Cricket 1902

THE FINEST BAT THE WORLD PRODUCES. S ept . 18, 1902. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 419 BUSSEY’S BUSSEY’S AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F. S. A s h le y -C o o p b r . Mr. John Somerville Russel, who died suddenly at Aberdeen on the 12th inst., was born at Edinburgh on March 19th, 1849, and was therefore in bis fifty-fourth year at the time of his decease. His boyhood was spent in his native city, his early education being received at the Royal High School. In July, 1870, he made his first appearance at Lord’s, assisting The North of Ireland against M.C.C., though what qualification he possessed to figure on the side of the former is hard to realise. He was an excellent bats­ man when at his best, but flourished before the age of billiard-table wickets. His style was not captivating, but his on-drives were hard and all along the ground and his late cuts sharp and well-timed. In the field, he excelled at point. He played in numberless matches for the M.C.C. and assisted North­ umberland for several years, being amerchant at Newcastle-on-Tyne. In June, 1882, he appeared for the M.C.C. against Leicester­ shire, at Lord’s, this being the match in which Barnes (266) and Midwinter (187) added 454 runs together for the third wicket, after C. Booth and J. S. Russel had been disposed of, the former without a run and the latter for 11. Two years later he assisted the M.C.C. against Yorkshire, at Lord’s, and proved the highest scorer in the first innings with 33, made against the bowling of Peel, Preston, Bates, Peate, Ulyett and Emmett. The match was a notable one, inasmuch as Gunn (203) and Barnes (140 not out) added 330 runs in partnership for the fourth wicket, so lengthy a stand being then a much rarer occurrence than it is now. Mr. Russel assisted in other matches which have become historic, e.g.., the one at Lord’s, in 1885, between the M.C.C. and Ground and Jutland, in which the former made 643 for eight wickets in their second innings, and that between the M.C.C. and Ground and Wilt­ shire, in 1888—also at Lord’s—in which the premier club amassed a total of 735 for nine wickets, which still ranks as the highest ever hit at headquarters. In the Rutland match Mr. Russel made only 31 (the Rev. P. Hattersley-Smith obtained 132 and Mr. F. W. Maude 141), but against Wiltshire he scored 196 runs for the first wicket in partner­ ship with Mr. E. Sainsbury (180) before he was hurt and obliged to retire altogether from the game with a total of 54 to his credit. Probably Mr. Russel’s most notable perform­ ance was accomplished in the M.C.C. match against Somersetshire, at Lord’s, in 1882, in which he scored 56 and 83, in each innings making more runs than any other two men put together. In minor cricket Mr. Russel was a prolific run-getter, and made large scores on grounds all over the country with the utmost impartiality. His highest innings was 168 for M.C.C. and Ground against Hampstead, at Lord’s, in 1879. When Mr. Henry Perkins resigned the secretaryship of the Marylebone Club, Mr. Russel put up for election, but as he withdrew at the last moment, no poll was necessary. Frequenters of Lord’s this year cannot fail to have noticed the numerous occasions upon which a profitable partnership for the last wicket has taken place on that ground. In last week’s match between Yorkshire and an England XI. the largest stand for each side was made for the tenth wicket, F. S. Jackson (57) and Hunter (10 not out) adding 40 runs together for the county and Thompson (33 not out) and Hargreave (28) 58 for the Eng­ land side. When the Cambridge eleven appeared at (Lord’s against the M.C.C., the last wicket partnership in each innings of the ’Varsity proved a profitable one, L. T. Driffield (29) and G. Howard-Smith (16 not out) adding 47 in the first innings and the latter (23 not out) and E. R. Wilson (142) 45 in the second. The debut of Cecil Headlam for Middlesex will long be remembered inas­ much as, although he scored but 38, he assisted G. W. Beldham (155 not out) in adding 130 runs for the tenth wicket in the first innings against Surrey. The meeting, too, of the M.C.C. and Ground and Notts saw another long stand made for the last wicket, E. Tate (28) and Young (51 not out) increasing the score by 84 whilst together in the second innings of the home side. All these performances, however, were surpassed, so far as actual numbers are concerned, by Smith and Overton, who, for the M.C.C. and Ground against the Grange added 177 runs for the tenth wicket, the former carrying out his bat for 117 and the latter failing to reach his century by a couple. Several correspondents have taken me to task for speaking in a somewhat pessimistic strain last week on the subject of the Hast­ ings Festival, the majority maintaining that of recent years it has proved quite as satis­ factory (from a financial point of view) as it has ever done. In reply to these critics, I append the following table (which may be considered official) showing the receipts and expenditure in connection with the Festival since its inauguration in 1887 :— Australians’ Year. Receipts. Expend­ iture. Gain. Loss. Share of Gate. £ £ £ £ £ 1887 ... 395 ..,. 407 ... — .. 12 . 1888 ... 680 .. . €50 ... 30 .... — !!! 203 1889 ... 704 ... 676 ... 28 .. — . 1890 ... 868 ... 708 ... 160 .... — 214 1891 ... 763 ... 619 ... 144 ... — 1892 ... 728 .... 643 ... 85 .... — 1893 ... 904 ..,. 812 ... 92 .. — Z 182 1894 ... 763 .. . 746 ... 17 .. .. — . 1895 ... 1156 ... 853 ... 303 .... — . 1896 ... 901 .. . 983 ... — .. 82 230 1897 ... 687 .... 775 .. — ,. 88 , 1898 ... 821 . . 789 ... 32 ..,. — . 1899 ... 969 .... 1031 ... — .. 62 .!!! 300 1900 ... 898 .. . 877 ... 21 . . — 19)1 ... 790 .... 836 ... — .. . 46 . From the above it will be seen that from the commencement, in 1887, until 1895 the receipts exceeded the expenditure, but that since tne latter date the contrary has been the case. It has been estimated that this year’s Festival will probably result in a slight loss, the receipts and expenditure being approximately assessed at £1,020 and £1,030 respectively. The recent meeting of the Australians and the Players at the Oval is not the last first- class match of the season, for on Monday next my old friend—or perhaps I should say my friend of long standing—Mr. Alfred D. Taylor, of Hove, enters upon the state matrimonial. The announcement will be read with interest, not only throughout cricketing Sussex, but wherever devotees of the game do congregate. During many years past several articles from his pen on various phases of the game have appeared in the columns of Cricket , whilst several pub­ lications, including the invaluable Wisdent have been contributedto by him. Mr. Taylor’s collection of ciicket books, pictures, &c., is one of, if not quite, the largest in the country, whilst on the subject of the history of the game in Sussex he possesses unparalleled knowledge. It will interest students of the game to know that the bride- elect is a great grand-daughter of W. Dench, of Brighton, who, about a hundred years ago was one of the best long-stops in the country, and who immortalized himself by wearing sacking stuffed with straw when standing against the terrific bowling of George Brown.