Cricket 1900

A ug . 16, 1900. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 349 8 urrey . O. M. R. W . O. M. R. W . Baldwin........... 241 7 66 4 .......... . 22 3 108 4 Wootton .. .. . 26 5 71 3 ......... . 182 2 97 5 P age................ . 5 0 32 0 ... .. . 6 0 29 0 Barton ........... 20 8 35 3 .......... . 11 1 M 1 Steele ........... 6 2 9 0 ......... Sprot ......... . 6 0 16 0 ......... ’ 2 0 17 0 W ootton delivered four no-balls. H ampshire . Lockwood .. 22 7 50 7 .........,. 10 1 48 1 Ernsthausen.. . 7 0 27 0 ........... 6 0 22 0 Richardson .. . 15 4 31 3 ......... .. 14 5 29 2 Jephson .. 21 2 62 6 Lers ... . .. 5 1 15 1 Brockwell.. . 3 1 3 0 Bichardson delivered one no-ball. ESSEX y. DERBYSHIRE. Played at Derby on August 13, 14, and 15. Drawn. Derbyshire did not gain any advantage from bat­ ting first, although when the hundred was up for the loss of two wickets, things seemed to be going well with them. But after lunch Mead and Heeves put quite a different appearance <n the game, and the tail col’apsed. Essex began badly enough, losing Mr Owen, Mr. Perrin, and Mr. McGahey for nine runs between them, but a fine stand was then made by Carpenter and Russell, the former being not out 32, and the latter not out 53, made by resolute play, with the total at 100 for three wickets. The two batsmen soon got out of hand on Tuesday morning, and were not separated until they had put on 268 runs in partnership, Carpenter scoring much more freely towards the end of his innings. Russell’s batting improved very greatly in the morning. W ith tbe exception of Mr. Lucas, the rest of the team Collapsed in the most decided fashion. Nevertheless Derbyshire were *05 runs behind vhen they began their second innings. But so well did Bagshaw and Mr. E M. Ashcroft bat tbat when stumps were drawn they were only 63 runs behind with nine wickets in hand. The two not outs continued to play fine cricket yesterday morning and were not separated until their partnership had produced 189 runs. The total was now 218 for two wickets—13 runs on—so that Derbyshire had got out of a tight place uncommonly well. The rest of the team fol­ lowed the brilliant example which had been set them, and eventually the innings was closed, although not with any idea of getting Essex out D erbyshire . L.G.W right, c and b Reeves 34 c Lucas, b Reeves 13 Bagshaw, b Reeves ........... 11 b Carpenter ... 98 Storer, b Mead .................34 c and b Carpenter 11 Chatterton, b Mead .........29 b Kortr 'ght ... 23 E. M. Ashcroft, not out ... 21 lbw. b Kortright 139 A. E. I aw ton. b Reeves ... 5 b Kortright ... 32 8. H. W ood, b M ead........... 2 notout... ...60 Hulme, b Reeves................... 0 c Owen, b Car­ penter ...........11 Stubbings. b Reeves ........... 0 not o u t .......... .. 9 Humphries, b Mead ........... 4 c Owen, b Mc­ Gahey ...........13 Bestwick. b Mead ........... 0 Extras...........................11 E x tra s............21 Total ................. 161 Total (8 wkts)*420 • Inrings declared closed. E ssex . H.G.Owen, st Humph- ri* s, b H ulm e........... 3 Carpenter, c Storer, b Pestw ic k .................. 161 P. Perrin, b Bestwick 5 C. McGahey, b Hulme 1 Russell, c Wright, b Chatterton ......... 139 A.P.Lucas, b Eestwick 26 C.J.Korti ight, c Chat­ tel ton. b Bestwick W . T. Gariett, b Best­ wick .......................... Reeves, b Bestwick .. Fremlin, b Bestwick Mead, not out ........... B 4, lb 7, nb 1 Total .. .. 366 Second innings : H. G. Owen, not out, 22; Carpenter, not out, 30; nb, 1.—Total (no wicket), 63. D erbyshire . O. M. R. W . O. M. R. W . Kortright ... 8 2 13 0 ............. 31 6 94 3 Mead ............3 1 2 11 67 6 ............ 35 8 92 0 Reevts ......... 32 11 44 6 ............ 33 11 56 1 Trem lin......... 7 3 17 0 ............. 10 3 28 0 Garrett ............ 2 0 9 0 ............ 4 * 1 4 0 Carpenter ... 32 6 67 3 McGahey ... 7 1 24 1 Lucas.......... 3 0 14 0 Carpenter delivered two no-balla. O. M ^ W . O. M. R. W . Hulme ......... 43 12 99 2 ............. Besiwick............ 41*5 6 114 7 ............ Storer .......10 0 40 0 ............. Stubbings ... 10 0 46 0 ............ 10 2 34 0 Bagshaw ... 4 0 17 0 ............ L aw to n......... 4 1 11 0 ............ Chatterton ... 5 1 17 1 ............ 7 4 11 0 W right ... 3 0 7 0 Stubbings delivered two no-balls. OUT W IT H TH E BOYS. By Arnold Goldsworthy in Illustrated Bits. You see it was this way. I have a son of the mature age of nine who goes to school and learns how to play cricket and things like that. The cricket is played in a field opposite my house; and I was strolling over there the other evening to see what kind of a show my family was making, when the boys asked me to chip in with the game. They were going to have a little match among themselves, and on the understanding that I wouldn’t bowl too fast and woulcln’t “ slog,” they would be very pleased if I would be one of the “ men.” Before that evening, I hadn’t played a game of cricket for something like ten years. The tiresome business of having to work for a living has hitherto deprived me of the opportunity of spending my evenings