Cricket 1901

M arch 28, 1901, CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 41 museum of cricket relics, which would be the more interesting since Kentish cricketers took such a large share in the history of the game. The idea seems a particularly good one, and it is not a little remarkable that it has not been carried out in more of the fine pavilions which are now dotted about the country. But collectors of cricket curiosities will be inclined to regret the move on the ground that it will tend to raise the price of such things considerably. T h e team of South African cricketers which w ill sail for England on April 17th, will in all probability consist of the fo l­ lowing :—Murray Bisset, A . Bisset, A. Halliwell, Sinclair, C. Prince, Louis Tancred, B. Cooley, W . Shalders, A. Beid, M. H athom , G. Rowe, R . Graham, J. Kotze, and J. Logan, jun. The H on. J. D . Logan will accompany the team. T h e representatives of the Minor Counties have selected the umpires for the Minor Counties competition. They are as fo llow s:—D. Bookless, Gregory, Rye, Barber, Buswell, Morley, J. J. Tuck, Stockwin, Wrigley, Copeland, J. Rogers, Eelf, William Heame, W . A . W oof, E. Humphrey, Powell, Gladwin, R . Rogers, Coulson, Cherry, W . Shaw, Yeadon, T. C. Brown, Bartram, and T . Westell. Two or three of these men are well known, notably Richard Humphrey and W oof. T h e recognition by the M.C.C. of the Minor Counties Championship has ren­ dered certain alterations necessary in the rules for the Classification of Counties. The rules are now as follows :— 1. Cricketing counties shall be considered as belonging to First Class or Second Class. 2. First-class counties are those whose matches with one another, with M.C.C. and Ground, with the Universities, with the Australians, and such other elevens as shall he adjudged “ first-class matches ” hy the M.C.C. Committee, are used in compilation of first-class hatting and howling averages. Second-class counties are those not included in first-class and the second elevens of first- class counties. 3. There shall he no limit to the number of first or second-class counties. The M.C.C. Committee may bring new counties into the list, may remove existing ones from it, or may do both. To the County Championship the following addition has been made and approved by the M.C.C. : COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP.— SECOND DIVISION. _Second-class counties and second elevens of first-class counties shall he entitled to com­ pete in this division. No county or second eleven shall he eligible for the Championship unless it shall have played at least four out and home matches with other second-class counties, themselves being fully qualified competitors. The qualification of players for the second-class competition is the same as in the first class. T h e death is announced of Mr. Bernard M. Posno, at Paris, on February 24th. Mr. Posno used to play occasionally in the better class of cricket some years ago, and was a member of the Orleans C.C. W e have received a copy of the Sylhet Weekly Chronicle, which we should imagine, from the fact that it is printed partly in English and partly in Hindo- stani, is published in India. We cannot do better than reproduce verbatim the report of a match contained in i t :— SILCHAR, Jany; 15 :— There was a cricket match at Silchar between selected eleven European gentlemen of Lakhipur & Silchar versus the Silchar Indian Sporting Club on Saturday the 12th January 1901, resulting in a win for the former in the 1st innings. 2nd innings could not be played out for want of time. The Europeans secured 114 scores in 31 overs & the Sporting-Club 53 scores in 29 overs. Among the Europeans Messrs. Whitehead & J. A. Crozier hatted exceedingly well; the former took the bat first & left it not out. Among the members of the Sporting-Cluh Babu T. K. Sen secured the highest scores & left the bat not out. Bubu K. G. Datta howled so well that three good batsmen were bowled in one over. F r o m the Sydmy Referee :— The N.S.W . Cricket Association has decided, on the resolution of Mr. P. C. CharltoD, seconded by Mr. A. W . Green: “ That on account of the very many services rendered to cricket hy the late Mr. J. J. Ferris, a simple memorial tablet be placed in the pavilion at the Sydney Cricket Ground.” • It is hardly true, 1 believe, that the old Sydney cricketer, who met so sad a death in South Africa, “ gave his life in the cause of the Empire,” as was btated iu the motion as originally worded. He had severed his connection with his regiment, and was, I learn privately from South Africa, at the time of his death living in Durban, and negotiating for a position there. I t is stated that A. E. Johns, the Australian wicket-keeper, is about to leave Melbourne to reside in Sydney. He is in the timber trade, with a flourishing and increasing business. Good judges say that he is keeping wicket at the present time as well as ever. F ew things are more remarkable in Australian cricket than the way in which Hugh Trumble still keeps well in the front rank. When he first came to E n g­ land with the Australian team of 1890 he only took five wickets, at a cost of 63 runs each, while his batting average was less than six runs an innings. “ Wisden ” of 1891 said of h im :— Reports from Australia had led us to expect a great deal of both Trumble and Charlton, but neither bowler succeeded in making English batsmen at all apprehensive. Of the two, Charlton undoubtedly bowled the more difficult ball, 'l'rumble’s straightness and regular length being' insufficient to com­ pensate him for an obvious lack of “ devil” and variety. Y e t now, after an interval of ten years, during which he has gradually improved, he is still the mainstay of his colony in bowling, while his batting seems to be sounder every year. He is one of the few men who, seldom shining when runs are not required, are seen at their very best when their side is in ex­ tremities. His very latest performance is one of his best. For Yictoria against New South Wales he was only moderately successful with the ball, but with the bat he scored 63 in the second in D in g s when the odds against his colony were enormous, and, with Worrall and Graham, eventually succeeded in pulling the match out of the fire, Victoria winning by a wicket. O n e of the signs of the times in Aus­ tralia is the gradually increasing reluct­ ance of the big clubs to send teams to country districts. One of the Melbourne papers recently said :—“ It is a matter of note that few of the cricket clubs send week-day teams into the field now. A few years ago there were any number of them .” And now from Sydney comes the news that the New South Wales Association has decided not to send any teams into the country at Easter time this year. This tendency on the part of the big clubs does not make for the good of Australian cricket. Every­ body knows how much good has been done to the game in England by the practice of the M .C.C. to send teams to all parts of the country, while the Surrey Club and Ground matches have been recognised for ages as being exceedingly useful to young players. T h e past financial year of the Stafford­ shire County C.C. began and ended with a deficit of £200. The total income of the club was about £700, chiefly made up by gate money £130 and subscriptions £628. Last year the county re-entered the Minor Counties Competition, losing four of the eight matches played and drawing the rest. A m e e t in g of the representatives of the Minor Counties was held at Lord’s on February 28th, to discuss a scheme for umpiring in the Minor County Competi­ tion with the secretary of the M.C.C. It was decided that the payment for umpires should be £ 3 10s. each per match (inclusive), which should be made by the county on whose ground the match is played. The secretary of the M .C.C. agreed to arrange details as in the case of first-class umpires. T h e Rev. L. G. B. J. Ford has been appointed headmaster of Eepton School. Mr. Ford, who is a member of the famous family of cricketers, has been a master at B ton College. Of late years he has played cricket for Windsor Home Park C.C. M r. R . E. F o s t e r is the captain of the Worcestershire County C.C. this season, his brother H . K . having resigned owing to pressure of business. Mr. W . L. Foster has returned to South Africa. I g r e a t l y regret to hear that Briggs, who was in such excellent form last year after his serious illness in 1899, has suffered a relapse which will, it is to be feared, keep him out of the cricket field this season.