Cricket 1901

468 CKICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. D e c . 19, 1901. A CHRISTMAS MATCH. “ Christmas is a miserable tinn for cricketers,” I have heard it said, and, if one limits one’s views to our rigbt little, tight little island, the statement is true enough. Happily, though, there are many other parts of the world where conditions climatic at this time of the year are more kindly disposed towards the great national sport. Not that we need much reminder of this fact in the present year of grace and a Test Match just finished as we go to press. But it is not of cricket in Australia, and the struggle between the giants of the game at Sydney, that I would now discourso. My theme is a much humbler one; just an ordinary club game at an Indian up-country station. One Christmas we tried football; and a right good game we had for about twenty minutes. After that time the flesh was powerless, and even the spirit was un­ willing to continue. I forget whose idea it was, but it arose through someone’ s enthusiasm weeks before the Christmas holidays; and the originator of the idea spared no trouble to make it a success, writing to all and sundry of the cut-station men, and exact­ ing their promises to play, until he had a team of twenty to allow of chuckers. It may have been, too, that the hospitable collector rather helped to make the game the fiasco it proved, for, as the promoter said afterwards, “ How could anyone expect to run about and collar and scrimmage after an old-fashioned Christ­ mas dinner eaten three hours before the match with the thermometer at 85 degs. in the shade ? ” Besides, this game of football had other ills to answer for. It spoilt the Christmas dance, arranged for the same night—a heinous offence in the eyes of our women-folk. Small wonder, then, that cricket got its chance next year, and that in place of the challenge sent to the “ United Eurasian and Anglo- Indian and Native Recreation and Athle­ tic Club ” (high sounding and lengthy names are rather popular to our Aryan brother), to play their European towns­ folk at football, we substituted cricket. And here I should remark that this high- sounding title of the club above named was rather a misnomer, the so-called Anglo-Indian element being unrepre­ sented, and the East Indian, or Eurasian, section, the all-powerful, with a sprink­ ling of the more athletic-inclined natives. The challenge was duly accepted, with the stipulation that the Europeans should play but a dozen to their opponents’ sixteen, and shortly after two o’clock the game began. The sixteen won the toss and went in, rather, it must be admitted, to our surprise, it being very often the chief aim of a native, or Eura­ sian, captain, to send his opponents to the wickets—whatever the conditions. Whether it was due to the invariable English failing of despising his adver­ saries, Christmas festivities, or luck, the Btart was not propitious for the twelve, and at 3.15 the Sixteen had only lost a couple of wickets with the score standing at 110. Our one and only bowler, who had rather fancied his analysis would read something like this, 10, 7, 10, 10, being! quite [ ineffective. Things were getting, indeed, serious, and the captain’s face wore a very worried look. He knew there would be no declaration, and after losing the toss he had arranged to play until half-past six, or as long as light lasted. And some four and a-half hours’ fielding meant the ruin of cricket in the Station, as it would certainly deter three- fourths of the men from ever consenting to play again. Fortunately, he rose to the occasion and adopted radical mea­ sures, going on himself with “ sneaks,” and getting his one and only bowler to send under-hands from the other end, with as many full pitches as he conveniently could. And luck attended the manoeuvre so rapidly, that shortly after four o’clock the whole of the XY I. had been disposed of for an additional 40 odd runs. Now all was right, if only his three trusted bats did not all fail, for slack as the majority of the team were as fieldsmen, there were several who could get a few runs against the kind of bowling they would now have to encounter, if only the first sting were extracted. And so it proved, and we won the match comfort­ ably enough. At one time, however, it did not seem likely to close without in­ cident, and this was owing to a form of “ sport ” which, so far as I know, had never before been introduced into cricket. A certain planter had brought with him, from his estate, a young cousin—he made the twelfth man—and the two cousins had stipulated that if they played they should go in together. They