Cricket 1902

Nov. 27, 1902. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 457 th a t desp ite th e w e t season th e accounts w ere sa tis fa c to ry . The ba la nce in fa vou r o f th e c lu b was o n ly reduced b y abou t £35 , and th is a lth ou g h a sum o f over £400 had been spen t on im p rovem en ts to th e bu ild ing s on th e S t. Law rence G round a t C an te rb u ry . I t was decided to m ake a dona tio n o f £25 to the C ric ke te rs ’ N a ti o n a l W a r F und . The O xfo rd U niversi ty cap ta in for 1903 is M r. R . Fi nd lay , th e w e ll-k n ow n w ic ke t- keepe r and O ld E to n ia n . M r. W . H . B . Evans, th e O ld M a lv e rn ia n , is th e h o no ra ry secre tary. I t is to be feared th a t Mr . R . H . Mal let t, th e hono ra ry secre ta ry o f th e second-cla ss coun tie s, w ill re s ig n h is p o s itio n ow in g to pressure o f business. T h is w o u ld be m uch to be re g re tte d , in asm uch as it is gr eat ly ow in g to M r. M a lle tt’s energy and tac t th a t th e ■second-class coun tie s have m e t wi th re co g n iti o n fro m th e a u th o rit ie s . The repo rt to be is sued to th e m em bers of th e H am psh ir e C oun ty C .C . to- day, T hu rsday , is not ve ry sa tis fa c to ry . There is an adverse ba la nce of £504 , w h ic h is not su r- p iis in g aft er tlie bad w ea th e r o f la st season. Ne xt yea r it is hoped th a t M aj or Poore , C ap ta in G re ig and L ieu t. E . I . M . Bar ret t w ill a ll be a va ila b le , w h ile Ll ew ell yn, w ho , a cco rd in g to ru m ou r, was to re ­ m a in in S ou th A fr ica , is unde r a wr itten p rom is e to retur n to p la y fo r H am p sh ire n e x t season. Thus th e team ou g h t to be m uch s tr onge r th a n it was thi s yea r. D r. B usse ll B e n c ra ft, w ho b o th as hono ra ry secre ta ry and ba tsm an ta s done so m uch fo r H am psh ir e , has expressed h is int ent ion o f re s ig n in g th e sec re ta rysh ip , and th e com m it tee w ill advise the a p po in tm en t in h is p lace o f M r. F . H . Bacon, at a sa la ry o f £200 p e r annum . The match expenses of the Worcester­ shire County C .C . were £1 ,314 , and there is an adverse balance on the year’s work of £784 . Lord Dudley has made a dona­ tion of £100 to the county club. D r . G . T h o r n t o n is pa rtic ul ar ly u n ­ lu cky in b e in g un know n to th e cr itic w ho w ri te s fo r th e Natal Mercury. Th is is how th e Mercury m an w ro te c f th e o ld Y o rk sh ire and M id d le sex c rick e te r in connec tio n wi th th e firs t m a tc h of th e A us trali a n team in S ou th Af rica :— Well, the team to represent South Africa was a really good one. Kotze was hurt, so Dr. 'lhomton was chosen, a player who, I am told, once upon a time played for Middlesex, and who has lately been playing for Dorset, the place where the butter comes from. I n one respect th e Mercury is to be cong ra tu la te d , and th a t is on th e a llow ­ ance it m ade fo r th e com p a ra tiv e ly poor show of th e A u s tr a lia n s in th e ir open in g in n in g s on S ou th A fr ica n so il. I m en tio n thi s because in th is case th e N a tal paper was rathe r th e excep tio n th a n th e ru le :— It must he remembered, said the Mercury' that the Antip deans entered upon a task immediately after three weeks on the water, and then three nights in a train. They played on a strange wicket, in strange weather, and against men they held cheaply from the first. A c c o r d in g to th e Natal Mercury C. B . Ll ew ell yn , tb e H am p sh ire p ro fess io na l w ho has re tu rn ed to S ou th Afr ica a t le ast fo r tb e w inte r, is now a c ti n g as ass is tan t to th e secre ta ry o f th e W anc’erers C ric ke t C lu b at Johannesbu rg . O n th e sub je ct o f h is in te n ti o n s w ith rega rd to E n g li sh crick e t iu th e future th e Mercury is s ile n t. So fa r as one can ju d g e fr om th e Sou th A fr ican papers th e A u stral ian c ric ke te rs w ill have no reason to com p la in o f their re cep tio n a t th e hands o f th e h ig h a u th o riti e s in tb e T ransvaa l. On O ctober 16 th th e y were th e guests o f G enera l L y tte lto n , th e comm ander o f th e Im pe ri al Forces in Sou th A frica, b im se lf an o ld c ric ke te r, a t lu ncheon a t Johannesbu rg , S1ISS MAEIQUITA KATHLEEN SMITH, the little