Cricket 1902

386 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S ept . 4, 1902. the Glebe. Tom Garrett was captain then, and he was one of the most astute captains that I ever met. Unfortunately, after my first year, the University were put out of the Electorate Competition on the ground that they had no locus standi , and although they have been trying year after year to get reinstated they have not yet succeeded. I then played for Redfern, which team I had the honour of captaining in the Premiership matches during my last season. I remember getting out in a very curious way in a country match. I hit a ball very hard to square leg and started to run, but, the umpire on see­ ing what had happened, promptly turned his back to the ball, which rebounded to the wicket-keeper, and to my intense disgust I was run out. I was within seven runs of mv century at the time, and although I tried (quite in good faith) to nersuade the umpire that the ball must be ‘ dead,’ as in football, all my earnest­ ness was of no avail; I had to go.” “ What brought about your inclusion in the New South Wales team ? ” “ It was simply a question of time and luck. Indeed, there is bound to be a great deal of luck as to whether a man comes to the front in Australian cricked for there are so few big matches that when at last a man is chosen for them he has to give way to someone else if he does not come off at once. From what I have heard in England there seems to be a pretty general impression that there are only about twenty good cricketers to choose from in Australia, and that, there­ fore, it is a wonderful thing that Aus­ tralian cricket is so strong. But as a matter of fact there are a vast number of young cricketers who, if they only had the opportunity, would be as good as the well-known players. That is to say in a sense they are quite as capable; what they need is first the opportunity to show what they can do, and secondly, the experience of ‘ big ’ cricket to teach them what not to do. In England there are so many more matches that a promis­ ing player gets an extended trial, but it is very hard in Australia for a beginner. Charlie Gregory was kept out a long time, not because he was not known as a good cricketer, but because there was no room for him. In my own case I had to wait and wait, and my turn was a long time in coming. There were many as good as I, and although I was always one of the leading batsmen in Sydney and generally had a big average, they did not put me in the team. I was third with an average of 49, second with 63, and actually first in the whole Premier­ ship averages with 106 runs per innings in consecutive years, and yet I did not get my colours. Of course I did not grumble at this, because the men who had gained their places were doing well, and it would have been very hard to leave anyone out. I remember going with the New South Wales team in 1897 to play against Queensland just after the Australian team came home. Victor Trumper went with us as one of the selected men, and on the morning of the match he was left out. But he has left us all behind now.” Everybody knows that Mr. Poidevin was practically certain of a place in the present Australian team by reason of his fine batting in the early part of the last Australian season, and that owing to an accident to his hand he lost his chance. “ It happened in this way,” he said “ some of the Australians were indulging in fielding practice, as is their custom when taking practice at the nets. The general plan is for a batsman to toss up the ball and hit it high and hard, or along the ground, for some of his comrades to field. I was just making my way to the nets for my ‘ knock ’ when I saw the ball coming ; so in a casual sort of way I put up my hands, with the result that I got the ‘ knock ’ on the index finger of my right hand. This was just before the first test match, and with my arm in a sling I went to Victoria as a ‘ possible.’ for the second test. But not only was I unable to play then, but I was kept out of the field for three months, when, with my finger straightened out, I played for New South Wales against Viotoria and was lucky enough to make 87. In that match Hopkins and Charlie Gregory opened the New South Wales innings, and it was no doubt the brilliancy shown by Hopkins in making his hundred that got him into the Teat team, and later the Australian X I. Of course it would have been very unwise to take me to England with the team under such circumstances, and, as a matter of fact, the finger is still very much swollen, and a very hard hit is a terrifying thing to me sometimes, even now.” “ How do you like cricket in Eng­ land ? ” “ I think it is quite charming, although I have been very unlucky in coming during such a wet season. I like the grounds and especially the pleasantness of club matches. But almost every­ thing is