Cricket 1902

454 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 27, 1902. he is playing a slow game, if he is getting from it the physical and moral benefit he seeks ; for games after all were invented for players, not for spectators. He can learn lessons of self control, patience, endurance, and perseverance, which he can obtain in no other way. Above all, he has a lifelong recreation, leading him into pleasant places and among pleasant companions, which he can enjoy till his hair is white and his eye dim. To the eye of a novice a sprinter covering ten yards a second is simply a human being endowed with great speed. He has no appre­ ciation of the course of careful training which has made every motion of the figure, moving so easily and gracefully, a second nature. So to the uninitiated, a batsman scoring under difficulties, is nothing but a man with an apparently ample bat, occa­ sionally interfering with what a critic in Chicago once called ‘ ‘ the regular and orderly course of the bouncing ball.” The long training in the fundamentals of defence, the instantaneous accord of hand and eye required to stop the “ regular course” of the fast yorker; the keen watching of the bowler’s hand to determine which way the “ orderly ball ” will bounce; the disastrous experience necessary to teach one the dangers lurking in the tempting off-ball; the quick dash which converts the length ball into the half volley ; the study and forethought necessary to antici­ pate and forestall the next plan of the bowler; all these are to such a ciitic things signifying nothing. But whether such an one would have the same opinion of bowling after an hour of “ regular, orderly, and bouncing balls ” from Jones or King, is a matter which admits of some doubt. It is not to novices, indeed, but to cricketers who have themselves played other games, that the judgment of the sport must be left. But this is too late a day to pose as an apologist for a sport which has been rightly called not a game but an institu­ tion. The notion that baseball and cricket are quite incompatible games is largely erroneous. The best school batsmen at cricket are often the best batters at baseball. The peevish dread that some cricket coaches betray that their charges should contract the habit of hitting across, because they play a few base­ ball games, and the foolish precautions which forbid baseball players from touching a cricket bat, often depend upon the ignorance of the coaches of games outside of their own. The essential thing is that a boy shall have mastered the fundamentals of the art in the game in which he aims to be proficient, before he concerns himself with the other. The strokes in the two games are so entirely difierent that there is, after all, little danger of confusing them. A really good eye shows itself equally well in the batter’s box and before the wickets. The team which won the Philadelphia Interacademic championship in baseball last year, was practically identical with the team which won the same champion­ ship in cricket. As far as fielding goes, good bateballers are almost necessarily good cricketers ; outfielders have the same function in both games; and shortstops usually make admirable cover-points. Catchers with a little training and adaptation sometimes become excellent wicket-keepers. It might be supposed from the foregoing paragraphs that American cricket is confined to 1hiladelphia. Such is, however, not the case, for there are players of the first rank in New York. The clubs in and about Boston are legion. Baltimore, too, has produced some capital players, though the supply of those who must some day take their places seems scanty. There has been some heavy scoring at times in San Francisco, and one can get enjoyable cricket on cocoanut matting in Southern California. It has indeed been often suggested that a team chosen to be representative of the whole of the United States would be the best one to send abroad. But the difficulties in the way of such a team are very great. Comparisons of records is entirely misleading, unless the condition of the ground and the excellence of the bowling are known. Outside of Messrs. Cobb and Kelly of New York, who are often too good for the best of Philadelphia batsmen, there are very few cricketers within easy reach whose performances would warrant their con­ sideration for a place on a representative American team. Hitherto it has been felt that a representative Philadelphia eleven is not far from a representative eleven of the United States. A P C JN -I S H 1N G IN N IN G S . “ The Australian cricketers have at least one Darling among them,” observed the Erratic Contributor. “ And a Noble one too,” retorted theEditor of Cricket . “ We were Bisset with misfortune, but they did not quite clear the Board” replied the Erratic One. “ If you go on like that I think Ollivierre ,” said the Editor, taking down his hat, “ and as all Rhodes don’t lead to Somerset or Washing­ ton, I ’ll make for Marlow or the Woods, although I ’m afraid there’s no Woodcock there; but if I see a Bull in the Field I feel a King or a Knight at least.” “ Calls himself a Gentleman and has the bad Grace to pun iike that,” said the Office Boy, “ Why, I could make a Page of them.” “ Hark at De Little Barker,” grinned the Artist, “ how