Cricket 1900

“ Together joined In Cricket’s manly toll.” — Byron. no. 534 vol. xix. THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1900 • price ad. CHATS' ON THE CRICKET FIELD ‘ ‘OLD GEORGE ” HEARNE. In case' it may seem disresj eotful to refer to alwell-known cricketer as “ Old George,” I hasten to explain that George Hearne, the old Middlesex player, who has for many years been the superinten­ dent of the Private Banks’ Ground at Catford, is uni­ versally known as “ Old George,” while his son, G. G. Hearne, the famous Kent player, is known as “ Young George,” instead of George Hearne, jun. It is probable that the accepted distinction between father and son was originated by Mr. Knight, a very well-known cricket re­ porter of former days, who, when “ Young George ” first came out, described him in tbe score-sheet as “ George Hearne, jun. (son of ‘ Old George ’).” The father is now seventy years old, and looks sixty, while the son is fortj -four and looks about thirty-five. “ Old George ” still does his twenty-five miles a day, handling a heavy mowing machine, without turning a hair, and he rather fancies that he could even now map out a day’s work, which he could do easily, while his boys would find it a burden to them. He is the father of “ YouEg George,” Alec, Frank, and Randolph, of whom the first three have all been famous in the cricket field. He is the brother of the famous Tom Hearne. It was in the days of the Walkers that “ Old George ” first began to play for Middlesex. As a batsman he was exceed­ ingly useful to the county team, being a man who was never frightened by a bowler’s reputation, and one who could keep up his wicket in desperate times. He could also take the wicket with con­ siderable skill in an emergency; he was nrst rate as a long stop, and as a field in tUe country. Like his brother Tom he played for Buckinghamshire as well as Middlesex in the same season, but while Tom was frequently in the team of the former county, George was only in it once. Of one of his Middlesex matches George says, “ I was batting against Notts at the Old Cattle Market, at Islington; Mr. I. D. Walker was at the other end, and Biddulph at the wicket. In the course of my innings, I played a ball hard into my pads, and couldn’t get it out. So I ran round the wicket, with Biddulph after me, bustling me at every step. I tried everything I could think of, using the handle of my bat to force the ball out, and hitting the pad with the bat, but Biddulph kept so close that it seemed ages before I managed to poke out the ball. Then a good deal to my surprise the bowler asked, ‘ How’s that. ? ’ and the umpire said, ‘ Out ! ’ Mr. Walker promptly turned round and said, ’ Ou t! What fo r ?’ The umpire said, ‘ Leg before wicket.’ ‘ How on earth can that be,’ asked Mr Walker. ‘ Why he hit the ball into his pad.’ 1Well,’ said the um­ pire, ‘ I ’ve given him out anyway, and he’s got to go.’ ‘ But what fo r ?’ asked Mr. Walker. ‘ Well,’ said the umpire slowly, ‘ for handling ball.’ And I had to go out.” On another occasion, in a village match, old George was the victim of an umpire, “ I went in first,” he said, “ with Mr. Walter Street, and after we had been in for a little while I overheard one of the players say to the umpire — their umpire, of course— There’s only these two Hearnes (my brother Tom was also playing), and if we can get them out we’re all right.’ The umpire said nothing, but a few minutes afterwards I was given out in a shocking manner, l.b.w. Mr. Street was very indig­ nant, and said, ‘ If this happens again I shall take my team <ft' the field as a protest.’ When I got to the pavilion, I said to my brother Tom, who was to go in next, ‘ They’ll have you for cer­ tain.’ After he had made seven or eight runs, a bill hit him on the leg, and he was promptly given out —an even worse decision than in my own case. Mr. Street said ‘ Come on, Tom, we’ll have no more of this. We’ll go home and have a hit there.’ And we went home at “ a remember another match,” said George, “ in which I went in first with Mr. Walter Street. We were playing for Tumham Green against Esher, who bad engaged Searle, a well-known Surrey bowler. When we went in he had not arrived, and the player who was fielding