day, and was as fresh as paint in the evening. It is nonsense to say that the boys of the present day would not stand the strain. I remember how disgusted I was in a recent MR. B. J. P . BROUGHTON. (From a Photo by Dickinsons ’, New Bond Street , London. Gentlemen and Players match. The game | began soon after twelve, with an hour for [ dinner, and then, to my amazement, there | was an adjournment at five o’clock for tea.” “ You, of course, would suggest reforms ? ” “ If I had my way I would make sweeping reforms. I would stop bowling with the hand above the elbow for one thing; most fast bowling nowadays is mere pace, and long hops. In the days gone by men used