Cricket 1901

M a y 16, 1901. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 137 L. O. 8. P oidevin , the promising young South Wales batsman, scored 209, not out, on March 31st for Redfern v. Waverley in the last round of the Sydney Electorate matches. He began bis career in Electorate matches in 1894 and has averaged more runs per innings than either Trumper or Noble, although he has scored more than a thousand runs less than either of them. A cco rd in g to the Sydney Referee, Poidevin missed one season (1897-98) while playing with the Sydney University, who were at that time omitted from the local competition by the Association. In the other six seasons, two with Glebe, one with the ’Varsity, and three with Redfern, he batted 40 times, 12times notout, scored 1,700 runs, and averages for the whole period 60 runs per innings; no one else quite equals that average. In four of those six seasons he scored more runs perinnings than either Victor Trumper or M . A. Noble. H e twice headed the First Grade averages for the season, once was second, and once third, and has, moreover, occupied first place in his club every season. It is surprising that a man who can point to such performances, and one who undoubtedly has great ability, should not long ago have become a recognised member of the New South Wales eleven. ------- In England we have not yet arrived at the time—it will doubtless come sooner or later—when a batsman describes his own performance in the papers and makes his own excuses in print for getting out, and Worrall may claim the credit of being the first to do so in Australia. Of his innings on March 31 for Carlton against Melbourne he says in the Sydney R eferee :— There were only two hatting successes, Worrall and Paterson, who made 50 and 40 respectively. Worrall was batting 75 minutes, and hit six 4’s. He was in fine form, gave no chance, and v as extrehiely un­ fortunate in getting out. Trumble sent down a short ball, and the batsman, in attempting to pull it, hit too quick, and spooned the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head, and slip, running across, easily held it. W e are not sure that there are not some merits in this new system. If it weie in general use, we should know at first hand just what a batsman thought about his own performances, instead of having to depend on what onlookers think about them. Its drawbacks would seem to be (1) the well-known fact that batsmenarenot always to be trusted implicitly when they speak of their extremely hard luck, and (2) the obvious disadvantage under which the majority of batsmen would labour. For although a great many famous cricketers have become journalists, their numbers are still very small compared to the huge array of cricketers. T h e follow ing, from the Australasian, refers to a catch on the boundary in a pennant match between Hawksburn and East Melbourne :— When Carter had made 11 (for East Melbourne), he hit one from Osborne high to the deep-field, by the stand, where T. Rush was stationed. Though the chance was difficult to judge, Rush got to it in fine style, but his whole attention being fixed upon the ball, lie forgot all about the boundary fence, and, just after getting the ball into his hands he went crash against the pickets, and fell hack stunned. The ball fell from his grasp into the gutter. The umpire (Hopkinson) could not see, and on appeal to Garside, the latter gave a not-out decision, appar­ ently because he considered the ball was not held long enough. A t first Carter was credited with the two runs actually made, but subsequently the umpire asked the scorers to make it a fourer, as the hall had been found in the gutter by the boundary fence. F. G. H . whites : In jo u r report of tbe match between London County v. Surrey last week, you stated that Hayes caught four men in the slips. This reminded me of a unique occurrence which took place in a match in which I played. —One of the bowlers got all the ten which were caught b y one and the same man, the bowler at the other end, at short slip. ------- L a s t Saturday, Mr. G. R. Bard swell, the old Oxford University Blue, scoredll9, not out for Formby against Roekferry, the rest only making 20 between them. There was only one double figure innings —by the last man. Mr. Bardswell made 50 out of the first 53 runs, and 88 out of the first 100. The scores were as follows : F ormby . H. .Bardswell, b Stott 0 Boughton, lbw, b Wil- Jiains...................... 1 G. Ainsworth, c ‘Wil­ liams, b Stott... ... 2 G.B.Bardswell,notout 119 lirch, c Tilleard, b 'Williams............... 