Cricket 1902

146 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 2 2 , 1902. to go with the first Australian team to England in 1878, but in the matches in New Zealand, while on the way, he seemed to have lost his bowling, and was left behind. There was very little cricket at Hobart at this time, but after the return of the Australian team, George Bailey (a son of Canon Bailey), a Tas­ manian, who was one of its members, had learned so much by his experiences in England that the game received a great impetus, and gradually men like Eady and Burn were evolved.” ‘ ‘ Whathappenedafter you left school P’ ’ “ I went to Sydney University, where, as a batsman, I had good luck. Among the men with whom I played cricket at the University were 8. P. Jones, T. W. Garrett, R. C. Allen, H. M. Faithfull, and T. Powell. Tom Garrett is still one of my greatest friends. In after years we played together for the Burwood Electorate club at Sydney, and nowadays, when a big match is on in Sydney, we sit together to watch the play. It was while I was at the University that in 1884 I was chosen as twelfth man for New South Wales against Victoria. In those days there was not much first-class cricket, and inter-colonial teams used to go to Melbourne or Sydney about a week before a match, in order to get accustomed to the different light and turf, etc. It happened that the day before this match was to come off, Garrett was going to play for Melbourne I Zingari against the Richmond club, but with his usual good nature, he said to me, 1You’re not picked to play to-morrow; so go and have a game instead of me, and enjoy yourself.’ I had wonderful luck, scoring 170 not out, and as a lot of our team had come down to see the match, it was decided that I should be included in tbeN. S. Wales team.” “ Were you successful ? ” “ I made 47 and 8. It was a very ppculiar match. We made 403 runs in the first innings, and felt pretty confident. But Victoria were ahead of us with 482— 79 to the good—and then we were all oui for 75, thus being beaten by an innings after such a pr nnsing start. George Palmer was ctii- fly responsible for our dismissal in the second innings. I had a lesson in the art of wicket-keeping in that match, and I c»u see in my mind’s eye a pioture of myself and Blackham even now. I missed a ball which turned away a little, and in playing forward my toe just came ou the line; Blackbain had tbe bnils off in a twinkling.” B-h re taking his B A degree Mr. P p« T'la\eo f*-r C bined Australia nt'atn t S i-tw *.nd 8 raw- ur\ a *-a , »nd in *0 lire- n 1 - i ta 1 inn the . T e wnen he ad taken is degree He oanie t England with the members of Shaw liii.i Shrewsbury’» team, with the intention of studying for the medical degree at Edin­ burgh University. In Scotland he played for the University and the Australasians, often making a lot of runs, one of his best performances being to make 52 (the top score) and 32 agai St Liverpool and District. “ Shilton, the old Warwick­ shire bowler, was playing against us in that match,” he said, “ and I thought it very good luck in getting any runs against him. But I shall not forget the next time that I met him.” “ What happened to make you remem­ ber the second meeting with him ? ” “ Well, it was in 1886, when I played several times for the Australian team, which only consisted of twelve men, some of whom were at times standing down for a rest, or some injury. In the Warwickshire match I had taken the place of somebody who couldn’t play, and at about a quarter to six I said to Scott, our captain, 11 think you had better let me go in and try to save a good wicket.’ He agreed, and in I went. After I had made one run I had to take strike to Shilton, who was bowling from the pavilion end. There was a very bad light and no sight board, and his first ball, a fast yorker, got mixed up with the people in the pavilion, and clean bowled me. Of course there was some chaff at my expense about the saving of a valuable wicket. I said that I would take particular care not to be out to a yorker in the second innings. When my turn came to go in again, I had to face Shilton once more from the same end. As he started to bowl, I kept repeating to myself, ‘ Yorker, yorker, yorker,’ and after all the talk and chaff, a yorker came, and, moreover, I was clban bowled. Of course I have never heard the last of this. When last I saw Blackham and H. J. H. Scott, the talk turned on bowlers of the past, and pre­ sently I knew my time was come, when Scott, appealing to me, with his well- known twinkle in his eye, said, ‘ Shilton wasn’t a bad bowler, was he ? ’ ” Mr. Pope tells another excellent tale against himself. “ In order to rest before a test match,” he said, “ Turner and Ferris stood out against Cambridge University Past and Present, in which Streatfeild made 144. Durin his innings Murdoch, who had quite used up his bowling, asked me if I could bowl. Somewhat diffidently I said that I could bowl lobs a little. ‘ Just the thing,’ said Murdoch, ‘ I think we’ll try an over of lobs.’ Only one run was sored cff me in the first over, for I fancy that S reat- feild was looking out for some peculiarity about the iobs which was n"t di cover- able. At the end of the over I said, ‘ What do you think, Billy ? Shall I have another over ? ‘ I should think so,’ he replied, 1why y<.u stuck ’em up ! ’ I went on. Eighteen runs were imde off that over, and at the end of it, I said ‘ What do you think about it, Bdly ? Sh ill I ------’ ‘ Come out of that,’ he s id, ‘ y u’ re a. frai d ! ’ The older mem- iiers s ill cl!«ff w ™bout mi great bowl- iug feat for the Australian earn. T e only time I ever met with sue ss with lobs was for the Australasians in Scot­ land, but for them I often took three or four wickets for about 20 runs.” “ You often played for the M.C.C. at about that time ? ” “ It was a year or two later. Having made some runs on a soft wicket in 1885 for the Edinburgh Australasians at Dum­ fries, the home of the Steels, two of whom were playing against us, A. J. and A. G. Steel, the latter asked me after the match if I would like to become a member of the M.C.C. He said ‘ You are a student over here for some time, and from your play you should get plenty of first-class cricket, and later, perhaps, play for the Gentlemen of England. I’ll propose you for membership.’ The result was, that after the Australian Eleven’s visit of 1886, I was duly elected. The Steels were exceedingly kind and hospitable to me during those times, and I have noted with very great pleasure that Mr. A. G. Steel is now President of the M.C.C. I feel it also a great compliment and honour to have been proposed for mem­ bership by him. But to return to your question, I did play on and off a good deal for the club in 1888, 1889, 1890 and 1891, and at times made a good many runs. Amongst my cricket experiences for the club was the somewhat rare and interesting one of playing in a first-class match, M.C.C. and Ground v. Notts County, which was begun and finished in one day. It was a bad wicket and a day out for the bowlers. I think this was in 1891.” In addition to playing in several matches for the Australian team of 1886, Mr. Pope fielded as substitute no fewer than eighteen times during the tour, besides acting as substitute for English­ men. Indeed, he was so indefatigable, that Dr. Grace, for whom he fielded more than once, always spoke of him as the Universal Substitute. In one match Mr. Pope fielded for W.G. and Briggs on one side, and then for Bruce and Bonnor on the other side. As a batsman be had no chance of success for the team of 1886, as he always went in last (except in the one innings against Warwickshire already referred to), and generally carried his bat. But he had an interesting experience in the Middlesex match, in which he scored 11 not out, and 0 not out. “ We made a big score in the first innings,” he said, “ thanks chiefly to 123 by Scott, 70 odd by Giffen, and 75 by S. P. Jones, and in the last innings of the match we only had to make about 130 or 140 to win. With three wickets down, we only had to make abuut 20, aud the game seemed over. But the wicket was crumbling, aud the next four or five men only put on about half-a-dozen runs. I had been fielding as substitute for one of the Middlesex men, aud to my utter astonish­ ment, I was called upon to put my pads on and go in tenth to bat when we still wanted 8 runs. My p irtner at the otuer end got out, and Blackham came in last. We still required eight runs. Blackham ran out and :it Burion ou the full for four, and a 8 rna e a two. It was then over, and I had to receive the ball from West. I played one or two balls, and then carefully left alone a ball which was off the wicket, a feat which was greeted with loud applause by the crowd. The fourth ball was a little to leg, and I tried to hit it and failed. But it hit my pad and we ran two leg-byes, and won the match by one wicket and one run.” W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h .