Cricket 1902

186 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une 5, 1902.. bats first generally takes about two-thirds of the time available for play, and the members of this team at least get a better chance of having an innings. W e fear, however, that in an ordinary Saturday afternoon club match, in which only about from three to four hours are available for play, it would almost invariably happen, when the wickets were in good order, that about half the men on both sides would never get an innings at all. It is this failure to get an innings on Saturday after Saturday which is mating so many men take to golf and other games in which one is certain to have a fair share of play. It is unreasonable to expect a beginner to take a keen interest in a club when he only gets an innings about once a month—there are even worse cases than this—and if some scheme could be devised by which every man on each side would get a knock, unless rain intervened, a tremendous impetus would be given to the game. ------ “ I f anyone wants to hire a prophet,” writes our spring poet, “ I am his man. For am I not a prophet ? To decide this question it is only necessary to refer to the words I wrote (on behalf of Maclaren’s team) after the test matches in Australia. Wait till we see our Wilfred bowlin’, Across de foam, Den will we see de Cornstalks howlin’ , Far from dere own folks at home. I n the second innings of Worcester­ shire against Sussex at Brighton on Saturday, Eelf took the first three wickets with successive balls when the total was 13. His victims were Bowley, H. K. Foster and Wheldon. L ast week a prophecy was made in “ Gossip ” to the effect that it was hardly likely that any English bowler would have an analysis in any innings against the Australians as good as that of Dr. Grace for the M.C.O., viz., o wickets for 29. But already Bhodes has beaten this fine performance, by taking 7 wickets for 17 against them at Birming­ ham, whilst Hirst and F. S. Jackson have simply smothered it. T h e fall of the wickets in the famous first innings of the Australians against England at Edgbaston on Friday last was as follows:— 1 2 3 4 6 6 7 8 9 10 9 10 14 17 25 25 31 36 3536 The total of 36 is a record for matches between England and Australia. The previous record was 42 in 1888, when the Australians were dismissed for 42 by Shaw and Shrewsbury’s team. T h e details of Rhodes’ analysis in the Australian first innings are as follows :— .. |. . . I . . . I .2 . | .2 . 1. |4. . | . 2 w1 . ww j . . . . . . I .1 . I ww 1 . . . I . . . I . . w O wing to a premature telegram from Edgbaston, cricketers in London on Saturday afternoon were under the impression that the test match had been abandoned. The progress of the match could be gleaned as follows from the evening pipers and contents bills :— No play will take place before lunch. Match abandoned. Play at four o’clock. The game will be resumed at 5-15. Result. O n e of the evening papers seems to have done good business in the early after­ noon with a contents bill a* follows:— ENGLAND v. AUSTRALIA Result. Naturally, people concluded that the Australians had, a second time, got out for a very small score, and, as human nature is proverbially hopeful, they bought the paper in haste, despite the lesson which past experience ought to have taught. I t is interesting to compare the ways in which the newspapers deal with the batting of the Australians and of English­ men. If an English team does badly against our visitors, it makes “ a paltry total,” “ an ignominous exhibition,” etc. But the Australians are let down very easily indeed, and all possible excuses are made for them. Not a word of disparage­ ment has been expressed for their batting in their first innings at Edgbaston, and nothing but sympathy has been given them in their failure against Yorkshire. Their hard luck was the s)le subject of comment. But let some unfortunate English county make 23 against Jackson and Hirst or against Noble and Jones, and it will hear of it. A t one period of his great innings on Thursday last, Tyldesley suddenly seemed to become demoralised. With his total at 42 he gave a chance to Jones, and another to Darling, while another stroke was within a very little indeed of being a chance of caught and bowled to Armstrong. P e b c y M c A l is t e r , the Victorian Inter-State cricketer whose batting and fielding proved to be one of quite the most conspicuous features of the high scoring match between Victoria and South Australia at the end of last Novem­ ber, did a very notable performance in the shape of three successive hundreds in his last three innings of the season in pennant cricket at Melbourne. The scores, which were all for East Mel­ bourne, were 120 not out v. Fitzroy, 139 against South Melbourne, and 101 not out v. Carlton. P h il a d e l p h ia cricketers will receive a visit from more outside teams than usual this year. In addition to touring teams of the Knickerbocker Athletic Club and the Staten Ireland club, New York will send a team from the Kings County C.C. Major Straubenzie will again take a team to Philadelphia. T o m A r m it a g e , the old Yorkshire pro­ fessional, is now the groundman of the Pullman Cricket Club at Chicago. T h e club was disbanded two years ago on account of the impossibility of getting a ground, but this difficulty has now been surmounted, and the club starts on a new basis. A c c o r d in g to the American Cricketer, a communication has been received by the Associated Cricket Clubs of Phila­ delphia from Major Wardill, the manager of the Australian team. At a meeting of the Association on May 12th, it was decided to extend to Major Wardill a formal invitation, and the secretary was instructed to write to him as to dates, etc. A n incident which was entirely out of the common took place on Monday at the Headingley Ground, Leeds, during the Yorkshire-Australia match. After lunch both teams came out in the field, a band struck up “ God save the King,” and, conducted by a gentlemen waving a fl-ig, the multitude of spectators joined in with great heartiness. This little interlude was, of course, devised to celebrate the news of the Peace. T h e first hundred in America this season has been scored by J. B. King, the fast bowler with tbe swerve which was so much discussed during the last visit of the Philadelphians to England. He scored 102 not out for Belmont (Phila­ delphia) against the University of Penn­ sylvania. T h e American Cricketer is responsible for the following It is stated that M. A. Noble, the Corn­ stalk, will settle in Chicago after the English tour is completed, with the object of takiDg a two years’ course in dentistry. F. F. K e l l y , the secretary of the Knickerbocker Athletio Club of New York, is compiling a book containing a record of all the individual hundreds scored in the United States and Canada since 1844. Mr. Kelly is asking for assistance from any American cricketer who may know of hundreds which have escaped notice. Possibly some of our statisticians in England may know of some out of the many American records. Mr. Kelly’s address is 98, Danforth Avenue, Jersey City, N.J. T h e details of the analyses of F. S. Jackson and George Hirst in the second innings of the Australians against York­ shire at Leeds on Tuesday are as follows: H- ‘ - w !: Iwall: : : I: :w| !::| ww:| ::: " : i » | :::| :w i | :* :| .i.i;2 ;| iw It will be seen that in his last over Jack­ son took four wickets in five balls. Y o r k s h ir e have now played the Aus­ tralians 26 times. The Australians have won 11 matches, Yorkshire five, and 10 were drawn. Yorkshire has not won a victory since 1893 until this week. I n c l u d in g members, 33,705 people passed through the turnstiles at Leeds on Monday, and it is supposed that many others climbed the walls. The receiptg