Cricket 1902

66 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, A pril 17, 1902. expense.” “ How many spectators will the ground hold now ? ” “ With the new mound, we' could hold fourteen or fifteen thousand, all of whom could see the game. Our record was on Whit-Monday last year, when, ex­ clusive of members, we had twelve thousand spectators on the ground. We have seating accommodation for nearly ten thousand, and we hope by degrees to provide plenty of shelter for wet days.” “ That seems the crying want of most cricket grounds, at any rate, in the South.” “ No doubt it would be by far the best thing to have the entire seating arrange­ ments covered in as at Nottingham, and this will, perhaps, come in time; you can’t do anything at once. Of course it is terribly trying for spectators to have to keep in the open during a heavy storm, especially as the waits are very much longer than they were twenty years ago. Then playing was very often re­ sumed almost immediately after the rain had ceased, but now a heavy storm often prevents any more cricket from being played during the day. This is partly due to the way in which the water remains on the harder wickets of modern days, and partly to the different views held by umpires as to when the ground is fit for playing, and when it is not. Now that the two captains may take the matter in their own hands, I fancy that the waits will not be as long as they have often been of late years. I never could see why a wicket should not be covered up immediately rain comes, or after cessation of play in the evening, for very often, indeed, the out-field is perfectly dry when the wicket is still under water. It would be perfectly fair to both sides if it were invariably the practice to cover up the wicket when necessary, as it would prevent the interminable waits, and, moreover, you would not have the unsatisfactory spectacle of one side or the other being placed completely out of the running on account of a heavy shower, as often happens. I have never heard any one advance a good reason why this should not be done, and before long I hope that the authorities will see the wisdom of adopting the idea, which, especially in a wet season, would improve cricket immensely.” “ Do you think the policy of giving up football at Leyton has been justified by results P” “ Certainly I do. It is true that we lost a large number of members who only joined because of the football, but on the other hand the ground has been greatly improved by the absence of football. It is not so much the actual game which spoils a ground, but the necessity of having footboards all round it and spec­ tators stamping about on muddy days. I fancy that if football were played on any ground up to January no harm would result, but it is so absolutely necessary in these days to have a good wicket that you cannot afford to take risks.” “ What are your own opinions about the wisdom or otherwise of having the magnificent wickets of modern days ? ” “ I cannot help thinking that there ought to be a limit, and that nothing ought to be done in the preparation except with the mowing machine, the roller and a fork. I am aware that it is very difficult to draw an exact line, for a groundman with brains will be certain to think of some scheme for improving wickets which shall be inside the law, and you can’t blame a man for doing the best possible; indeed, he ought to be highly praised. But still, when fourteen hundred runs are made in a three-day match for only about two innings and a half, as in the Gloucestershire match last year at Leyton, one feels that something is wrong somewhere, and that bowlers are too heavily handicapped. I would not have the bats or the stumps tampered with by any means, for this would only mean that when the wickets were bad, the game would be quite ruined, and the bowler would have just as much the upper hand as the batsman has now. But the simple fact remains that there are too many runs made, and too many drawn games.” “ But don’t you think that both from the point of view of sport and the exchequer a well-fought drawn game is better than a finished game which fizzles away early on the third day ? ” “ Well, that is a point which is not very easy to settle, at any rate from the point of view of the exchequer. I don’t think there can be much doubt that what the public want is blood—that is to say, they want to see their own side win. If you make drawn games with Gloucester­ shire and Surrey for instance there is a feeling of dissatisfaction, and would-be spectators go off to the Oval or Lord’s if they think they will see a finish. On the other hand, spectators won’t come on the third day if they think that the match may be over before they reach the ground. So that on the whole one hardly knows what to think. But unquestionably the ideal is to win nearly all your matches, as Yorkshire did last year—there will be no difficulty in making both ends meet then. I believe a good many more matches might be finished if there were not so many unnecessary delays. Look at the time which is lost between the fall of a wicket and the resumption of the game, when the incoming batsman takes four or five minutes before he is ready to receive his first ball. In connection with this I am reminded of a criticism which appeared in one of the sporting papers some years ago. A young University freshman was playing at the Oval, and in referring to his innings the critic said that Mr. So-and-so, who was playing for his blue, took more time to walk to the wicket than it did to play his innings ! ” “ Have you any other idea about making matches more interesting.” “ I am inclined to think that this could be done if points were given for winning the first innings. I should not like to see first-class matches decided entirely on the first innings, for this would mean that the play on the third day would nearly always be quite without interest. I have heard it objected that if points were given for winning the first innings, it would tend to make the winning side stonewall. But against this it may be urged that in the fourth innings a side with nothing to lose and everything to gain would endeavour to make runs at a rate which would cause the greatest excitement.” To use a schoolboy expression, Mr. Borradaile is a whale for club cricket, and there can be few men who have played in more club matches than he. What is more, he still continues to make runs, and it was only last season that he scored his last hundred. With such a wide experience, he could hardly help being able to tell a story or two, and as a matter of fact he is a cricketer who is quick to notice anything humorous. He alone of all cricketers has run a batsman out because the latter was on fire, only to find the umpire obdurate. But let him tell the story himself. “ I was play­ ing in a workmen’s match at Harrow,” he said. “ A ball hit the batsman on the leg, and rolled on to me at short slip. The batsman began to rub his corduroy trousers with vigour, and during the operation moved about in his crease, which he finally left, whereupon I stepped up to the wicket and removed the bails, since the wicket-keeper, for some reason which I could not understand, was not attending to his business, but flapping his gloves about. I soon discovered that the ball had struck against a match box in the batsman’s pocket and set the matches alight, and that it was not merely a slight bruise which had caused all this prancing about. Of course the umpire said he couldn’t give a man out for being on fire, and we all agreed that the circumstances warranted him in con­ tinuing his innings.” On April 10th, Mr. Borradaile attended the annual dinner of the Stoics C.C., of which he was honorary secretary for many years and is now captain. In the course of the evening, he told the following story. “ It was in a match down Mitcham way,” he said, “ and the bowler—I think it was Richardson—pitched a very fast ball right on the batsman’s instep, and appealed for leg-before-wicket. With­ out a shadow of a doubt, the man was plumb in front, and the umpire, unhesitatingly, gave him out. But he took no notice of the decision, and still went on rubbing his instep. Pre­ sently the wicket-keeper thought it was time to give him a hint, and he said, ‘ I’m afraid, Sir, you’ll have to go. The umpire has given you out leg-before wicket! ’ To which the batsman gave the unexpected reply. ‘ That’s all right, I’m going out as soon as ever I can move ! ’ ” W. A. B etteswortii . C RICKET Report Sheets, lOd. per dozen, post free. Order of Going-in Cards, 7d. per dozen, post free. Cricket Score Books, 6d. and Is. each; postage, 2d. extra.—T o be obtained at the Offices o f Cricket, 168* Upper Thames Street London, E.C.