Cricket 1902

162 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 29, 1902. the absence of its only fast bowler, and con­ taining men who never by any chance played up to the reputations which they had gained in England. Could it be possible, we asked, that the Australians were as strong as ever in batting when they allowed men, who were not even put on first for their counties, to get them out on perfect wickets for small scores time after time P Again, was it likely that their bowling, with all the members of former teams growing older, and no new men to speak of coming on, could be even as good as it was in 1899 ? Jones was admittedly off colour, Howell had done hardly a performance of note, and only Noble and Trumble seemed to show not the slightest signs of falling off. Where were the new men to be found ? There was Saunders, who did one or two good performances, but the most enthusiastic of Australians could not persuade themselves that he was a flyer. So that, all things being taken into consideration, it would have been little short of marvellous if Australian critics have looked upon the choice of the members of the 1902 team with unlimited satisfaction. There is one other thing to be noted, but that is of some importance. From first to last the three selectors of the team and the rest of its members assured everybody who interviewed them that the team meant business, that it could not have been improved, and that it was quite able to take care of itself. And now that our visitors have been with us for about a month, what has happened ? Their bowler, on whom they chiefly relied for steady work, promptly injured his thumb before a match was played, and injured it so badly that he has not yet taken his place in the team. Thus thrown on itsbeam ends at the very commencement of the tour the team, or rather Darling, proceeded in the manner of a conjurer to produce Trumper and Armstrong, who had never been regarded seriously as being anything out of the common as bowlers. But in England they have both done so astonishingly well at times, that one wonders what on earth they have been doing all these years not to have come prominently to the front as bowlers. Meanwhile, the old bowlers have all shown that, when their turn comes, they can do the very greatest things at pre­ cisely the proper moment, in the old way for which Australian bowlers have always been noted. There is no Spofforth and no Turner in the team at the present moment—that is absolutely certain—but what is of alniost as much importance, there are half-a-dozen men in it who can each on occasion bowl with as much effect as either of these two famous old players, and apparently with more effect than any of our own bowlers this year on the tricky wickets. Not Rhodes nor Hirst has done anything this year as startling as some of the performances of the Australian bowlers. It is true that our visitors have not been very severely tested as yet, but as far as can be seen from their performances this year, tjiey are on slow wickets a most formidable com­ bination from the point of view of bowling and fielding. In batting, some of the best men in the team have done little of note, but what has this mattered? Nothing at all. For when the great men have been quiet, the tail have made their presence felt in a manner which has astonished the bowlers opposed to them. It is as true of the present combination as it has been of every previous one, that it isnever safe to consider the innings over until you see the last two menwalkingaway to the pavilion after one of them has been dismissed. For \ears it has been a reproach that Australian batting was getting more andmoreuninterest­ ing to watch, and it has been a common thing tohearmen saythatthey like to seetheAustra" liansin the field, but