Cricket 1902

THE FINEST BAT THE WORLD PRODUCES. Am. 7, 1902. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 323 BUSSEY’S BUSSEY’S AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F . S . A h h l e y -C o o p b b . The remarksmade in this column last week concerning the “ lost ball” incident in the Worcestershire - Leicestershire match have brought thefollowing fromacorrespondent:— “ I may say at the outset that for the drive on to the top of the pavilion only four runs were allowed in spite of the fact that a fresh ball had to be supplied before the game could be resumed. This at the time appeared to me to be an error on the part of somebody, bearing in mind the wording of Law 34. The drive was a straight one and the ball dropped in the centre of the top of the pavilion, which is covered with seats and uponwhich there were anumber of spectators. As none of the latter could find it two or three players mounted the steps, but with a similar result, and, as already stated, another ball was thrown to the fieldsmen. I cannot say whether anyone, apart from the crowd, shouted ‘ lost ball.’ During the luncheon interval, when the visitors had left the stand, the leather was recovered, it having rolled down beneath the seats. It may, of course, have been seen when the search was made, but not recoverable by reason of the presence of so many spectators, without considerable trouble, although this is hardly likely, and even the Law 34 seems to provide for such a contingency by the words 1cannot be found or recovered.’ The batsmen did not run, as the stroke was a boundary one, but this, it seems to me, is not sufficient to rob the striker of his reward as one does not expect a ball to be lost in the field of play. Ihe only solution to the problem appears to me to be that the letter of the law could not have been carried out, or if ‘ lost ball ’ was called umpires and scorers did not hear the call.” On Friday and Saturday last there was some remarkable cricket at Birchington House, near Bexhill, in the match—the first of the BirchingtonHouse fortnight—between Hampstead and Birchington House. The former side made 418 and 208 for five wickets (innings declared closed), and the latter 302 and 172 for five wickets. G. A. S. Hickson, of Hampstead, earned undying fame by scoring 146 in his first innings and 102 not out in his second. Curiously enough, he had never previously made as many as a hundred runs in an innings in any land of cricket, and a candid friend, on hearing of his score of 146, wired, “ I don’t believe it! ” It would be interesting to learn what the friend thought when he heard that Hickson had followed up the score with one of 102 not out. Hickson made his 146 in 94 minutes, obtaining his 100 in 48 minutes, whilst his second innings lasted 73 minutes. In the first innings of Hampstead 107 runs were added in 33 minutes, and in the second 61 in 20 minutes. In the two days 1,100 runs were made for the loss of 35wickets from 1,386 balls in 597 minutes. The meeting of Sussex and the Australians generally enables the players on the side of the latter to improve their batting averages, and the match of last week proved no excep­ tion to the rule. As the match of 1882 was immortalised by Murdoch’s innings of 286 and that of three years ago by Trumper’ s score of 300, so was last week’s game ren­ dered historical by the enormous partnership of 428 for the sixth wicket by Noble and Armstrong. Each player, far surpassing anything he had ever previously done, either in this country or Australia, exceededthe 150, the former making 284 and the latter 172 not out. The partnership is a record for the sixth wicket, and also for the Hove ground. During the last few days, batsmen have given us ample evidence that they can still make hundreds of runs when the wickets are hard and true. Owing to great pressure on space, it can be only briefly mentioned that (i) Middlesex have been greatly strengthened by the presence on the side of J. Douglas and C. M. Wells; that (ii) that in the first innings of Essex against Middlesex, at Leyton, there was only one extra, and that a wide: C. Headlam kept wicket; that (iii) for Berkshire v. Oxfordshire, at Reading, on the 1st and 2nd inst., J. A Gibb scored 103 and 122 not out: that (iv) R. B. Heygate, whomade 95for Sussex v. Gloucestershire on Tuesday last is an Old Epsonian, and that his brother, “ H. J.,” made 124 on the 21st ult. for Cornwall v. United Services; that (v) it is with pleasure one can state the benefits of Hayward and Ward have been successful financially, A club known as the Cheltenham Rabbits has just held a cricket week. The annals of the game contain reference to clubs possessing very curious names, e.g., Up- Street Rovers, who played against the Down- Street Wanderers in 1894, Rabbits, Sea- Gulls, Giants of Old, Owls, Geese, Rotten Eggs and Maniacs (two Charterhouse clubs), Active Fleas (E. M. Grace made 79 not out for them against Marlboro’ College in 1863), Comical Club, Cotswold Magpies, Magdalen Magpies, Incapables, “Vagabonds, Old Birds, Wallop Knockwood Down Club, Billy Cock Club, Birstal Dry Bread Club, The Jolly Sailor Club, Brixton High-Steppers, Maryle­ bone Birthnight Club, The Unemployed, Devonshire Dumplings, &c. Dr. W. G. Grace, in his large work “ Cricket,” gives a similar list, on page 50. “ Centuries scored in the United States and Canada, 1844 to June 14, 1902,” is the title of a booklet, which has just reached me.* The publication, although wholly statistical, is most interesting, and is undoubtedly an mportant and valuable addition to cricket bibliography. The records of the game in America are so scattered that considerable trouble must have been experienced in collec­ ting theinformation contained in the volume. Many familiar names occur in the statistics, such as those of Chas. Bannerman, G. Brann, A. P. Douglas, N. F. Druce, W. G. Grace, H. T. Hewett. K. J. Key, Martin McIntyre, A. C. Maclaren, F. Mitchell, A. E. Newton, C. J. Ottaway, H. B. Richardson, C. O. H. Sewell, A. H. Stratford, R. T. Thornton, George Ulyett, and Capt. N. W. Wallace. Men who rendered good service to American cricket in the past, such as W. C. Morgan and the Newhalls, have their great deeds recorded, whilstfulljustice is donetothosewho have flourished of late years. Of the Phila­ delphian batsmen, G. S. Patterson has scored 22centuries, A. M.Wood 17, J. B. King 12, F. H. Bohlen 9, andR. D. Brown,W. W. Noble and J. Pacey each 8, whilst of the New York group F. J. Prendergast and H. Tyers have made 9apiece, andM. R. Cobb 8. Among the Canadian players may be mentioned J. M. Laing (9), the Rev. F. W. Terry (9), and D. W. Saunders (8), the second of whom will be readily recalled to memory by several enthusiasts as an old Somersetshire man, and W. Robertson, of California, must be men­ tioned, as he has as many as eleven three- figure innings to his credit. The lists of centuries hit abroad by American batsmen, and against Philadelphian and Canadian * J . J . K elly, 98, D anforth Avenue, Jersey City, N .J. In paper covers 50 cents, or bound in cloth 1 dollar. P ost paid.