Cricket 1901

D ec . 19, 1901. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 469 A CHAT ABOUT GEOKGE LOHMANN. Although it cannot be said that the announcement of the death from con­ sumption of George Lohmann came as a surprise to the majority of cricketers, he had shown such determination in fighting against the disease that, despite ominous signs during his visit to England last year that his days were numbered, there were many who hoped he would survive for a long time to come. The report that the trouble began as the result of a tremendous effort which resulted in a brilliant catch at short slip, is probably without foundation, for those who knew him had always wondered that he could exert himself in the cricket field as he did without showing signs of a break-down. Butwithoutmuch doubt, his three visits with touring teams to Aus­ tralia, during which he worked as hard as in England, told consider­ ably on'his health and strength, just as it has done in the case of so many z other famous cricketers, who, how­ ever hard and strong they may be, cannot go through season after season without rest, and yet find themselves as well as ever. Lohmann will be remembered by future generations of cricketers chiefly as' a famous bowler whose name was worthy to be bracketed equal with that of any of the princes of the art—Spofforth, Turner, Shaw, Peate and others. In the opinion of many cricketers who are not the worst judges of the game in the world, he was the very best bowler of his or any other age, and it would not be altogether easy to disprove that he ever had a superior. To watch him during an important match at a critical period was to see the art of bowling at its very best; and not only the art of bowling, but of batting, for the batsman was compelled to play at the very top of his game. To spectators he often seemed a careless sort of a bowler—one who, when things were not going well with his side, became indifferent and took no trouble as to his pitch or the direction of the ball, seeming to consider that it was useless to try to dispose of the batsmen. It was just at such times as these that batsmen feared him the most. The greatest of them have admitted that when they began to feel that they had legitimately obtained a complete mastery over him, and, there­ fore, ought not to feel any further diffi­ culty in dealing with him, they were in the greatest danger of being tempted by him to make the fatal mistake. At such times his bowling was often quite simple, so simple that a schoolboy might have played it, always provided that there had been no method behind it. But Lohmann seemed to have an instinct for knowing the precise moment when the batsman had quite satisfied himself that he had a good thing on, and then, in the words of a well-known player— “ something used to happen,” and as often as not the batsman retired to the pavilion, wonder- GEOBGE lO H M iN K . [From aphotograph by Brown and Oradidge , Andover .) ing how on earth he managed to make a mistake over such a ridiculously easy ball. Lohmann has been accused of bowling the “ off-theory ” ball to death. But he used to argue that he had a perfect right to bowl that ball or any other when he chose and as often as he chose; it was a ball off which it waB possible to make a four [every time, and if the batsman chose to throw away his opportunities it was not the bowler’s fault. So, when he had to deal with one of the men who would not look at an “ off-theory ” ball, things often became most decidedly monotonous, but it was very seldom indeed that the most obstinate of bats­ men could hold out indefinitely, and often and often he was at last induced to fall into the trap in sheer desperation, for of course the bowler varied his pace and pitch in the most enticing manner, and there would eventually come a ball whioh looked too easy for anything until it was sampled. Lohmann did not bowl with the fear of his average ever before his eyes. His main object in view was to get wickets, and to this end he devoted as much strategy and wiliness as ever did an experienced hunter when tracking a wary old mouse. A batsman had always to be on the alert with the consequence that, sus­ pecting a trap, he con­ tinually played balls with the utmost care which would have been hit to the boundary without hesitation by a yokel in a country match. Not that yokels were likely to soore off him in country matches, for they very seldom succeeded in getting so far as to make the bowler begin to pit h im s e lf seriou sly against their skill. To refer to Lohmann’s greatest doings in the cricket field with the ball, even in the most cursory manner, would take up far too much space, but some of his records are appended at the end of this article. In the field, more especially at short slip, Lohmann established a reputation which will not soon fade. Before his time the greatest short slips had been content to pose them­ selves in the what Beemed to them the best position, and to take, without moving an inch, everything which came within reach of their outstretched arms. Alfred Shaw was a notable example of this school, and as he prac­ tically always frc ze on to anything which came within his reach he was very deadly. But Lohmann went beyond this. He possessed what is known as a telescopic arm; that is to say he seemed able to reach a ballrwhich was apparently going far out of his reach, and in addition to this he was’ so quick on his feet, and bo active in his movements that, short as was the time at his disposal, he managed somehow- or other, much to the wonder of spectators and players, to get to balls which seemed as safe as could possibly be. The strain must at times have been very great. Like so many other men he would in