Cricket 1901

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toll.”— Byron. mo . 563. v o l . x x . THURSDAY, APEIL 11, 1901 i b i o e ad. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. C. J. BURNUP. It is Mr. Burnup’s good fortune to be a batsman of the kind which all cricketers, old and young, can thoroughly appreciate. His style is graceful, he has some very pretty and effective strokes, and he makes his runs with reasonable quickness. A t Cambridge he made a reputation which was increased when he began to play for Kent, and at the present time he is one of the most useful men in England to have on a side. A t Shirley House, a preparatory school at Blackheath, he used to make a great many runs, but at Malvern it seemed that his promise of early days was not likely to be sustained. True, he was in the eleven for three years, and was captain in his last year, but he was on the whole a disappointment as a schoolboy, although in his last year he had an average of about 30. He gained his colours for bow ling, but beyond being a very useful man, he did not attract any great attention. He was contemporary with Messrs. W . W. Lowe, H . H . Marriott, H . K . Foster, W . L. Foster, and R. E . Foster. When he went to Cam­ bridge he made many runs for Clare, but except that he scored 66 not out for Dr. Grace’s team v. I. Zingari at Lord’s, in 1895, he did not begin to distinguish himself in the cricket world until 1896, when after scoring 98 and 27 in the Seniors’ match, he established himself as a great player. H e very narrowly missed being that year among the scorers of two separate hundreds in a match, for against the M .C.C. and Ground he made 95 and 93. Since then he has proved himself to be a worthy successor of the Lytteltons and St9els, and other famous Cambridge batsmen, and last year he made a score of 200 against Lancashire. Of the Malvern College cricket ground Mr. Burnup said: “ It is small and of oblong shape— possibly it is three hun­ dred yards b y a hundred or so. The ball is often hit out of it at the sides, but it is practically out of the question to drive out of it at the ends, the wickets being pitched lengthwise. The ground has been dug out of the hill. George Arber has been the chief professional for a long time, and of late, Fred W illoughby, the Worcestershire player, has helped him, but the old Cambridge cricketer, C. Toppin, who is one of the masters, has done much more in the way of coaching than anybody else.” “ When you left Malvern you did not at once succeed in getting into the Cambridge Eleven p” “ I did not play in any of the trial matches in my first year, though I was chosen for the Freshmen’s match in which I did nothing of any moment. But it was only natural that I should not attract attention, for I did not come up from school with any repu­ tation ; on the contrary I was thought very little of at Malvern, for I had never distinguished myself in any noticeable way. A t the end of the term in my first year at Cambridge I played in a couple of matches after the ’Varsity match — against Liverpool and District and Dublin University.” “ And in your second year ? ” “ In the first trial match I was lucky enorgh to make about 90 against C. I. Thornton’s X I., and after that I was never left out. Frank Mitchell was captain that year. In this match I went in first, and hit the first ball what I received to m id- off. There was plenty of time for a run, but I hesi­ tated, whereupon Charles Wright, who was keeping wicket said ‘ Y ou had better run. Probably you won’t get another chance ! ’ in the evening of the first day I was not out 92, and on the follow ing morning the first ball was what I thought a full pitch to leg from Albert Trott, but when I missed it I found that it was straight, and that I was leg-before- wicket.” “ In the same season you began to play for Kent ? ” “ Yes. I like county cricket better than any other— that is to say when you are in luck. Last summer I couldn’t get a run for a long time, and very nearly made three duck’s eggs in succession. I had made one against Gloucestershire, and then went to L ord’s to play for M.C.C. v. Derbyshire. In the first innings I was