daughter of Mr. Ernest Smith. (From a Photo by Mrs. Ernest Smith.) and on th e 21st th e y w ere he art ily w e l­ com ed b y L o rd Mi lner on th e la st n ig h t o f th e ir s tay in th a t c ity . I t w ill in te re s t m any readers o f “ G o ss ip ” to le a rn th a t Mr . Ebenezer H aw a rd has been e le cted as Be xh ill’s firs t M a yo r. M r. H aw a rd is one of th e s taunchest supporters th e game possesses in Sussex, and m any c ric ke te rs w ill be ab le to re ca ll ha rpy hou rs spen t on h is p re tty g ro und a t B irchi ngton H ouse . I t was th e re , it m ay be added , in th e firs t m tc h of th e B irch in g to n House Fo rtn ig ht in A u g u s t la s t, th at G . A . S. H ic kson set up a new record for th e H am pstead C lu b by ob ta ining tw o separa te cen tu rie s in one m a tc h . We w is h th e new M a yo r a prospe rous and a g e n ia l in n in g s . A co rrespo n d en t k in d ly d raw s m y at tenti on to some ex tra o rd in a ry sco rin g b y th e G ird le s to ne ites in th e H ouse M a tches a t C harterhouse duri ng th e pas t s as n. I the m a tches m en tio ned th e G ir d le s to ne ite s p la yed four in n in g s , each o f w h ic h r ea lis ed ove r 475, G . T . B ra ns ton o b taining a cen tu ry on each occasion. The in n in g s resu lte d as fol low s: — 665, v. Gcwn-boys, in May. (G. T. Branston 184, W. J. H. Curwen ]4Land G. V. Goodliffe 105.) 496, v. Pageit*s, in June. (G. T. Branaton 14*5.) 563, v. Saundfrites, in July. (G. T. Branston *213.) 4S i, v. Weekitea, in July. (G. T. Branaton 147,and W. J. H. Curwen 126.) A ga in s t G ow n -boys B rans to n and C added 222 for th e th ird w ic ke t, and G ood liffe and H. J. B . F ry 162 fo r ni nt h. B rans ton and C . A . L . P a scored 199 fo r th e firs t w ic ke t ag Page ites, whi lst in th e Sauaderites B ran s to n end C u rw en added 262 f th ird and G . V . G ood liffe and H . J F ry 98 fo r th e last. A g a in s t W ee B ra n s to n and C . A . L . P ayne ob ta 154 be fo re tb e firs t w ic ke t fe ll. In G ow n -boys m a tch B ra n s to n n o t made th e h ig he s t score b ut also ob t fo u rt een w ic ke ts fo r 56 run s , the r ha v in g a g rea t dea l to do w ith th e vi o f h is side b y an in n in g s and 523 The fu ll score o f thi s m a tch appear Cricket o f M a y 2 9 ih , page 169. I t is proposed to fo rm a C ric k A ssoc ia tio n fo r a ll clu bs in Nor Am e ric a . The p roposa l comes fr M r. A . E . R end le , th e p res id en t th e M e tr op o litan D is tric t C ric k League , N ew Yor k. H e sugge th a t eve ry le ague o r associa tio crick e t c lu bs in th e U n ite d S ta and Canada shou ld be eli g ib le m em bersh ip . The a rrangem en t to u rnam en t to decide th e cham p sh ip o f Am e ric a w ou ld fo llow , th e w in ne r w ou ld o b ta in posses o f a va lu ab le tr oph y fo r w h ic h w ou ld be sub je c t to cha lle nge fr a n y , o th e r m em be r o f the asso tio n . “ W h i l e I was w a tch in g a c ri ck e t m a tc h at th e M a n ha tta C ric ke t C lu b , B ro o k lyn , N .Y . w rit e s Mr . J . T . B ow en , from F M on roe , V a ., “ a b a ll was h it to of f on [a d riv e , and as it bound nea r th e ropes s tru c k a spec ta to r o ves pock t and h it some m atches i same causin g a ho le to be bu rned , th e re was some lit tle con fus io n in c ro w d as to w h a t w as happen in g . si m ilar in s ta nce has been re po rt e E n g la d . O n th e 15 th inst . a m ee tin g was in th e T o rquay T ow n H a ll, u n de r p re id ency o f th e M a yo r (C ou n c ill o r T a ylo r), for th e p u rpose o f re -e s ta b li th e to w n c rick e t c lu b . Am ong th p resen t w ere C o l. Fe llo w es (hon . s th D evonsh ire C ou n ty C .C .), th e A . E . N o rth e y , M r. F. S. A sh le y-C o (S u rre y oun ty C .C .) , th e R ev. J B i g ley , Mr . F . J. W . L ittle , M r. C . R ob in son , e tc. A fte r some intr od uc rem a rks fro m th e M a yo r, M r. L ittle hon . sec. pro tem., s ta ted tha t if a c lu b w ere fo rm ed it cou ld have th e use g ro u n d in B a rto n R oad . There w b no ra t s to pa y , and the ren t Sep tem ber 29 th , 1903, w ou ld be b ut C o l. Fe llow es, in th e course o f a in teres ting speech, w a rm ly advoca t id ea o f th e re -es ta b ’is hm en t o f th e aud s t ted th a t th e C oun ty C .C . w