cannot standtheir batting at any price. It has even happened that about half the crowd have got up and walked off the ground as soon as the innings of an English side was over. No one will dispute that it was very trying indeed to watch for a whole day the team of 1899 at the wickets, and there were very few occasions indeed when one could look on with unmitigated pleasureduring their innings. But several of the members of the present team have shown conclusively enough that they know how to play an attractive game, and to tell the truth, they have given far more interesting displays of batting than most of the men who have been opposed to them. So much the better for cricket if the tendency “ to play for keeps ” does not spread over the team like an epidemic as soon as the wickets become hard and fast. As to the future of the tour, who shall say ? Up to the end of last week the game of cricket had been a terror to those who had to take an active part in it as well as to those who looked on. Strange as it is, Englishmen seem to have been more handi­ capped by the weather than the Australians, and hardly half a dozen of them, whether batsmen or bowlers, have been able to do themselves justice. All that can be saidwith any approach to confidence is that if the sea­ son as a whole turns out to be wet and miserable, as some of the weather experts predict, the Australians, while they may not make a great commercial success of the tour, will at the very least be able to hold their own against nearly all comers. If the rest of the season is fine theymay prove themselves to be worthy to be classed with the best of their predecessors, or they may not. It is for the Fates to decide, for no man has had the least opportunity for forming an opinion on the subject. W. A. B e tte s w o r th . JESUS COLLEGE v. INCOGNITI.—Played at Cambridge on May 19 and 20. J esu s C o l l e g e . J. P. Morris, c Tal- j R. N. Blaker, not out 2 bot, b Smith ......... 12 Byes................... 4 J. W. Marsh, not out 7 f — Total .....26 J. F. Marsh, A. M. Bashford, F. B. Roberts,W . B. Dennis, O. B. Bull, A. Duchesne, B. K . Nutm n, and W . H. Sell did not bat. I k c o g n it i . J. Haaning, b Bash­ ford ..........................83 H. 8. Barkworth, c J. W. Marsh, b Bash- fjrd ........................... 6 J. C. Snaith, c Blaker, b Bull ............ 10 E. A . C. Druce, c Duc­ hesne, b B u ll....... 2 A. B. Voules, c and b Bull ..........................60 H. W. Dillon, c F. B. Roberts,6 Ba-<hford 2 Capt. T a l b o t , b Roberts ................42 G. E. Winter, b Roberts .................. 4 Major Salmon, c Mor­ ris, b Roberts . 7 A. P. Neame, b J. F. Marsb ........11 C. Dixon, not out ... 3 B 9, lb 3, nb 1... 13 Tjtal .. 192 INCOGNIIT v. REPTON bCHOOL. -Played at WilliDgdon, May 19 aud 20. I n c o g n it i . Fireti nings. G.F. Well4Cole. r.^rawfoid E. Feltou, b Crawford G. C. Beloe, b W . f i . Twigg Capt. Andre vs, b Crawford N. F. W ell-, low, b W. H. T w ig g .................................. C. A . a . Gilbert, not o u t... H. D Taylor, b Crawford... 3 run out W . ttkip’on, o Crawford ... Capt. Koberts, b W . H.Twigg H. Rayen, b W. H. Twigg b 5 ,1-b 1 ................... 8- cond innings. 5 b Crawford...........10 0 b F. W . Twigg ... 5 o cMorc m,b Craw­ ford .. ... 2 0 b F. W . Twigg... 8 6 b M oraom ........... 5 8 c Page, b W. H. T w ig g ........... 8 J.F.8tedmanf b W .H .Tw igg 4 c& b F .W . Twigg 0 . . . . . . . . n 0 notout... ... 7 0 b Crawford........... 0 0 b Craw ford......... 0 6 B2, w ln - b l .. 4 R e p t o n S c h o o l . First innings. R. A. Young, b Roberts ... 6 H. R. Longbourne, b Sted­ man .................................. 0 W . H. Twifcg, b Roberts ... 5 J. N. Crawford, b Stedman 1 A. H. Birks, lbw, b Roberts 2 T. C. V . Smith, c Felton, b Stedman ................. ... 