Cricket 1901

CR ICK E T, JU L Y 11, 1901. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. No. 576. VOL. XX. THURSDAY, JULY 11, 1901. FBICE 2d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD- CAPTAIN WILLIAM McCANLIS. Despite the difficulties of getting away from duty which are always experienced by army cricketers, Captain McCanlis was for many years able to play pretty regularly for Kent in the sixties and seventies, and if he had had nothing to do but play cricket he would have been even more prominent as a batsman than he was. Of course, he did not make his hundred in every other match, for hundreds were not things of everyday occurrence, but he made good scores, and besides being a splendid field was occasionally of use as a bowler. His best score in important cricket was 144 against the M.C.C., and twice in small matches he made 172 notout. Standing over six feet in his stockings, he knew how to make use of his height and strength, and bowlers feared him. Although he gave up first- class crioket years ago, he forms a most interesting link with the past, for he still plays regularly in club cricket, and still makes runs. His earliest recollections of cricket are in connection with the Royal Artillery on the common at Woolwich. “ In those days,” he said, there was no boundary and no pavilion, but merely a tent, and one often saw eights and nines run out. I can perfectly well remem­ ber the hit for eleven, all run out, to which Colonel Kingscote referred in a chat with you last year. I was not playing in the match myself. The umpiring of the soldiers was not always good, but it was often clever. One particular instance of presence of mind shown by one of them occurs to me. I was playing in a match which began at two o’clock, and all four innings were completed in the afternoon. I went in when my side wanted two runs to win, and, of course, one to make a tie. The batsman at the other end was getting on in life and decidedly portly, while I was young and fresh. He made a big hit, and I said in my enthusiasm, ‘ Let’s run it o u t! ’ We ran six. But the umpire— the other side’s umpire — was an experienced old drill sergeant, who had to look after the interests of his side, and he proved quite equal to the occasion; he called out ‘ five short! ’ I shall never forget seeing my partner panting and puffing after his exertions, and using language which almost astonished the sergeant.” “ When did you begin to play for K en t?” “ My first match was for Kent v. England in 1862. It was the match in which E. M. Grace and E. A. H. Mitchell also made their first appearance. I sup­ pose I must have been making runs for the Artillery, and someone, no doubt, thought I was g o o d ; but I wasn’t, and even if I had been I was too nervous to do anything. It was perhaps a severe trial to take a man out of club cricket and make him play against Caffyn, Grundy and Tarrant—I had never met a professional bowler before, and I could make nothing of them when I did meet them. In that match E. M. Grace ought to have got a pair of spectacles; he was caught out in the first innings at long-on by young Tom Sewell, who played for Kent by residence and by birth for Surrey, and in the second, before he had scored, he gave a chance in the same spot to the same man, and off the same sort of hit. I remember that before the match, Tarrant, who was a very excitable man, rather despised the Kent team—we were fifteen or sixteen—and told us that we had no earthly chance against him. Poor Tarrant had a bad time afterwards, for he didn’t get a run during the match, nor a wicket, and we won easily.” “ Did Mr. E. M. Grace and Mr. Mitchell make any im­ pression on you in this match ? ” “ I was much impressed by Mitchell’s style, as I always was, though I think Alfred Lubbock was the most beautiful player I ever saw. But E- M. did not strike me as being a first-class bat, although after­ wards I thought him the best player of his time with the worst style. There was never a player like him in style until Jessop appeared, but there are many points of similarity between these two. They [both make extraordinary strokes, and'also what I may call country strokes;