0 Total.................. 146 Campbell, b 'Williams 0 Rockferry scored 102. In the Bombay Gazette, “ R ” writes as follows with reference to Mr. C. T. Studd, the famous old Cambridge Blue, who now occasionaly plays in India, after being for some years in China as a missionary:— The first occasion on which I saw C. T. playing, was in 1883 at Old Trafford, for Middlesex against Lancashire. . . . For over two hours and a half he defied all the bowling resources of the Lancashire team which included men of the calibre of Appleby, Watson, Nash, Steel, and Barlow, at that time, fire of the best bowlers in England. I saw C. T. twice again after that at Lords, and then for fifteen years never saw him until last year when for a short time at the Eden Gardens ground he treated a few admiring on-lookers to a sample of his form against ordinary bowlers at the nets. His form struck me as being as good as ever. The same nicety of judgment in bringing off his favourite strokes was there and bis hitting had lost nothing in power. It is not many players who can give the game up for nearly fifteen years and then return and take their place in the front rank. That C. T. Studd is still a sound batsman we have been afforded ample evidence in his recent performances at Ootaca­ mund and at Poona last year, and weie he to return home now, with practice, would prove a valuable acquisition to any first-class county team. He has, I believe, given up all idea of returning to China and intends settling down here in missionary work. Dobell, b 8 tott........... 0 Bimmer, b Stott ... 0 J. Ainsworth, b Stott 0 Rowley, b Stott......... 0 Bathbone. b Williams 17 Extras ......... 7 M r . C. T. S tudd is not the only mem­ ber of his fam ily out in India. Of the others our contemporary says:— An elder brother, E. J. C., who gave up the game years ago, has been settled in Behar for many years where he owns an indigo concern. With him is his son, E. B. T., who created such a sensation in Calcutta in 1899 by scoring 209 for Behar Wanderers v. Calcutta. E.B. T. Studd, who rectived his cricket training at Eton, has been for the last two years one of the mainstays of Behar cricket, and it is no <xaggeration to say that he is at the present time the best batsman in Bengal. He has inherited all the cricketing abilities of his family, and has a style which strongly resembles 11at of G. B. Studd. Lovers of the game who witnessed his great display at the Eden Gardens ground shortly after he arrived in India will not readily forget it. Unfor­ tunately his appearances in Calcutta cricket are likely to be confined to the annual visit of the Behar Wanderers team. M r . C. T. S t u d d still keeps up his form. In a match on April 19 and 20 at Ootacamund he scored 117 not out for Civil against Military, and took two wickets in the first innings for 48 and five in the second for 28. F r o m the Madras T im es '.— Studd, in the meanwhile, could not be shifted, and piled on the agony in grand fashion. Clerk went out to replace Adami, hut very shortly after the rain came down at twenty minutes to 4 o’clock, as is the mamool on cricket days. In fact, it has quite become proverbial that if you want rain in April get up a cricket match. After an hour’s interval play was resumed, but had to be discontinued again on account of the rain. Now we wonder what “ mamool ” may mean ? Is it a word that can be used to advantage in England. If so, it would soothe one’s temper sometimes to be able to use it in expressing one’s opinion about the beastly weather which is sure to come at some time or other during the season. Perhaps some of our readers who have played in India will kindly explain. A n o t h e r new word, with which we are not familiar, has recently been used by M r.F ry, viz., “ Capevi.” Weimagine that Mr. Fry, who was referring to ancient times, wrote “ peccavi,” a word in com­ mon use by writers on cricket some forty or fifty years ago, and that a good- intentioned compositor thought to correct his Latin. A t a meeting of the General Committee of the M.C.C. on Monday, at Lord’s, it was decided not to send a team to Australia next autumn, ow ing to the impossibility of getting a representative team together. This decision can hardly have come as a surprise to most cricketers. O n the same day Mr. A. N. Hornby was presented with a portrait of himself, painted by Mr. W . W . Ouless, R .A . The ceremony took place in front of the pavilion at Old Trafford. A t the same time a presentation of silver plate was made to Mrs. H ornby. The portrait was in last year’s Academy. It is a three-