7 P. Musker, c Felton, b Sted­ man ..................................20 E. W. Page, b Roberts ... 1 F. W . Twigg, lbw, b Sted­ man .................................. 0 W . B. Stow, b Roberts ... 0 A. F. Morcom, not out ... 4 B 6, lb 2 ................. 8 Total........... 64 Second innings, b Be oe .........26 b Gilbert .........20 b Gilbert .........63 b Gilbert ........... 2 b Gilbert ........... 7 c Wells Cole, b Stedman .. ... 51 c Roberts, b Sted­ man ... ... 48 b Stedman ... 2 c Beloe, b Gilbert 19 lbw, b Stedman 7 not o u t ................. 0 B 13, lb 3, w 1 17 Total ........262 CRUSADERS v. INCOGNITI.—Played at Cambridge on May 23 and 24. C r u s a d e r s . First innings. G, Howard-Smith, b Snaith 0 G. M. Buckston, lbw, b W hitley .......................... 1 R. T. Godsall, b W hitley ... 32 F. A . S. Sewell, c Neame, b Whitley .. ... 16 C. H. Bodington. b Whitley 0 L. B. Wilson, c Rawlinson, b Suaith ..........................12 A. Scott-Murray, lbw, b Whitley .........................34 N. Churchill, c Whitley, b S n a ith ................................. 7 H. D. Stanning, st Voules, b W h itle y ...........................17 A .M . Bashford, b Snaith... 13 A. J. Robertson, b Whitiey 1 A . Buxton, not out ........... 1 E xtras........................... 8 Second innings, lbw, b Snaith ... 2 c W inter, b Whitley ........... 9 c and b Whitley 16 c and b Whitley 15 b W h itley ........... 0 c & b Rawlinson 4 lbw, b Rawlinson 7 run out ........... 5 Total ...................142 Incogniti. First innings. A. B. Voules, c H.- Smith, b Bodington .................. 0 A. P. Neame, b Bodington 6 J. C. Snaith, st Buckston, b Bodington ................... 2 J. Hanning, b Bodington .. 8 G. E. Winter, c Buckston, b Bodington ...................19 H. T. BarXworth, st Buck­ ston, b Bodington ........... 5 Capt. Talbot, c H.-Smith, b Bodington.......................... 1 c Winter, Whit ey ... b Whitley ... b Whitley ... net o u t ......... Extras... Total b ... 12 ... 20 ... 2 ... 0 ... 12 ...104 Second innings. b Sewell ........... ' not o u t ................. ‘ b Sewell b W ilson b Sewell b Sewell 0 , 40 Total.................37 Total..........60 H. W . Dillon, b Bodington 6 M. H. Whitiey, b H.-Smith 8 Major Salmon, not out ... 1 C. Dixon, b H .-Sm ith.......... 0 T. A . Rawlinson, c S.- Murray, b Bod ngton ... 6 Extras.......................... 8 Total ...................69 9 c Bodington, Sewell b Bodington st Buckston W ilson ... c Wilson,b Sewell 4 b W ilson ... ... 6 cBuxton,bW ilson 1 Extras...........10 Total ... 98 KEBLE COLLEGE v. INCOGNITI.—Played at Oxford on May 19. K hble C ollege . C. W . Bourne, b Abney ..............13 A. 8. Wetherall, st Tabrum, b Orr .. 108 H. C. B. Gibson, run out ...................... 15 H. V. I. Watts, b Jou rdain ...............30 R. H. C. Mertens, c Abney, b Orr .. .. 22 E. Fawcett, c Craig, b A b n e y ...............39 I ncogniti . P. A . Lushiogton, b H. J. Gibson ................. 1 L. fl. W. Troughton, c Barber, b tsibson 75 J. A. Gibb, c Mertens, b P a rd o e ...............13 H. F. Fox, b Pardoe.. 57 Major C. E. Orman, b Pardoe ...............13 — Craig, b Watts .. 26 F. W . Orr, b Pardoe.. 0 A. S. Dixon, b Pull­ man .......................46 H. S. Barber, c Tabrum, b Abney.. 21 F. 8. Pardoe, b Pull­ man ......................... 7 E. C. Fisher, not out 1 D. Firth, lbw, b Abney .................8 B 6, lb 2 .. .. 8 Total .. ..318 Pullman, b Watts .................. 29 B. Tabrum, c Watts, b P ard oe.................. 2 R. O. Jourdain, b Watts .................. 3 L. E. G. Abney, not out ..........................1 B 29, lb 8, w 2 .. 39 Total ..259 /. r\ f\ Loose numbers of Cricket for sale, from V JU Volume I. to Volume X II. W hat offers ?— A. J, W illiam s, 16, Stpckwell Park Road, S .W .