Cricket 1902

F eb . 27, 1902. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 27 F rom the Barbados Advocate :— Hinds developed a new stroke in the first innings of Barbados against the English team. He tried to hit Dillon’s slows by quickly changing his bat from the right to the left hand ; but finding this manoeuvre unsuccessful, he turned his back to the bowler aud drove the ball past the wicket-keep to the boundary. It was a novel stroke, and Bennett, who was behind the sticks, seemed rather uneasy when the ball was slashed past ■within a few inches of him. It was a stroke which required extreme agility and exact­ ness, and we do not suppose any of our team beside Hinds would attempt it. It is unnecessary to say that the crowd cheered every such effort enthusiastically, and even the Englishmen were amused at the method of dealing with their attack. On Saturday, February 1st, Mr. P. F. Warner, the Middlesex and Oxford cricketer, sailed from Southampton en route for Johannesburg, where he has accepted an appointment. It is unlikely that he will be again able to play for Middlesex, at any rate for some years. I n the first innings of Mr. Maclaren’s team, Quaife went to the wickets with the total at 390. When stumps were drawn for the day the total was 650, so that 260 runs had been put on ; of which his share was 52. O n February 22nd, J. Pentecost, the old Kent professional wicket-keeper, died in his forty-third year. M r . H erbert J enner -F ust , the only survivor of the historical ’Varsity match of 1827, was ninety-six years of age on the 23rd inst. As the last information I received respecting the veteran stated that he was flourishing like a green bay- tree, Cricket readers may look forward to him setting up a new record in the very near future. The greatest age yet attained by a cricketer of note is ninety- six years and fifteen days by William Beldham (bom February 5th, 1766, died February 20th, 1862), and this Mr. Jenner-Fust gives promise of beating, with a good deal to spare. Long may he flourish. H astings cricketers have sustained a heavy loss in the departure of Mr. G. Oswald Hughes for Tunbridge Wells. For many years he has been a prominent figure in Hastings cricketing circles, and was one of the founders of the Hastings Rovers G.C. As hon. treasurer to that club, his efforts have been thoroughly appreciated, as the recent presentation to him of a massive silver tankard shows. A keen enthusiast himself, he was the means of inspiring others with his love for the game. On occasions of carnivals being held in Hastings in the cause of charity, his efforts generally resulted in the production of a cricket car. A thorough worker, as the writer well knows, no task appeared difficult to him by its accomplishment he thought he could advance the interests of the game. To say that Hastings cricket will be much the poorer by his intention to Bettle permanently in Tunbridge Wells, is but to state what is felt by all Hastings cricketers. I n Ihe death of the sixth Earl Fitz- william at his beautiful seat, Wentworth Woodhouse, near Eotherham, on the 20th inst., at the ripe old age of eighty- six, there passfd away in a charming personality a good friend to cricketers in south Yorkshire. In his younger days he kept open house, and bis hospitality was unbounded always. Fortune has placed in my hands details of a match played on the ice on Morley Pond, in Wentworth Park, on January 11th, 1842. A report of the game states:—“ About the conclusion of the first innings a mt ssage was received from Wentworth House, politely inviting the gentlemen con­ stituting the Skating Society to partake of refreshment, and having adjourned to the mansion of the noble earl, a hospit­ able array of goodly Christmas fare was presented for their acceptance. The healths of the noble earl and his family having been drunk in bumpers of generous Christmas ale, the party adjourned to the ice, when the game was recommenced with redoubled spirit.” Twelve players appeared on each side, the First X II. scoring 148 and the Second XII. 54 for five wickets. Hallam (46) and Ashton (38) made 80 for the first wicket of the former side, which is a very good performance for ice cricket. T homas H ayward , the Surrey crick­ eter, has chosen the Yorkshire match, to be commenced at the Oval on July 31st, for his benefit this year. It hardly requires other evidence than the amount of work he has done with Mr. Maclaren’s team in Australia to prove that he must have been in thoroughly good fettle this winter. In a letter from Adelaide, dated January 19th, he states himself that he is fit and well. T he Indian papers give full and proper publicity to the fact of “ Ranji.’s ” safe arrival at Madras at the end of last month. He had come from Ceylon via Tuticorin, and left Madras almost immediately for Bombay, en route for Rajputana, where he is staying with his uncle, Sir Pertap Singh. While at Cey­ lon he gave his opinions to an interviewer as he generally does freely, dealing with the subjects of “ prepared wickets,” the recent action of the M.C.C., acting on the recommendationof the county captains on donbtful bowling.” With one of his remarks that “ the rules of the game want altering more than the bowlers,” a good many of us will be inclined cordially to agree. In answer to an enquiry as to the reason of his not going to Australia this winter with Mr. Maclaren’s team, he said: Mr. Maclaren asked me and I was very pleased to be asked, but it was not convenient and I was not feeling very well; I am only here, in fact, because I feel that a trip out east would improve my health. I have seen it stated that Ranji. will return home in the “ Omrah,” which is to bring Mr. Maclaren’s team and the Australian cricketers home. If this is so, he should be in England in the latter part of April. I t has been a bit of hard luck for the Australians to lose the valuable help of such a judicious captain, putting aside his great ability as a cricketer, as J. Darling in the last two of the test matches. Domestic affairs, in conjunc­ tion with the heavy responsibilities of a sheep station, called him back to Stone­ henge, in Tasmania, immediately after the conclusion of the third test match at Adelaide on January 23rd. It is, indeed, quite on the cards that he may not be able to come to England with the Aus­ tralian team who are to leave Adelaide on March 20th. What his loss must mean to the Australians in these last test matches may be judged from the fact that it was his masterly innings of three hours and a-half, in conjunction with Hugh Trumble at the end of the third test, that gave the Australians their well- earned victory by four wickets. D arling , giving his views to a news­ paper man from a railway carriage window, suggests recollections of a great statesman, now passed away, who was not averse to free expression of opinion under such unattractive conditions. The representative of the South Australian Register, to use his own phrase, gleaned a few words ” from the Australian cap­ tain from the carriage window during the few minutes that the cricketers were on the station at Adelaide, prior to the departure of the express after the third test match. From a carriage window one may fairly expect modesty, and the modesty of the Australian captain touched the interviewer deeply. The gist of Darling’s few words from the carriage window was a high tribute to Hugh Trumble’s all-round work in the match. And certainly eulogy was never better deserved. I t is impossible, indeed, to estimate the full value of Hugh Trumble’s all­ round cricket in determining the result of that same third test match. To bowl nine wickets, besides getting 13 and 62 not out, and what is more to pull his side put of a tight comer and to stay in till the match was won as he did, is, indeed, as an Adelaide paper says, a “ performance worthy to be classed among the best of the whole series of representative contests between the two countries.” One can quite understand from the full accounts that have already reached us—Trumble’s second score of 62 being characterised as ‘ the ’ innings of his career. When he went in four of the best batsmen had been dis­ missed for 194. When the match was over, of the 121 which were subsequently added forthelossof only two more wickets, his share was 62, made moreover without the shadow of a chance. J ust at this time when the most praise­ worthy attempts are being made in Lancashire to raise something of a provision for_those whom little Johnny