Cricket 1902

THE FINEST BAT THE WORLD PRODUCES. M a y 8, 1902. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 115 BUSSEY’S % m 4 C/3 « iJ O fa fa P oo iJ iJ W £ 09 £ w I OQ a 9 <o a CO CO CO u w Cfl p e r S3 « B = 1 u w C D fa ! C O C O u o a J* CM C Q a § & BUSSEY’S AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F . 8 . A sh le t -O oopbr . Seldom have three such great matches been contested in London simultaneously as at the commencement of this week. It was a matter for regret that with so much good cricket to be seen the weather should have been so unseasonable. Chief interest naturally centred in the doings of the Australians at the Crystal Palace, as it was the initial match of their tour. Dr. Grace is at present able to place so powerful a team in the field that a good game was confidently anticipated. It cannot be said, however, that our visitors met with as much success as was generally expected, all the honours of the game (so far as their side was concerned) falling to players who had previously visited us, the new men failing to perform up to their reputations. Allowances must, of course, be made for the inclement weather, which was bound to tell some­ what heavily against them. But few of the players were accustomed to such wickets as the one played upon at the Palace, and it was, therefore, no disgrace for the new hands to fail to meet with a large measure of success. It is worthy of remark that the only two players who did themselves justice in the first innings of London County accompanied Maclaren on his recent tour, and were acquainted with the Australian bowling. Braund played a great game, and thoroughly deserved the honour he attained of scor­ ing the first century hit against the side. Although our visitors have still to prove themselves a great team, they have no reason to be dissatisfied with their recent display, considering all things. Much amusement was caused at the Oval on Monday last as the telegrams came rolling in from Lord’s with details of the collapse of the home team. Seven for twelve ran the message at lunch time, and report added that all seven men had been dismissed leg-before-wicket! It was surely an unfortunate act on the part of the M.C.C. to place so extremely weak an eleven against the champion county. It certainly rendered devoid of interest what should have proved one of the best matches of the London season. Despite the weakness of the Bide, however, it was a capital performance on the part of Rhodes to take six wickets for 15 runs in the first innings. Whilst the M.C.C. were cutting a sorry figure at Lord’s, Surreywere showing to advantage against Essex at the Oval. The wickets during the past three days have been against high scoring, and Surrey did well to make as many runs as 335 for seven wickets. Abel proved to be in fine form, the latter part of his long innings being especially praiseworthy. As the wicket was, the ball required very careful watching, particularly at the pavilion wicket, where there was evidently a nasty spot. Abel, the veteran of the team, certainly played the finest innings of the match, and the pace at which he travelled between the wickets was nothing less than remarkable for a man of his years. ^ Much interest was centred in the doings of E. H. D. Sewell in the recent Surrey v. Essex match, as it was the first appearance of that player on the side of the latter. His performances in India and in minor matches in this country, during the time he has been qualifying for Essex, lead one to believe that in him the county have found an all-round player of more than average ability. Some of his feats in small matches, in India especially, have been quite out of the common. He is the only player who has ever exceeded two hundred in an innings in India on more than one occasion, having made 246 for Madras v. Bellary, at Bellary, June 25th, 1898, and 225 not out for Visitors v. Residents, at Ootacamund (Madras Presidency), April 18th, 1898. Another Indian record credited to him is the making three separate hundreds in con­ secutive innings a feat he performed in 1898, scoring 180, Madras v. Shevaray Hills, at Yercand, May 30th. (On a matting wicket; in second innings.) 246, Madras v. Bellary, at Bellary, June 26th. (On a matting wicket; made out of a total of 455 for six wickets.) 120, Bangalore v. Bellary, at Bellary, July 5th. (On the same wicket as preceding.) For Madras v. Coimbatore, at Coimbatore, in September, 1895, he made 50 in thir­ teen minutes ; for T. S. Sidney’s X I. v. Coimbatore, July 31st, 1897, he reached his hundred when the total was 110, being dismissed at 114 for 102, made in sixty-five minutes; and for Madras v. Cheshire Regiment, at Madras, February 1st, 1894, claimed 92 of the 103 runs added for the last wicket whilst in partnership with native groundsman David. During his last-mentioned in­ nings he hit a ball over a small tree which was 147 yards from the wicket, the distance being carefully measured. Probably his most remarkable perform­ ance, statistically considered, was for Madras Salt Department v. 45th Field Battery R.A., at Madras, January 18th. 1896, when he made 74 not out out of 78 in his first innings, and 51 not out out of 56 in his second innings. Altogether, therefore,he claimed 125 of the 134runsob- tained whilst in, without being dismissed. From August 1st, 1897, to July 31st, 1898, Sewell scored 2665 runs in 19 completed innings, average 140-2, and during the same period obtained eleven hundreds—twelve, if one on July 31st, 1897, be included—and took 157 wickets for 1449 runs, average 9 5. In 161 com­ pleted innings in India, 1892-99, he scored eight “ ducks ” and twenty-one centuries. In England last year, Sewell proved a veritable terror in club matches, reaching the hundred (onca the two hundred) on seven occasions. 100, Essex Club and Ground v. Bishops Stortford, May 15th. 183, Essex Club and Ground v. Ilford, May 22nd. 125, Essex Club and Ground v. Tottenham, June 4th. 101, Essex Club and Ground v. Clapton, June 14th. 147*, C. M. Tuke’s X I. v. Incogniti, June 19th. 200*, Essex Club and Ground v Broxbourne, Aug. 10th. 168*, North of Thames v. Highgate Villagers, August 28:h. * Signifies not out. In the match against Ilford, at Ilford, on May 22nd, he made two square-leg hits off lobs, which must have pitched over 150 yards from the wicket, whilst