Cricket 1901

CR ICKE T, A U G U S T 29, 1901. “ Together joined in Cricket’ s m an ly to il.” — Byron. Ho. 583. VOL. XX. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1901. PRICE 2d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET YIELD- E. C. HOLLAND. Surrey men must often have been exercised in their minds over Holland’s performances in the field. When he first appeared in the county team at the end of the season of 1894 he was regarded by the best judges as one of the most promising young players ever turned out by the county. He proved that their judgment was sound by making splendid scores in first - class style all through the month of May in 1895. In successive matches he made 123 against Essex, 171 against Cambridge Uni­ versity, 25 and 4 against England, and 43 against Warwickshire. For a time after this he fell off a little, but came on again with scores of 91 and 36 not out against Hampshire. Then, having hurt his arm, he began what might be de­ scribed as a chequered career. When he came back into the elevenhe could not get into the old groove. At times, when he seemed going as strong as could be, he suddenly could do nothing right, and at last he was left out of the team. But every­ body felt that he, unlike so many other promising crick­ eters, was not doomed to retire gradually into oblivion, for that he was a fine cricketer was patent to all who understood the game and had seen him make a good score. He came on again, and played better than before, and again had his period of sheer ill luck, until even his best friends began to fear that his day was over. But he has again and again asserted his skill, and only last week, when he had been left out again, played a splendid innings of 206 for the second eleven, and once more found him­ self back in his accustomed place. The Surrey Committee has often been blamed, not only by irresponsible persons, but by sound cricketers, for not playing him throughout a season, despite tem­ porary failures. But although every county would be glad to have such a large number of fine batsmen who are just out of the team as may have been found in Surrey at any time during the last ten years, there is such a thing F. C. HOLLAND. [From a Photo by Pickering, Eigh Street , Leicester.) as an embarras de richesses. What can a committee do when it sees one man, pursued by ill-fortune, who can do nothing right, while it sees others, eager and waiting, who make big scores against the best bowling and can do nothing wrong f They can only leave him out for a time, even though by so doing they may be killing the goose who was on the point of laying the golden eggs, and substituting one who has just ceased laying. These things must some­ times be. But*there are many cricketers who are'convinced that Holland has a big future—there are some who think that one of these days he will be a fine bowler as well as a fine batsman—and as he is only twenty-five years of age he has lots of time before him. His two highest innings for Surrey were 171 against Cambridge University in 1895, and 158 against War­ wickshire four years ago. His first innings of a hun­ dred was played against Essex in his first year as a regular member of the Surrey team ; he had already made 76 against them in his first match for his county. In the Cambridge match he helped Abel to put on 306 runs, while in the Essex match his partnership with Abel produced 256. Over and over again he has made runs when they were badly wanted, and there cannot possibly be any doubt that he is a “ class” cricketer. Like a good many other batsmen, Holland is not a great believer in form. That is to say, he does not think that if a man makes a hun­ dred, followed by two or three duck’s eggs, he has necessarily lost his form. “ No doubt,” he said, “ a player may become stale, and so be out of form as it is called, or he may lose his skill when he gets old. But I am sure that in most cases when a man is said to be out of form he is only out of luck—he can do nothing right for a time. He is bowled by the best ball of the match, he is caught off a most difficult catch, his wicket is thrown down by an extra­ ordinary shot which would not come off once in a hundred times, and ill-luck follows him everywhere. I don’t think I ever saw a catch missed, when it was given by a man who was said to ba quite