Cricket 1901

428 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . 19, 1901. THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND FIRST-CLASS CRICKET. It may be questioned whether the circle of first-class cricket is really so difficult of entry as some people would have i t ; there is such a plethora of matches of that high standard, and the M.C.C. and the London County games give opportunities to many men who are really hardly more than good club players. Under these circumstances, it is the less to be wondered at that places are frequently found in first-class elevens for youths who step as it were from their school playing fields to county enclosures. Moreover, it is to be noted that quite frequently those thus promoted win decided success. The list of such players is long, extending from 1836, when A. J. Lourth of Winchester bowled for Gentle­ men v. Players, at Lord’s, down to the present expiring season of 1901. Natur­ ally, for many seasons such appearances were only made spasmodically, and it is only within the last decade that the appearance of at least one player fresh from school has become a usual feature of each season. Beginning then with 1892 we have E. P. Lewis, of Winchester, keeping wicket for Surrey in a couple of matches. He subsequently gained his Blue at Oxford. Strictly speaking, he did not play for Surrey against first-class teams, but it was a first-class side that he represented. It may be noted that he is the only one of those whom we shall consider in this article who was played for his wicket- keeping. In 1893 another Wykehamist, J, E. Mason, first appeared in the county team he now leads. After that season Wisden, with rare foresight, remarked that “ he should have a great career before him.” He secured a batting average of 27 -7 and a bowling average of 27'6. Clifton supplied W. G. Grace, jun., and C. L. Townsend to Gloucestershire. Townsend, in his second match, did the hat trick against Somerset, thanks partly to the good offices of W. H. Brain, who stumped the last three men off him in Somerset’ s second innings. Probably C. E. M. Wilson, who had the mammoth average of 90 for Uppingham, would have justified a trial in county cricket. The next season, while Townsend had a bowling average of eight for Clifton and 22 for his county, seems to have produced no fresh school cricketer who was thought worthy of a higher trial, and in 1895 neither C. C. Pilkington, the Eton captain, nor F. H. B. Champain, who led the Cheltenham team, did anything particular when tried for their respective counties, Lancashire and Gloucestershire. How­ ever, Champain, again fresh from school, did better for his county in 1896, securing an average of 29'2 with a highest score of 53; while his schoolfellow, E. I. M. Barrett, had an average of 21-3 for Hants, once making 47 against Essex. W. S. A. Brown, who made 1032 runs for Leys School, Cambridge, in 16 innings (four times not out), was tried for Gloucestershire. In 1897 S. H. Day, of Malvern, this year’s Cambridge captain, made a debut of startling success, scoring 8 and 101 not out for Kent v. Gloucestershire, against the bowling of “ W. G.,” Townsend, and Jessop. His county average was 35-l. Y. F. S. Crawford, who made 1340 runs in 18 completed innings for Whitgift, appeared for Gentlemen v. Players at the Hastings Festival. It was trying a novice rather high to give him a place in such a match. We believe that E. Joyce, who first played for Leicestershire in 1897, was at that time fresh from Bedford Grammar School. A year later Day, still of Mal­ vern, continued to bat successfully for Kent. A colleague of bis on the side was R. N. R. Blaker of Westminster, now a Cambridge cricket and Association football blue. He was distinguished for the excellence of his fielding. Perhaps the best Public School bat of the year after Day, was a Brighton College boy, C. L. A. Smith. He obtained the very fair average of 18 55 for Sussex. He got his eye well in at the Oval, making 31 and 78 not out. During the season of 1899 Marlborough produced in R. H. Spooner the foremost school bat. When he had made 69 and 198 for his school against Rugby, and 152 not out for Lancashire Second v. Surrey Second, he was naturally tried in bis county team. He led off with 44 and 83 against Middlesex, and made 8 and 47 in the return, while against the Australians he scored 46 and 31 not out, with Trumble, Jones, McLeod, and Laver bowling. His average for the season was 31'66. It is a pity that military duties have since prevented his playing first-class cricket. Uppingham had two representatives in first-class cricket, G. H. S. Fowke and G. W. Harris. The former was spoken of somewhat slightingly by the critics, but he gained a double-figure average for Leicestershire and once exceeded the half century. Harris played for Hants v. Surrey at the Oval. In 1900 