Cricket 1901

CR ICKE T, S E P TEM B E R 12, 1901. “ Together joined in Cricket’s m an ly to il.” — Byron. HO. 5 8 5 . VOL. X X . THUR SDA Y , SEPTEMBER 12, 1901 . p m c e ad. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. DE. R. MACDONALD. When, after playing two or three matches for Leicestershire in 1899, Dr. Macdonald came over this season from Queensland and was given another trial for the county at the end of June, no one dreamed that he would do anything extraordinary in the cricket field. Almost from the first he made useful scores in a methodical way, but when he scored his famous 127 against Sussex at Hastings in about six hours and a half, resolutely refus­ ing to be tempted to hit by the most insidious wiles, everybody woke up to the fact that here was a man who, whatever might be his methods, would have to be reckoned with. For the rest of the season he was un­ doubtedly one of the most useful men in the team, and he ended the season third in the county averages; his average for the season in first-class matches was 40‘52 for twenty-three inn­ ings, and he passed the hundred three times. His defence was pretty nearly impregnable, and such a man in a not very strong county was, of course, invaluable. In Queensland he had already made a considerable reputa­ tion, and not long ago he had an average for his elec­ torate club in Brisbane of 203 for the season, so that no one really ought to have been surprised that he should do so well in England. He is about to return to Queens­ land to visit his friends, and to avoid the English winter, of which he is not inordinately fond, but he hopes to be back in England in time for the beginning of the next cricket season, which will be good news to Leicestershire men. Dr. Macdonald’s experiences as a cricketer have been somewhat varied. “ I began to play in Victoria,” he said, “ when I was at school, but I came to England when I was about ten years old and went to Taplow Grammar School. From there I went to Queens­ land and thence to the United States, where I joined the Belmont Cricket Club at Philadelphia. For three years I played regularly for that club, which has an excellent 'ground and a splendid pavilion. Often I used to go out with Woodcock, who was then coach at Haverford College, to have a little practice, and he gave me friendly hints. I had a delightful time with the Belmont Club, whose members were the very best of fellows. For a time I went to Canada and had a little cricket at Toronto. Then I came to England on a holiday and stayed with relations in Leicestershire, playing in a couple of matches for the county two years ago at the end of the season. A week after I arrived this summer I got 150 not out against Eepton, and the county then asked me to play. My first match was against Hampshire, and I was very sorry when I was run out in the first innings, for it was a plumb wicket. I should like to take this opportunity of saying how kind and considerate everybody has been to me here.” “ Have you found that there is much difference between the pace of English and Australian wickets ? ” “ There is a very great difference indeed. In Aus­ tralia you can go forward to almost any ball, and very little back play is necessary, and the reason why so many Englishmen do not do them­ selves justice when they go to Australia is that they cannot adapt themselves to the very fast wickets, and go back to a ball which bowls them before they can get their stroke in. Here in England you so often get a ball which flies up ; you are always looking out for it, and this makes an Australian a bit shy of hitting off balls. Again, in England, a very short ball from a fast bowler may as likely as not hit you in the ribs, and as bowlers know this they are not afraid of bowling it ; in Aus­ tralia, on the other hand, such a ball would go to the boundary. One has to develop back play in Eng­ land. I don’t think that bad wickets in England are as bad as they can be in Australia, although they can be quite bad enough. But in Australia, while the ball breaks quite as much as in England, it gets up very much higher, and is therefore more dangerous. The varying pace of wickets on the different county grounds in England has struck me a great deal, and you have to adopt yourself to each DR. R/jM ACDONALD. From a photo by Messrs. Wiley , Brisbane.