Cricket 1900

A p r i l 1 9 , 1 9 0 0 . CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 73 M any of the best-known cricketers in Canada have gone to help us in the war, but, despite this, it is hoped that a fairly strong team will be put into the field for the international match against the United States. T heme is a rooted opinion among many players, says Cricket Club Life, that they would rather play in a “ scrub” game than be spectators in a big match. I t is very pleasing to find that the Americans are following the example set by Englishmen in starting a cricket club in any new country in which they may find themselves. Already Mr. F. C. Cal- der, who was one of the best players in the New Jersey Athletic Club when it was stronger than it is at present, has founded a club in the Philippine Islands. Its title is the Army and Navy Cricket Club. We wish it every success. It will prob­ ably not be very long before it receives a challenge from some English club or other whose members do not mind a sea voyage. It will almost certainly find the crews of her Majesty’s war ships ready and delighted to sample its bowling. From the many suggestions which we have received for lightening the burdens placed upon umpires by the new rules which have come into operation since the beginning of 1899, and by those which are likely to come into operation in May, we have selected the following by Mr. W. B. Browne for publica­ tion. Notwithstanding its good- humoured banter, it contains the germ of an excellent idea. “ All these new rules,” he writes, “ are doubtless for the good of the game. But they will impose so many extra duties on umpires that the M.C.C. would be well advised to take a lesson from the customs of bricklayers and plumbers, who never seem allowed to go out to work with­ out an assistant to help them by looking on. I would suggest, therefore, that a third umpire be appointed in all matches, would be empowt-red to give decisions whenever he considered it advisable to do so. He might be given a sort of roving commission, 'and be empowered to walk about the ground, or to take his seat among the spectators, and to accept their opinions as to whether the bowler was throwing, or whether a man had run two runs or two and a half before the ball hit the net which is, I understand, to be placed round the ground.” “ I t might be necessary, if somewhat inconvenient,” continues the writer, “ for the assistant umpire to run out into the middle of the field occasionally, to attract the attention of the scorers by waving his arms; but, doubtless, both spectators and players would soon become accustomed to this. I am not so sure that it would not be for the advantage of the game to allow any qualified spectator to take on the job himself. But in no case should a decision be taken from a spectator who did not wear acricket cap or aflannel shirt, or, at least, a pair of canvas cricket shoes, showing that he had some passing ac­ quaintance with the rules of the game. A decision given by a spectator, with a badge on his cap, should be at once taken, without any questions whatever.” “ A n old Harrovian” writes: “ Mr. John Graham Cordery, late of the Bengal Civil Service, and for some years resident at Hyderabad, died a few days ago, at Torquay. Son of the late Mr. John Cordery, of New Bridge Street, E.C., and Hampstead, he was born in 1834, was educated at Rugby, and Balliol College, Oxford, beiDg Head of the School and Captain of the Eleven at Rugby in the fifties, and an M.A. of Oxford, and was should who “ W.G.”—THE HERALD OF SPRING. appointed to the Bengal Civil Service after an open competitive examination in 1855. I have not a copy of the Scores and Biographies at hand at the present moment, bo that I cannot say in which year Mr. Cordery played for Rugby School.” I n a recent match at Patiala, Badesi jRam scored 99 not out, and as the last man was 17, run out, it is probable that the two batsmen were trying to run a short one to enable Mr. Ram to reach his hundred. He is the one of a few natives who have ever played an innings of over 200 . C ricketers have been in rare form on th3 golf links during the month. C. Toppin and R. E. Foster tied for the senior medal and monthly cup of the Worcestershire Club, H. B. Hayman won the monthly medal of the Stanmore G.C. J. E. Laidlay ani R. H. Johnston had a hard tussle for the M mcrieff golf cross and silver iredal of the North Berwick New Club, in both of which the latter had the trophies wrested from him. These are only a few of the most note­ worthy successes. W ith regard to a query made in a recent issue of the Madras Times by “ The Tice ” (Mr. E. H. D. Sewell), and reproduced in this column last week, asking what is the greatest number of fours hit consecutively by one bitsman, the following taken from Lillywhite for 1900 (p. 298) may prove of interest: — “ At Rushcutters’ Bay, Oval (Sydney) November 9, 1898, the Commercial Banking Company made 272 for one wicket in an hour and three-quarters against I. Zingari. Y. Ryrie made 156 (retired), and durings his innings hit Mansfield for twelve consecutive fours—every ball of two overs going to the fence.” W'ith bated breath I would suggest that this is a record, although equalled by the peiformance of Jayaram, to which “ The Tice ” referred. T he Gloucestershire, London County, and Worcestershire Clubs have all decided to have the new scoring board manu­ factured by Mr. S. Deards, of Yictoria Works, Harlow, Essex. T he Central Cumberland team did some pretty fast scoring in their match against Redfern, in a Senior Competition match at Sydney, on March 3rd. In two hours and three-quarters they put on 365 runs L. W. Pye who contributed 100 of these, was in seventy minutes. But even he was outdone by the burly Howell of last year’s Aus­ tralian team. In a trifle over halt-an-hour, the latter knocked up 62. His figures were 3, 5, 4, 5, 5, 4, 4, 2, 4,4 ,4 , 4, 4, 1,1, 4, 4. A match under the title of Veterans v. Army was to take place at Melbourne on March 17th, with the object of aiding the funds of the Bushmen’s Corps. The Veterans were to consist of Victorian members of Aus­ tralian elevens who played between 1878 and 1886, and the team was chosen as follows:— J. M. Blackham. H. F. Boyle, T. Horan, F. B. Allan, G. Alexander, J. Slight, W. H. Moule, T. U. Groube, W. H. Cooper, J. Mcllwraith, and J. W. Trumble. Mr. B. J. Wardill is given as twelfth man ; ho has not been included in any of the Australian elevens, although he has acted as manager. Several of these old cricketers have given up the game for years, but some of them still play, and do good things at times. T he second match in the Hastings Festival will be Surrey and Sussex v. England, instead of Married v. Single, as previously announced.