different here. For example, in Australia it would be impossible to play from eleven to half-past six or seven nearly every day. There is a great deal of difference between Australian and English club cricket. What strikes an Australian at once about English club cricket is that although the batting is usually very good, the fielding is corres­ pondingly very bad. The average club player has no idea of anticipating a stroke, or of acting on his own initiative. In Australia they won’t have a man in a club unless he knows how to field well, and I always think that the writings of J. C. Davis in the Sydney Referee under the norn de plume of “ Not Out,” have done not a little towards this end, besides a great deal of good to the game in many other ways. Of course it is but proper for me to add that what I have said applies chiefly to cricket in Sydney, where the game is in an infinitely more flourishing condition and on a sounder basis than anywhere else in Australia. Aud by the bye, that is one reason why I often think it would be well if the English Press were to obtain more of its ideas on Australian cricket from Sydney, instead of, as is generally the case, from Melbourne. The standard of Electorate club cricket in Sydney is very little below that of ordinary county matches in England, and is naturally much more serious than club cricket in England. I think that for pure enjoyment, a club match in Eng­ land beats anything else that I know.” Mr. Poidevin relates a delightful little story. “ An amusing little incident happened in one of our New Zealand matches,” he said, “ it was at Dunedin, where we were playing Otago Province. We had twelve men in our team, and the extra man did duty as umpire in each match. The umpire on this occasion happened to be one of our best bowlers. Presently a batsman touched one very gently and was caught by the wicket­ keeper. Forgetting himself for the moment the umpire jumped sharply round and in Braund-like fashion fairly yelled ‘ How’s thatp’ He was a full second before the bowler and the fields­ men. We all laughed heartily and I need hardly say the batsman gracefully retired without waiting for the umpire to recover from his confusion.” W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . CRICKET IN AMERICA. N EW YORK VETERANS v. PH ILADELPH IA VETERANS.—Played at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, Philadelphia. P h il a d e l p h ia V e t e r a n s . F. C. Brewster, b N. 8. W alker.................25 J. P. Green, b Clarke 0 G. B. Warder, b M c­ Nutt .......................... 7 G. B. Robinson, c and b Clarke ... ... 7 J. J. Henry, c Clarke, b N. 8. Walker ... 18 L. W . Wister, b N. S. Walker .................. 4 D. S. Newhall, b N. S. Walker.................. 20 N ew Y ork G.Williamg,b Brewster 5 G. W . Barnes, c and b Brewster .................. 17 H. Manley, b Brewster 0 A.W ithers.b Robinson 0 H. McNutt, c Newhall, b Brewster ........... 4 N. S. Walker, b Brew^ ster ... ........... 4 H. Martin, b Robinson 0 T. G. Clarke, c Mor­ gan, b Robinson ... 6 J. C. Comfort, c M c­ Nutt,bN . 8. Walker 0 C. Croasman, c W il­ liams, b McNutt ... 8 G. Morgan, c Clarke, b McNutt ........... 8 M. Ewing, not out ... 15 J. B. Colahan, b M c­ Nutt ........................... 0 A. Evans, ht wkt, b McNutt ................... 1 B l? , lb 5, w 1.. 16 Total ...129 V e t e r a n s . R. St. G. Walker, b Brewster.................... H.S.Jewell,c Newhall, b Brewster ........... W . Fenwick, not out G. Fitzgibbons, b R ob in son ................. S. E. Hosford, b Brew ster................... B 2, lb 1, w 3 ... Total ........... ELEVEN NEWHALLS v. BALTIMORE. — Played at Mannheim (Philadelphia). G. M. Newhall, b L .K . M allinckrodt........... 0 W . P. Newhall, c & b K. W . Mallinckrodt 14 C. S. Newhall, not out 73 D. A . Newhall, b Prid- ham .......................... 14 M. L. Newhall, run out 1 R. 8. Newhall. b K . W . M allinckrodt........... 0 D. S. Newhall, lbw, b Pridham ........... ... 13 N e w h a l l . W. 8. Newhall, bPrid- ham ........................... 5 D. Newhall, c Lever­ ing, b K .W . Mallin­ ckrodt ................... 5 C. Newhall, b L. K. M allinckrodt...........30 T. Newhall, b L. K . M allinckrodt........... 0 Extras ...........21 Total .i.176 J. Levering, st D.New- haU ,bR . S. Newhall J. Glenn, b W . S. New­ hall .......................... L. K. Mailinckrodt, c D. A. Newhall, b W. P. Newhall .......... K. W . Mallinckrodt, b D. 8. Newhall.......... F. Pridham, c D. A. Newhall, b W . 8. Newhall .................. W. Conklin, jr., c D. A . Newhall, b W. 6. Newhall ................... B a l t im o r e . 48 W . Claybaugh, c M. L. Newaall, b W. 8. Newhall ... ........... T. Hughes, c C. New­ hall, b R. 8. Newhall H. Waite, c D. New­ hall, b W . P. New­ hall .......................... T. Smith, run out ... Dr. Howard, not out Extras................. Total ...149