Cricket 1902

A pril 10, 1902. CRICKET : A. WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 57 Cricket: A WEEKLY RECORD O f THE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, L0 ID 0 I, E.C, THURSDAY, APRIL 10 th , 1902. $a\>titon #o0srtp. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time.— Hamlet T he latest rumours :— That Mr. Jessop is going in for the Church, and will not play for Gloucestershire after this season. This rumour comes from Sheffield—or thereabouts. That after this year Mr. Fry will not he seen in the Sussex Eleven. Rumour does not state whether this is because he is not good enough for the county. S o m e t h in g new is always being found out in connection with cricket, says the Australasian, and the most surprising of the discoveries are still made by the sex who do not play the game. Two ladies were discussing the uses of sight-boards during the late match in Sydney, and after many guesses one said, “ Oh, I know, they’re meant to keep the wind off the wickets.” That may not be just the real object, but seeing the extent to which batsmen are pampered now, it comes in fairly apropos as a satire. I n the first Australian innings of the fourth test match Howell was at the wickets for fourteen minutes, during which he received fifteen balls. The exact details of his score are as follows:— . 6 4 2 . 4 4 4 . . 2 4 2 4 = 35 C o m m e n t in g on the above innings, the Sydney Referee says :— The manner in which William Howell hit the bowling about on Monday, compared with the powerless and riskless cricket of most of the other players on both sides, shows that a really good hitter of the Lyons or M’Donnell type would he a giant in the average Australian team of the present day. Worrall, on his Sydney form, is the only Australian batsman of the present day in big cricket besides Howell who can hit out with­ out fear of the field. There are some good hitters in Australia who are not in first-class cricket; it is to be sincerely hoped some of of these men will be encouraged to come to the front. Besides their cricketing value, they bring into the game a brightening element that the public delights in. Old cricketers of note were as much genuinely pleased by Howell’s lusty hitting as by any­ thing else in the test match. That a game of cricket is never lost until it is won received another proof in a recent match in Australia, which is thus reported in the Axemen’s Journal: — A remarkable match was played at George Town on February 1 st between the local team and “ The Miners,” from Beaconsfield. The visitors had first use of the wicket, and made 66 runs, Parrish carrying his bat right through the innings for a well-made 23. With Bix wickets down for 32 the local team appeared beaten, when Day and Chamberlain became associated, and put on 168 for the seventh wicket, making a seventh wicket record for the State. At call of time George Town had nine wickets down for 258. J tjst before he left Australia on his return to England, Mr. F. R. Spofforth made some remarks on bowling to an interviewer. He would not take even a good fast howler to England unless he was exceptionally fast, because if the pace were not much above that of an ordinary fast bowler, he would be of no use. As a rule a fast bowler depended upon nothing but pace, and unless that pace was exceptional, it would not help his side. Jones’s previous success was achieved through his wonderful pace. Supposing that he had lost some of it then, he would not take him. There was not one exceptionally fast bowler in England now. A fast bowler was not absolutely essential to the side. He would be all right on a fiery wicket, but no other pitch would suit him. A man of extraordinary pace was of great service, but failing him he would rather have amedium-pace bowler who depended on the break, length, and deception. It was these three elements which consti­ tuted the success of Rhodes. A GOOD many cricketers in England must have been disappointed that C. J. Eady was not chosen as one of the Australian team of 1902, for he was a very popular member of the team of 1896. He was never able to do himself justice in England, on account of an attack of rheumatism following some bitterly cold weather at the beginning of the tour, but everybody who saw him bat or bowl recognised that there were great possibilities in him which only needed opportunity to be developed. If he had lived in one of the Australian States instead of in Tasmania, where a good man has very little chance to dis­ tinguish himself, he would without doubt have been one of the finest cricketers of his time. I n a match in Western Australia a batsman was clean bowled, but to his delight was given not out by the umpire on the ground that “ he did not see the ball bowled.” V e r y many cricketers will be sorry to hear that after acting as captain of the Granville (Lee) C.C. from 1893 to 1901 inclusive, Mr. C. J. M. Godfrey has decided to retire from the office, a decision which is rendered necessary because of his duties in connection with his successful new school at Horley. His loss will be felt very much indeed, not only by the members of the club, but by all who have played against it. But we may feel sure that whenever he gets the opportunity, he will still be [found in the field repre­ senting the old and famous club, which has owed so much of late years to his care and energy. He became a member of the club in 1889, and at once began to take a great interest in it, and it was chiefly owing to his exertions that it became the powerful organization which it now is, although Mr. Godfrey himself, with the modesty of a really skilful organizer, attributes any success which he may have attained to the fact that he joined the club just at the time when a lot of good men were waiting to become members. But everybody knows that unless some enthusiastic officer works night and day for a club, it does not rise to eminence. Mr. G o d f r e y ’ s last duty in connection with the Granville C.C. was to edit and compile the club’s year book for 1902, having been its editor since its institution. As usual the book gives all the information in connection with the club which can be desired by any of its membeis, and furnishes a valuable record of the past season’s doings. It may be added that on March 17th Mr. Godfrey was pre­ sented by the members with a silver bowl on his resignation of the captaincy. He was also made a life member. He then proposed as captain for 1902, Mr. P. P. Lincoln, who was elected unanimously. T he past captains of the Granville C.C. since the institution of the club in 1870 are as follows :— T. D. Furze, 1870-1 T. J. Downs, 1872-4 F. Furze, 1875-7 J. "Wilson, Jun., 1878-9 E. Rogers, 1880-2 W . Edwards, 1883-92 C.J.M. Godfrey, 1893-1902 I n a recent match at Adelaide the Mitcham C.C. scored 215 for two wickets against Commercial Travellers. Only four men batted, with the following curious result:—C. T. Wright, 53; C. Beaton, 52; A. Wilkinson, 51 not out; W. S. Bright, 50 not out. W r it in g on the subject of barracking to the Adelaide Observer, Mr. A. O. Jones says : “ That the ‘ barrackers ’ consti­ tuted only a small section was seen by the round of applause accorded Noble after sending down his first maiden, at the beginning of which he was subjected to remarks of a most offensive descrip­ tion. But these in themselves were nothing when compared with the attacks made on the umpires. An umpire occu­ pies such an onerous position that when faith in him fails a serious blow is struck at the very foundation of the game. Both Callaway and Bannerman were the subjects of ridicule and at times some­ thing worse, and cricket is coming to a nice pass when a batsman has to leave his crease to explain to a band of dissent­ ing onlookers that a decision was a correct one, as Kelly did when Hopkins was given out caught at the wicket.” “ T he wicket at the beginning of the fourth test match,” says Mr. Jones in the same journal, “ appeared a little damp, and resembled what in England we call a ‘ faked ’ wicket; that is, one prepared with a solution of liquid manure and clay for the purpose of making it hold together. The word ‘ faked ’ must not be taken to mean unfair, and when I use the term I wish to refer to a wicket upon which artificial means of prepara­ tion have been brought into requisition.