Rugby had the honour of supplying the best school bat in E. W. Dillon, of this year’s Oxford eleven. In his first match, London County v. Worcestershire, he made 108 and 29 not out. His aggregate was 429 runs in nine innings, average 47'66. His best scores for Kent were 59 and 90 against Hampshire, and 74 against Worcestershire. Surrey gave a trial to A. C. von Emsthausen, of Uppingham. The number of school cricketers who have appeared this year for various counties is eight, which must be a record. Most was done by the Malvernian, W. H. B. Evans. His average for Worcester­ shire was 31 in nine innings. He wound up with a score of 107. Against Sussex he played a stubborn innings of 53, which largely helped to save his side the game. H. C. McDonell, of Winchester, only played once for Surrey, but he shaped very well for 14 and 32. L. D. Brownlee, a Cliftonian, played in four matches for Gloucestershire; against Somerset he hit up 66 in fast time. J. E. Raphael’s heavy scoring for Merchant Taylors evoked considerable interest. His sponsor was the London County Club, for whom he acquitted himself satisfac­ torily in a couple of matches, his highest score being 35. He did well for Surrey Second. The Hon. M. Herbert aroused some expectations by making 68 for Notts v. the M.C.C. in the early part of the season before he gained his colours for Eton. Subsequently, however, he was less successful. V. H. Cartwright, of Rugby, also played for Notts, but without making many runs. K. R. B. Fry, a Cheltonian, appeared twice for Sussex, but was unlucky enough to have a Lnger injured. The Felsted captain, J. H. Douglas, was tried for Essex. After having to go in four times to make eight runs he compiled 61 not out against Derby shire at Chesterfield. It is hardly an encouraging fact that this list includes only one—C. L. Town­ send—who was played simply for his bowling, though Mason was of some service to his county as a truudler. Several others got a wicket or two, but it was their batting that gained them their places. We are rather inclined to wonder how it is that so few young players from the schools appear iu the colts’ matches one sees reported in the papers. The maj ority of the colts in these games are apparently young professionals; perhaps on a side of twenty-two two or three amateurs figure beside the captain, and these not neces­ sarily schoolboys. These colts’ matches ought to be useful stepping-stones from school to county cricket. Why draft a boy straight into his county side ? At the Oval and Leyton matches are arranged expressly for public school players. Other counties night do well to follow suit, especially as few have a regular system of second eleven matches. Certainly it speaks well for the coaching they have received and for their own nerve that so many of these youths begin their careers in first-class cricket so auspiciously. F. C. M. E ic h a b d s . BUCKS.—Matches played, 8; won, 5; lost, 1; drawn, 2. BATTING AVERAGE3. Times Most No. of not. Total in an inns. out. runs. inns. Aver. Paravicini, P. J. de ... 7 ... 2 ... 257 ... 45 ... 5r40 Cobb. C. E................. 7 ... 1 ... 180 .. 44 ... 30-00 W right...................... 12 ... 2 ... 290 ... 102*... 29*00 Bird, F. N................... 9 ... 2 ... 166 ... 91*... 23-71 Shaw, Rev. E. D. ... 7 ... 0 ... 156 ... 44 ... 22-28 Stacey, T ................... 8 ... 1 ... 12b ... 33 ... 18*00 Page ...................... 12 ... 4 ... 118 ... 39 ... 14 75 Bull, H. E ................... 3 ... 0 ... 42... 26... 14 00 B oddy...................... 13 ... 1 ... 160 ... 35 ... 13 33 Blanehett B.............. 4 ... 0 ... 45 ... 15 ... 11-25 Bird, H ...................... 9 ... 1 ... 76 ... 27 ... 9 50 Bouchin ............... 4 ... 0 ... 38 ... 20 ... 9.50 Bartlett, E. N. N. ... 3 ... 0 ... 26 ... 12 ... 8#68 Kentish ............... 6 ... 1 ... 43 ... 19 ... 8*60 Nash ...................... 5 ... 2 ... 25 ... 16 ... 8*33 Keen, A. W ............... 6 ... 0 ... 20 ... 12 ... 3*33 Scott-Murray, A. ... 4 ... 0 ... 10 ... 6 ... 2*50 The following batted in less than three innings; M. Katinakis, 6; F. Mitchell, 4 and 0; H. Bandy 0 and 0; H. Packer, 0; Lord Dalmeny, 47 and 0* ; A. Johnson, 20 and 8 ; J. W. Baggaley, 0 and 1; J. W. Stratton, 8 and 7* ; and Langley, 20. ^Signifies not out. BOWLING AVERAGES. Overs. Mdns. Buns. Wkts. Aver Houchin.................132 ... 50 ... 238 ... 20 ... I I 9® W rig h t................. 459 3 .. 202 ... 744 ... 61 ... 12'l9 Keen. A. W .„. ... 44 ...1 8 ... 93.. 7 ... 13-28 Kentish................. 57 2 ... 18... 124 ... 7 ... 17*71 Johnson, A............ 36 ... 12 ... 94 ... 5 ... 18 80 Page.......... .......... 228-3 ... 72 ... 514 ... 27 ... 19*05 The lfllowing bowled in less than three innings; Hash ^27*5-10-61-1), F. Mitchell (3-0-5-2), J. W. I Stratton (3-1-8-0), Bev. E. D. Shaw (1-0-4-0) and T. Stacey (3-1-9-0).