Cricket 1901

A u g 2 2 , 1 9 0 ] , CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 3 6 1 which gives a percentage of 90. Lanca­ shire has won 10 out of 25 played, but no other county has double, figures. “ I t is not often that one sees cricket and hunting on the same day,” says Biver Plate Sport and Pastime. “ But at Hurlingham (Buenos Aires), at the end of July, a cricket match was played against the officers of the British fleet and a team got up by Mr. C. E. Thursby, and at four o’clock, when stumps were drawn, the Hurlingham Draghounds met at the grand stand, and several cricketers in spikes and flannels enjoyed a smart burst of twenty minutes with them. The cricket was a most sporting event, and the cricketers certainly deserve great credit for the keenness they put into the game, considering what an icy cold morning it was. The afternoon was warmer, as the sun came 'out, and made things quite pleasant.” W e understand that a book of Austra­ lian cricket records is to be published next year dealing with both first-class and minor matches. The compiler, Mr. E. B. Boss, has been working for some time on what must be a very arduous task. The want of a work like Scores and Biographies for Australia is very keenly felt by compilers, and the sooner such a record is produced the better appreciated will it be. Upon the completion of his book of Australian records, Mr. Boss intends to devote his energy to the compilation of “ Queensland Cricket Scores and Biographies,” material for which he has been collecting for a few years past. Now that what is universally known as the silly season is approaching, when the daily papers are making frantic efforts to think of a subject on which their readers can write copiously, an attempt has been made to introduce a discussion on the iniquity of drawn games in first-class cricket. But as long as drawn games continue to produce so many exciting results, while finished matches so often end with the utmost tameness, our legislators are hardly likely to be so foolish as to try to abolish the drawn games. M r . A. P. D o u g la s , who seems to have taken the place of Major Poore and Captain Greig in India, scored 129 for the Poona Gymkhana against the Boyal Scots Begiment on July 31st. A r i s in g young Parsee player, with the interesting name of Meherhomjee, scored 140 for the Baronet C.C. (a Parsee dub) against the Poona Gymkhana at the end of July. He has attracted the notice of the Parsee cricket authorities, and is sure to receive a thorough trial. A l t h o u g h the Bombay Gymkhana placed their strongest team in the field against the Hindoo Gymkhana at the beginning of the month, they were soundly beaten by their ever improv­ ing opponents. A gentleman of the name of Baloo was chiefly responsible for the easy victory of the Hindoos, taking eight wickets in the first innings for thirty-five runs, and four of the Bix wickets which fell in the second innings. The scores were: Bombay Gymkhana, 72 and 61 for six wickets; Hindoo Gymk­ hana, 150 for four wickets (declared). O v e r h e a r d in London on Monday evening, when the cricket editions have just come o u t:— First British Working Man : “ Look ’ere, Bill. ’Ere’s Fry and Killick been making ’undreds against Yorkshire ! ” Second British Working Man: “ Oh! ’ave they ? Seem to ’ ave been knock­ ing some of the swerve off George ’Irst this time, by gum ! ” In last Saturday’s Sporting Times there was a remark which must have amused Mr. MacLaren as well as the rest of the cricket world. “ If you want to put MacLaren out, aBk him why he put Sussex in.” T h r e e Queensland Inter - colonial cricketers were in Sydney in July repre­ senting Queensland in the field against New South Wales. Mr. M. F. Ramsay, the Old Harrovian, and a brother of B. C. Bamsay, was takingpart in the Inter- State golf matches. P. S. Carew and T. T. T. Long were members of the Queensland Bugby Football Team, “ Paddy ” Carew being captain this year. “ Carew ” is the only Queenslander who has gained triple Inter-colonial honours ; he has represented the State at cricket, Bugby football, and athletics (hammer- throwing and weight-putting). “ T h e r e is every probability,” says our Brisbane correspondent, “ that the Englishmen will meet an elevenof Queens­ land, instead of a combined team, next season. We have a good number of colts here who show very great promise, and I think that Queensland isnearingthe end of her run of ill-luck. A trial will most likely be given to Henry, an aboriginal fast bowler with a great command over the ball. He is considers d faster than Marsh, the N.S.W. aboriginal, and is remarkably smart in the field. His delivery has never yet been questioned. The next Queensland eleven will be com­ posed mainly of natives of the State, which must be a good sign. The last match between Queensland and England (in 1894) saw the Bananalanders repre­ sented by two natives of the colony and nine others, but next season the eleven will be composed almost wholly of Queensland natives.” In his “ Essay on Man,” Alexander Pope says:— “ H eaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, A ll bu t the page prescribed, their present state.” The “ present state” of the Yorkshire team on Monday morning was that of the proud possessors of the title of Champions, with irresistible (almost) bowlers and invincible (almost) batsmen. One can fancy the Yorkshiremen skipping and playing, like Pope’s lamb, as they went to take up their positions in the field preparatory to wiping another team off the slate, but they did not “ see the hand just raised to shed their blood.” W e should think that there has never been such a startling and unexpected contrast in cricket matters as was shown in the “ early cricket editions ” of the evening papers on Tuesday evening. The Sussex score was given in full—560 for five wickets (Fry 209, Killick 200, and Banjitsinhji 86 not out), innings declared closed. Then followed, beneath the score, the ominous words:— Later—Yorkshire 6 for four wickets. And in the “ stop press ” column appeared YORKS. 21— 6. B a t s m e n are often so slow to score when they are within a few runs of com­ pleting their hundred, that it is refresh­ ing to think of an over played by Mr. J. Douglas on Tuesday morning, when he had scored 86 runs for Middlesex against Lancashire. Mold was the bowler. Mr. Douglas made three fine cuts almost square to the boundary off the first three balls, and off the fifth ball an on drive to the boundary, thus bringing his score to 102. I n last week’s “ Gossip ” it was stated that Mr. P. F. Warner had passed into the Soudan Civil Service and was going out in November to take up the duties of his office. Though the information was furnished by a prominent member of the M.C.C., and one well qualified to speak authoritatively, it seems to have been incorrect. Mr. Warner, at least, has asked me to contradict the statement. I need hardly add that it was made in thoroughly good faith, and, as I have said, on the authority of one who ought to know. Still, I sincerely regret the paragraph has caused Mr. Warner the smallest annoyance. T h e Editor of the Toronto Globe was evidently a little mixed when he pub­ lished the following paragraphs, which are produced verbatim et literatim from the Globe of August 7 :— M E . R H O D E S ’ B I L L E xpen ses I n curred b y D e B eebs C om pany du rin g K im be r le y S eig e . London, A u g . 6.— A question in the H ouse of Commons, put b y M r. Sw ift M acN eill, drew from M r. B rodrick the adm ission th at a claim b y the D e Beers M in in g Com pany for expenses incurred during the siege of K im ­ berley am ounting to £54,641 4s. 9d. had been referred to the m ilitary authorities in South A frica for instruction. T h e discussion dis­ closed the fact th at the first statem ent p re­ sented b y the com pany amounted to £300,000 and included am ong the item s £19 10s. fo r a ■wreath for a staff officer’s grave, £70 fo r cab h ire for a newspaper correspondent connected w ith th e com pany, £788 in respect of em ­ ploym ent of native runners to bring up new s­ papers to M r. Bhodes from Modder R iver and £25, being the expenses incurred b y M r. Rhodes in gettin g a private letter sent to M afeking. The committee of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club at their recent meeting ex