at cricket. I am, however, quite an enthusiast on the game; and when one of the “ captains” after winning the toss did me the honour to make me his first selection, I felt almost as proud as I did when I received my first month’s salary in the City. Our “ captain ” was a nice, sturdy little chap of ten and his get-up impressed me tremendously. He wore full-sized leg- guards, the tops of which came nearly up to his waistband ; and as he strode along the field he made a desperate effort to conceal the fact that he had obviously dropped into something several sizes too large for him. My first job was as a bowler. The “ captain” waved me imperiously to the bowling wicket, and then gave me a few tips on how to “ put ’em in.” I was to endeavour if possible to try the effect of a few “ twisters.” It is odd how quickly one gets out of the run of things. Ten years ago I could twist a cricket ball into a fellow’s wicket with the best of them. Yet that evening I very nearly twisted a fair young life into eternity. I took a little run and let the ball go towards the batsman. About the same time there was a dismal howl from the “ man ” fielding at mid-wicket, who flung his arms round his middle and dropped to the ground evidently in some pain. It then transpired that the twisted ball had twisted a little too much to the nor’-nor’ west and had caught our best fielder plumb amidships. The boys gathered round him as he lay on the ground gasping for breath, and gave me no opportunity of getting near my victim to express contrition. But I could see from their dark looks at me that they were quite of opinion that I had formed a diabolical scheme to murder them one after the other on the instalment plan. The only comment the “ captain ” made was to promptly change the bowling as soon as my victim had got enough breath back to say that he was all right and that it didn’t matter. I could see from that moment that those boys regarded me as an inferior person. 1 was placed mid-wicket by the “ captain,” and was requested to try and see if I could do a little better there. As a matter of fact I did fairly well. I stopped every ball that came my way for quite a while ; and having naturally a longer reach than the average boy of nine, I was able to scoop the ball in on several occasions when it seemed to have gone for certain. Then one of the bats­ men hit up a catch. It was a good high catch and I waited in feverish anxiety for the ball to drop. The “ captain ” stood erect and shouted with a scientific ring in his voice, “ Hold it, sir! ” And the excitement was absolutely paralysing. You see, this is just how it was. The ball came down into my hands and I was just going to close my fingers round it when it slipped through before I was quite ready and—fell to the ground. I could have caught it all right enough if they had let me alone and not tried to encourage me with yells and shouts that only unnerved me. When I found that I had really missed it I could have wept for very despair. The other side danced about like unchained fiends, and here and there I caught sight of a boy stufliog his cricket-cap into his mouth to choke off the derisive laughter which would have been so disrespectful. And then above the din and the dancing rose the scornful voice of our captain: “ Bossed i t ! Butt-ar- fing-ars ! ” He is a nice boy that “ captain ” of ours. He is the son of a neighbour of mine, who makes quite a living out of buying stocks and shares at a loss and selling them at a profit, or something of that sort. Up to that unfortunate game of cricket the boy had treated me with the respect due to my seniority; but there is no doubt at all that he now regards himself as the better man. I had another mishap later on, owing, no doubt, to my nervousness consequent on the unfortunate miss. The batsman drove a ball straight at me, and as I stooped to grab it I realised the awful truth that it wasn’t there. I had “ bossed ” it again. The captain was getting angry. I could see that. When we started the game he called me “ Sir,” but by this time he had got down to addressing me as “ I say,” which is not my name at all. With a quiet but direct sarc ism he enquired as the fourth run was being taken : “ I say, have you ever played cricket before ? ” I might have replied that I had been a cricketer long before his mother had had the old perambulator taken out of the loft and dusted up in anticipation of his arrival on this mundane sphere. But you can’t argue with boys like that. I could only say meekly that I had played once or twice; but that it was a long time ago. The “ captain ” then showed me in a genial and patronising way how to stop a cricket ball by bending down and keep­ ing my knees close together behind my hands ; and then one or two of the other boys volunteered the suggestion that it didn’t do to funk a ball just because it was coming in swift. I thanked them for the news, and bowed my acknowledg­ ments. As a batsman, when it came to our turn for an innings, I did rather better. One does not, of course, pick up a bat after an interval of ten years and show the form of