Blythe and Sharpe he is.” “ That’s the Worcester you,” retorted the Erratic One, “ you don’t care a Straw for what other people do, but when you make a pun we must be on it like a Bird and Foster it.” “ Oh ! Trott and eat Oates with the man in the M o o n said the Artist. “ Go and Fry yourself or get choked with a Brann mash,” yelled the Erratic One. Great Constantine and Jackson, would you arouse my Mordaunt passion ? ” “ K illick” snapped the Office Boy, “ we Kinneir without yelling.” “ I’ll make a Denton your Whitehead before the Day is out,” retorted the Contributor roughly, “ though I doubt if such Wood possesses Brain.” “ It wouldn’t be Soar even if it was Kort­ r i g h t sneered the Boy. “ Don’t be a Butcher and Lcvcson-Gower,” chimed in the Artist, “ he’s got a Steel Tate, (that’s covered in blue Mold), so you might not be Abel ; but not even a Carpenter , a Mason , or a Tyler could open it.” “ Nor a Taylor , nor a Baker, nor a Smith” said the boy, gravely. “ Well, I’m sorry I spoke so Rashleigh, and I suppose I must give him his Mead of praise,” said the Erratic Contributor, getting quite Bland, “ All Hale, friend, I ’ll stand you a Burton or a Gill of the Vine juice for that,” said the Artist cheerily. “ After he’s paid what’s Owen,” interrupted the boy. “ Let him Hearne it first,” growled the Editor. “ For myself I would Fane leave you. Still, taken altogether, it’s Bean a Baldwin all round.” And all the time the office cat had been Rawlin on the floor. A l f r e d D. T a y lo r . C R IC K E T IN P H IL A D E L P H I GENTLEMEN OF PHILADELPHIA v. ENGLISH RESIDENTS. First match at Elmwood, August 16, 1902’ Philadelphia won by 52 runs. King took seven English wickets for 26, Irving seven Philadelphian for 72 runs. G entlem en of P h il a d e lp h ia . J. B. King, b IrviDg .. 18 C. C. Morris, lbw, b Irvirg ............... 11 P, N. Le Boy, cVarley, b Bennett...............10 A.M.Wood,cYarley, b Irving ......... .25 P.C.Sharpkss,stLeeeh, b Y a rley ...............35 E. M. Cregar, b Irving 6Total F. 8. White, c Leech, b Irving ................. E nglish R esidents . H.Haines, c Wooley, b Varley ................. W. P. O’Neill, not out T. C. Jordan, c Leech, b Irving ................. F. <lark, c Wooley, b Var'ey ................. Extras 1 ... 17 ..148 Wooley, c O’Neill, b K in g ........................14 Bennett, b King . ... 29 Burrows, c Haines, b K in g ........................ 9 Sm th, st Jordan, b Le Roy ........................ 0 E. K. Leech, b King .. 0 Varley,cKing,b LeRoy 2 Irving, b K in g .......... C. Coates, b King ... Y. Fisher, b King ... H. Statzell, run out... Handford, not out ... Extras................. Total .......... Return match, played at Elwood on Septem­ ber 1. Drawn. E nglish R esidents . Beenett, b Graham Brooking, lbw, b King 18 Lane, lbw, b King ... 4 E. Guest, b Haines ... 22 Moore,cCregar,bKing 27 Burrows, run out ... 11 Varley, cWood, b King 0 Smith, b King .......... 0 M. Graham, c D. Gra­ ham, b K in g ..........19 Irvitg. not o u t ......... 33 C. P. Hurditch, lbw, b Mt rice .................21 Extras.................87 Total ...293 G entlem en of P h ila d e lph ia . C. C. Morris, b IrviDg 21 C. J. Allen, b Lane ... 82 J. B. King, run o u t... 89 A. M.Wood, c Guest, b Irving .................83 W.N. Morice, b Smith 11 E.M.Cregar,c Bennett, b Smith .................18 E. Rodgers, b Irving.. C. Coates, not out ... D. Graham, lbw, b Irving ................. H. H. Lowry, not out Extras................. H. A. Haines did not bat. Total (8 wkts) 284 PHILADELPHIA v. CANADA. The thirtieth annual match between Phila­ delphia and Canada, played at Manheim, Philadelphia, on September 12 and 13, ended in favour of Philadelphia by an innings and 1 04 runs. The Canadians only reached Philadelphia on the morning of the first day, after travelling all night, and were seen, at the outset at least, at a great disadvantage. King and Morris put on 111 for the Phila­ delphians’ first wicket. C a n a d a . First innings. Second innings. H. Lownesborough, b King 0 b King..................19 J. L. Coun6ell, b King ... 2 c Wood, bCregar 3 C. Edwards, b King .............. 1c Jordan, b Clark 6 J. Forrester, c Morris, b King ............................... 0 b K ing................ 15 J. H. Young, st Jordan, b Clark ............................... 0c Clark, b King .. 4 H. B. McGiverin, not out... 23c Peirson, b Cre- gar ................. 18 A. MacKenzie, c Adams, b King ...............................10 c LeRoy, b King 0 T. Lucas, c and b King ... 8 b K ing.................24 J. Edwards, b King ............. 0 not out..................10 J. Livingstone, run out ... 3 cCoates,b Adams 0 H. Ackland, absent ............. 0 c and b Clark ... 6 Extras........................ 2 Extras ..........29 Total.. Total ..........134 P h ila d e lph ia . J. B. King, c C. Ed­ wards, b Lownes­ borough .................56 C. C. Morris, st Ack­ land, b McGiverin .. 73 H. A. Haines, c Coun- tell, b Y oung..........33 A. M.Wood. c Lownes­ borough,bMcGiverin 38 P.N. LeKoy.c Lownes­ borough,bMcGiverin 3 E. M. Cregar, b Lucas 19 C. Coates, c and b McGiverin .......... 0 D. H. Adams, b Lucas 18 F. G. Pearson, c Low­ nesborough, b Mc­ Giverin .................20 P. H. Clark, b Lu as 6 T. C. Jordan, not out 0 Extras ... ..........21 Total , ..287