Cricket 1902

A p r i l 10, 1902. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 61 AMERICAN NOTES. From The American Cricketer. It now looks as if a match between Gentlemen and Players would again be arranged. The Associated Clubs of Philadelphia have taken the matter up and will, doubtless, carry it through to a successful conclusion. It should be arranged annually, and as a matter of policy the Eleven representing the Gentlemen of Philadelphia should be composed of at least a majority of the younger players. While the winning of the match might be slightly endangered by this, the opportunity given some of the younger men to represent Philadel­ phia would be invaluable. Another interesting fixture which might be arranged for some Saturday in the middle of Summer, when it would not interfere with the regular schedule, would be Married v. Single. Two strong Elevens could be picked from amongst the best men of the city, and the rivalry would be intense. Another match could be Under Thirty v. Over Thirty. Matches of this nature are a great relief to the monotony of a regular schedule and tend to develop a better feeling among the players by drawing them closer together. One afternoon in the field together on the same side would do more to develop a friendship between two men of different clubs than several seasons’ play as opponents. All it needs to bring about these matches is to have some one with weight in our cricket circles take the matter in hand, and the support and encouragement he would receive would surely reward him. In this same strain, it is encouraging to believe that the match recently sug­ gested by Mr. Henry Cope—University of Pennsylvania Past and present v. Haverford College Past and Present— will be an annual fixture. As has been pointed out so often, every cricketer in the front rank in Philadelphia, with the exception of Messrs. Wood, Mason and King, would be eligible for inclusion in one team or the other. It is hard to say which could place the stronger team in the field, but it would certamly be a memorable struggle for victory, and would create almost as much interest as an international match. It might be a good idea to intersperse the Cup matches with the proposed inter-city, English residents, and Haver­ ford University of Pennsylvania matches, and thus avoid to some extent the tendency, which has been increasing of late, to magnify the Halifax Cup com­ petition and make it all important. The other matches would be somewhat of a relief from the regular schedule. Plans for the coming season are beginning to take shape, and already the keener spirits are looking forward eagerly to the first donning of the flannels. Another month and the opening of the season will be only a few days off. It is to be hoped that the contest for first honors will be as well contested as last year and that the interest and uncertainty will be kept up till the last match of the year. At the present writing it looks as though the same Elevens as last year will compete for the Halifax Cup. This announcement will hardly be agreeable news to those who had hoped for a more open competition and at least two or three new clubs entered. About the only cause for satisfaction is that the length of the season will be shortened by cutting down the number of matches each team will play with the remaining teams entered to two instead of three, as last year. One good result of the recent meeting of the Associated Clubs, was that steps were taken to arrange for inter-city matches with New York and Baltimore. The New York match was called off last year, as a satisfactory date could not be agreed upon. Baltimore is hardly equal to playing the combined strength of the Philadelphia Clubs, and this is not at all to be wondered at. Probably few cricketers know under what adverse circumstances the game is carried on in Baltimore. There are not more than twenty men in the city who are, what might be called “ active cricketers, and it can easily be seen what a difficult matter it must be to keep up any sort of interest in the game. There are very few juniors coming on to fill vacancies caused by the retirement of the older men. Notwith­ standing this, the game has a firm foot­ hold, and the Baltimoreans can put a pretty strong eleven in the field. It was decided at the recent meeting of the Associated Clubs that it was impracticable to admit Baltimore and the Knickerbocker Athletic Club of New York to the Halifax Cup competition. While it was admitted that their entries would be very desirable, it was seriously doubted whether the two clubs in question could be relied on to fulfil a long schedule involving matches every Satur­ day, many of ttiem away from home, necessitating the players taking off the whole day in order to take part in the match. This point can only be settled conclusively by putting the plan to a test. Mr. F. F. Kelly, of the Knicker­ bocker Athletic Club, is very much in favor of entering his club, and even goes so far as to guarantee that the Knickerbocker Athletic Club will put a representative Eleven in the field on all occasions. It seems a pity that the clubs in Philadelphia do not arrange more out-of-town matches, especially with the New York clubs. The distance separating the two cities is very small, and when compared with the distances travelled by the English county elevens in filling their schedules is insignificant. The trip to New York or Baltimore is always an exceedingly enjoyable one socially, and provides a good contest against comparatively strange players, a point greatly to be desired. SCHOLARSHIPS AND CRICKET. When the details of the remarkable will of Mr. Cecil Rhodes became public, it was found that rumour had been correct in stating that the great statesman had made provision for many scholarships at Oxford University, and that proficiency in such games as cricket would be con­ sidered in the election of the scholars. As this is almost entirely a new departure in the way of scholarships, and is in our opinion, of the utmost importance, we append the clauses in the will which explain Mr. Rhodes’ ideas on the subject:— My desire being that the students who shall be elected to the scholarships shall not be merely bookworms, I direct that in the election of a student to a scholarship, regard shall be had to (1) His literary and scholastic attain­ ments. (2) His fondness of and success in manly outdoor sports, such as cricket, football, and the like. (3) His qualities of manhood, truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for the protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfish­ ness, and fellowship, and (4) His exhibition during school days of moral force of character, and of instincts to lead and to take an interest in his school­ mates, for those latter attributes will be likely, in after life, to guide him to esteem the performance of public duties as his highest aim. As mere suggestions for the guidance of those who will have the choice of students for the scholarships, I record that (1) My ideal qualified student would combine these four qualifications in the proportions of three-tenths for the first, two-tenths for the second, three-tenths for the third, and two-tenths for the fourth qualification, so that, according to my ideas, if the maximum number of marks for any scholarship were 200 , they would be apportioned as follows: sixty to each of the first and third qualifications, and forty to each of the second and fourth qualifica­ tions. (2) The marks for the several qualifica­ tions would be awarded independently as follows—that is to say, the marks for the first qualification by examination, for the second and third qualifications respectively by ballot by the fellow students of the candidates, and for the fourth qualification by the head master of the candidate’s school. And (3) The results of the awards (that is to say, the marks obtained by each candidate for each qualification) would be sent as soon as possible for consideration to the trustees, or to some person or persons appointed to receive the same, and the per­ son or persons appointedwould ascertain by averaging the marks in blocks of 20 marks each of all candidates, the best ideal quali­ fied students. F o r CRICKET Cricket Ground TEAK 8EAT8, Lawn Tennis TEAK SEATS, and portable folding TEAK CHAIRS. Buy CASTLE’S Taak SeatI, w hich require neither PAINT nor VARNISH. \ As supplied to the SURREY COUNTY CLUB, * ' Kennington Oval, AND Tennis Grounds, Parks, Gardens, Parades, AND ALL OP.N SPICES. ADDRESS— H. CASTLE S l SONS, Ld./ BALT IC W H A R F , M I L L B A N K , S.W.