Cricket 1902

M ae . 27, 1902. CRICKET j A. WEEKLY KEOORt) OF THE GAME. 41 the same pair in Victoria's second innings v. New South Wales opened the batting, this time putting on 154, of which Worrall’s share was 106. This latter match had produced already even abetter performance of the same kind in 165 by A. J. Hopkins and C. Gregory for the first wicket of New South Wales. At the commencement of the match, in this innings of New South Wales, it is worthy of remark that in a total of 327 the last six wickets fell for 17. T here is a mournful satisfaction in the news that George Strachan’s life’sinnings came to an end in the way one would have liked, remembering him as the good sportsman he was in the days of his Surrey cricket, that is to say, in the earlier seventies. The following extract from the report of Captain Trollope, the chief superintendent of the Orange River Colony Refugee Camps, shows that he died in a good cause and in harness, interested in one of the best works—the relief of others Middelburg Camp, says Captain Trollope in his report, which at one time gave very considerable anxiety, has been entirely re­ organised, and is now a model of what a camp should he, thanks to the exertions of the late Mr. Stevens (or George Strachan, as he was known in first-class cricket in England), who laid down his life owing to sheer hard work in connection with the change of site of the camp. In the same report Captain Trollope points out that cricket, tennis, football, as well as croquet, are played in all these refugee camps, and that all the young Boers are encouraged in British games. M ore cricket reminiscences. This time it is Alfred Shaw who will be responsible for the material with Mr. A. W. Pullin (Old Ebor), whose interesting sketches under the title of Chats with Old English Cricketers, published some time back, were so successful, as his recorder. With all his experience of English and Australian cricket, Shaw ought to have a collection of incidents and anecdotes more than sufficient to provide a most readable volume. A statistical chapter by Mr. A. J. Gaston of Brighton, will be a guarantee that the record of Shaw’ s doingswith bat and ball will be absolutely reliable. “ N ot -O u t ” in the Sydney Referee points out a peculiar coincidence in the two matches played by Mr. Maclaren’s team against New South Wales. In the last match in the second innings of New South Wales, 936 balls were bowled. In the first innings in the return, exactly the same number of balls were sent down. In the first case, New South Wales scored 422, in the second 432. S ome of the Australian critics, not unnaturally, look forward to a little excitement in view of the experi­ ments to be tried of the proposed new leg-before-wicket rule in English cricket. One of them thinks it would be quite amusing to see a match played under this rule with bowlers of the type of L. C. Braund and G. R. C. Clarke, the New South Wales bowler, if they were in good form. They will have a chance of being edified or otherwise, as the rule is to be tried not only in the Second Division of the County Champion­ ship, but in the match at Lord’s between M.C.C. and Ground v. Yorkshire, on May 5th, 6th and 7th. T he following par is reproduced, verbatim, et literatim , from an Australian paper, which, well—ought to know better. Like the editor of the Eatanswill Gazette, the cricket critic has “ combined” his information:— The follwoing English professionals are to receive benefit matches next season: Albert Ward and J. T. Tyldesley (Lancashire), T. Hayward (Surrey), W. Storer (Derbyshire), W. Gnnn (Notts), Barton (Hampshire), Whiteside {Middlesex), Geo. Hay ( Middle­ sex and M.C.C.) B y the inclusion of Jones, Howell, Saunders and Hopkins, the Australian team of 1902 was completed at the beginning of the month, and is as fol­ lows : J. Darling (S.A.), M. A. Noble (N.S.W.), V. Trumper (N.S.W.), C. Hill (S.A.), H. Trumble (Y.), J. J. Kelly (N.S.W.), Sydney E. Gregory (N.S.W.), R. A. Duff (N.S.W.), W. Armstrong (Y.), W. Carter (N.S.W.), J. Saunders (V.), E. Jones (S.A.), W. P. Howell (N.S.W.), and A. J. Hopkins (N.S.W.). The team (with the exception of Hugh Trumble, who is a passenger on the “ Oceana ” ) sailed from Adelaide on Thursday last (March 20th) in the Orient Liner “ Omrah.” The members of Mr. Mac­ laren’s team are travelling by the same boat. ------ I n first-class matches during their tour in Australia the Englishmen scored 4914 runs for 185 wickets; average, 26'56 per wicket. The Australians scored 5094 runs for 208 wickets ; average, 24-49 per wicket. A t the annual meeting of the Kent County C.C. it was stated that £498 had been carried forward, and that the loan on the new pavilion at Canterbury had been reduced from £2,000 to £1,300, while a debt of £720 had been discharged. It was resolved to make a grant of £100 to Walter Heame, instead of giving him a benefit match. Earl Darnley (well- known to cricketers as the Hon. Ivo Bligh) was elected president for 1902. R tjmours as to Mr. Maclaren’s inten­ tions are still prevalent, although at the end of February Dr. Bencraft received a letter from him stating that he intended to play for Hampshire this season. On the other hand it was announced at a private meeting of the Lancashire County C.C. on March 7th that negotiations were proceeding with Mr. Maclaren. A n altogether remarkable occurrence in a match at Melbourne between East Melbourne and St. Kilda has given rise to much discussion in Australia. Wright, who was batting for East Mel­ bourne, touched a ball which cannoned off the wicket-keepers hands into the wicket, where it stuck fast between the middle and off stumps after removing the bails. With much care the wicket­ keeper took the ball from its place, and, of course, appealed for a catch, where­ upon Wright was given out. It is argued—on what grounds it is difficult to see—that in such a case the ball ought to be considered as dead, j ust as if it had entered the batsman’s pad. But if Wright had been out of his crease under the same circumstances he would have been given run out by any umpire under the sun. O ut of 89 completed innings played by the Englishmen in the recent matches against Australia, only 17 were ended by the batsman being bowled. “ Run out ” ended five innings, “ l.b.w.” eight, “ stumped ” three, and “ caught ” 56. S u f f o l k has formed a county cricket club, and matches have already been arranged for this season with second- class counties, including Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. A t the annual meeting of the Warwick­ shire County C.C. a small deficit was announced. With regard to the arrange­ ments for the match against Australia to be played at Edgbaston, the chairman said the ground would accommodate 12,000 to 15,000, but as they would probably have to make arrangements for from any number between 25,000 and 50,000, he could not say anything but that the committee were doing the best they could. The club was very much indebted to the Aston Villa F.C., which had promised the loan of seating accom­ modation for 5,000 spectators. A fter visiting Ceylon, Madras and Bombay, K. S. Ranjitsinhji went to stay in Rajputana with his uncle, Sir Pertal Singh. He will probably be in England again by the end of April. A lthough the Englishmen in the West Indies won their Jamaica matches with the greatest ease, there is no doubt that their remarkable luck in winning the toss had more than the usual advantage. For they generally finished their first innings in the middle of the afternoon, just about the time when the Jamaicans were completely fagged out by the intense heat which prevailed, and in no condition to play a long innings. But this sort of thing is all in the fortune of the game. In their Jamaica matches the Englishmen drew for the order of going in, so that the captain is not to be blamed for at one time sending a man in first, and after he has made a big score, reducing him to the ranks, or rather the tail. I t is not by any means an unheard of thing for a man who has been chosen solely for his batting or bowling, to fail in the one branch of the art of cricket and succeed in the other; but the Jamaicans have had an exceptiona