said they understood each others’ play, and the planter added that his cousin was such a nervous chap, and so bad a run­ ner, that though he might do something if be was in with a man he knew, he would, owing to his deafness—which be­ came worse if he were nervous—almost certainly run any one else out. And so our skipper, much to the disgust of the two who regularly went in first, let the cousins open the innings. The planter man had always been a fair bat, but in­ variably on the occasions I had seen him play previously, had lost his wicket in attempting to hit the wrong b a llfo r six. But to-day he was in great form, and in­ variably chose the right one. He almost always managed to keep the bowling, while his cousin attempted [nothing in the run-getting line, and seldom moved his' bat more than an inch or two. The only bother was that the native, who was umpiring at the end the slow bowler performed from, did not give satisfaction. Nearly every over he called out “ no ball ” in stentorian tones, and invariably that same .ball was hit hard and clean for 4 or 6, the batsman, apparently, having a premonition, as it appeared, that it was.coming, and jumping’.out and clouting it with a dash and certainty that none of us had ever seen him do in play before. Of course, the bowler was an­ noyed, and even the umpire seemed sur­ prised, and angry looks between the pair promised angry words. For the bowler was captain, and bad no idea of giving up the ball yet awhile. Luckily for the peace of the game, the hitter was caught off one of his big hits off a ball to which he had gone out just as he bad been doing to “ no-balls.” But on this oc­ casion the umpire was dumb, and he had to retire. He returned to his tent very hot, and strange to say, very angry, not, as we found out, so much at losing his wicket, as with his fool of a cousin. Why with his cousin, we only discovered afterwards. But it was not a very edify­ ing discovery to the keen cricketer; and our skipper expressed himself very forci­ bly at the noble game being degraded by any monkey tricks. The deaf cousin was a ventriloquist, and it was he who had “ called ” the slow bowler, the batsman, by pre-arranged signal, knowing for cer­ tain when to expect a no-ball. And it was only due to the game being stopped for a drink, that the ball which ought to have been “ called ” was allowed to pass unnoticed. YORKSHIRE COUNTY CLUB. Lord Hawke (the President), in moving the adoption of the report and the finan­ cial statement at the annual meeting held at Sheffield on November 7th, said that the receipts for the past year was £10,234, or £1,672 more than in the previous year, and if the receipts at Brown’s benefit match were added there was the splendid total of £12,699. Major Shepherd, of Bradford, seconded the adoption of the report, which showed a balance of £1,814 7s. 6d. Lord Hawke was re­ elected president of the club, Messrs. M. J. Dodsworth and J. R. Bowes and Major Shepherd as vice-presidents, and Mr. C. Stokes as treasurer. An interesting feature of the meeting was a presentation to the players in commemoration of their again winning the championship last season. This was made by Major Shepherd, and took the form of a silver cup, value £10, to the following nine professionals :—Brown, Tunnicliffe, Denton, Hunter, Hirst, Haigb, Rhodes, and Whitehead, who, in addition, will receive a cheque for £20. Lord Hawke and Mr. Taylor will receive silver cups later, and Mr. Mitchell will be presented with a gold chain, for which he had expressed preference to carry with him as a memento in South Africa. S H E R B O R N E SC H O O L . BATTING AVEKAGES. No. Times. Most of not Total in an Inns. out. runs. inns. Aver. P. H. Wilson ... ... 14 ... 1 ... 540 .. . 157 ... 415J E. R. Lewis.......... ... 16 ,... 1 ... 455 .... 137 ... 32*50 C. G. Marsh ... 13 ... 0 .. 322 ..,. 107 .. 24 76 G. L. Leigh-Clare ... 14 ... 1 .. 269 ..., 57 ... 19 92 G. L. Olivier ... 8 ,... 1 ... 120 .... 66 ... 1714 A. H. Roes.......... ... 10 ,... 2 ... 135 ..,. 27 ... 16 87 P. Smith .......... ... 14 ... 1 ... 163 .... 38 .... 12*63 C. A. Gordon ... 9 ... 0 ... 110 ... 56 ... U-22 G. F. Greville ... ... 12 ... 1 ... 110 ... 32 ... 1060 M. F. Raddyffe... ... 10 ,... 6 ... 46 .... II*. . 9-20 G. R. Birks.......... ... 13 ... 1 ... 94 .... 33 ... 7-83 BOWLING AVERAGES. Overs. Mdns. Buns. Wkts. Aver. C. G. Marsh ... ,... 142 ... 8 .,.. 6b3 ... 35 .... 16 08 G. R. Birks ... , 206 ,... 47 ... 631 ... 32 .... 1971 G. F. Greville... .,.. 189 1... 16 .... 563 ... 22 ... 25 69 A. H. Ross ... ,... 19 ,... 4 .,.. 91 ... 3 ... 3 -33 E. R Lewis ... ,... 63 .. 10 .,.. 280 ... 7 .. . 40 06