Cricket 1902

CRICKET, SEPT. 4, 1902. , - , r . — QH - f=— >0« gc— =»— -jeF “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. Ho. 813 . VOI.. XX I. THURSDAY, SEPT. 4, 1902. PBXCE 2d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. L. O. S. POIDEVIN. Very early in life Mr. Poidevin, who has played a good deal of cricket in England this season, chiefly for the London County C.C., began to make big scores. When he was only eleven years old he made 271 not out for his school, aud also took nineteen wickets out of twenty in the same match, which must be a record in its way. As he grew older, he improved greatly every year, curiously enough al­ ways having the top average in the club for which he might be play­ ing, and at Sydney he was for years looked upon as good enough for the New South Wales team before he actually represented the colony. But there were so many good men in the team, aud the colony was doing so well, that the authorities continued to leave him out until public opinion began to make itself felt very plainly. It was not until January, 1901, that he first played in one of the Shef­ field Shield matches—against South Australia—and in this he had the destinction of scoring 140 not out, the highest individual score ever made by a batsman in his first innings in a Sheffield Shield match. After this he never looked back, and but for an accident to his finger, which kept him out of the field for a long time during the last Australian season, he would almost certainly have been chosen to accompany the present team to Eng­ land. He is now working to pass his medical examination, and it is quite likely that he will remain in England in the exercise of his chosen profession. Mr. Poidevin’s first connection with the game was up-country, at Bathurst, where 0. T. B. Turner and McKibbin learned their cricket. “ McKibbin was much older than I ,” he said, “ but as a boy I played against him before he came into prominent notice, although even then he was looked upon as a wonderfully good bowler. Later, when I became a prominent member of the Glebe Club I had a good deal to do with inducing him to join it alpo. The following year McKibbin gained a place in the 1896 Australian X I. My father was a pretty good batsman and wicket-keeper, in the times when wicket-keepers were just MB. L. O. S. POIDEVIN. Reproduced by permission of The Tatler. beginning to do without a long-stop; I always took the greatest interest in what he did, and when I went to school I was not entirely ignorant of the mysteries of the game. But one’s school days in Australia are different from what they are in England; there are not as many matches, and the boys are smaller. I remember very little of my school days, except that among a lot of small boys I happened to be much the best.” “ What was your introduction to cricket among grown-up players ? ” Sometimes I used to score for the team in which my father played, and once when they were a man short they asked me to play. Our first two men were in for half-an-hour for two byes, and the whole side were out for three. I went in about eighth, tipped the ball into the hands of slip, who missed it, and we ran a single —the only run from the bat during the entire innings. At that time I was not much taller than the bat. The other side went in and made about 270, and in our second innings, as nearly as I can remember now, we lost one wicket for about 300—which shows what a curious game cricket is.” “ When did your club cricket begin p” “ At about fourteen or fifteen years of age I went to Sydney and was immediately taken into the Sydney Club. This was before the Elec­ torate System which is now in use. My first experience was not promising, for on a matting wicket I found myself in the middle of the hat trick. Sidney Gregory had preceded me, and McDowall, a very good cricketer at that time, followed. The bowler was Jimmy Bush, and the whole side were outed for under 30 runs. When the Elec­ torate System was instituted, the old clubs were broken up, and I played for the Glebe, which soon became so strong that it won the Premiership twice in succession. In my third match for the Glebe I was fortunate enough to score a hundred, and after that my place in the team was almost assured. I had the good fortune to fop the Glebe averages each year I played for them. While I was with the Glebe I went on a tour with the New South Wales team to New Zealand and had an average of 41"6. This was before Hopkins aud Duff became known to senior cricket. When I went to the University I_ played in the eleven instead