Cricket 1903

98 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r il 30, 1903. and made to feel that we were at home ; we were provided with ponies and ele­ phants to ride; in fact everything that could be done to make us happy was done with enthusiasm. In addition to this the members of the team got on extremely well together. The CalcuttaClub managed the tour, and in the hands ol Mr. F. H. Stewart, the secretary, who worked very hard indeed and took an immense amount of trouble, the arrangements were ad­ mirable.” “ Did you see much of the Durbar ? ” “ We saw everything, and had a splen­ did time. We were entertained by the five regiments which formed the Vice­ roy’s escort, and it is universally known that officers are adepts at making their guests comfortable. We had seats in the best positions to see the procession and the Durbar, and we shall never forget the effect made on us by the gorgeous colours.” “ Do you at the present time feel that you would like to go on the same tour again ? ” “ Well, no, I don’t think I should. 1 am not very much in love with the sea voyage, and I don’t altogether like the constant railway travelling. We were told that we should find the travelling most luxurious, and in certain ways it is —you are not crowded, you take your own bedding, and can sleep. But the monotony, the jolting, the shunting, and the slowness of motion become wearying. My own longest journey was two nights and a day, from Calcutta to Delhi, but the rest of the team had a much more unenviable experience in coming from Trichinopoly to Calcutta. They were absolutely lost sight of for two or three days. It turned out that the train had been stopped by floods, and that they had undergone all sorts of curious experiences, including real hunger, before they arrived at Calcutta after five days travel­ ling. I think that if another tour is undertaken it will be advisable to play fewer matches, and to stay longer at each place. But every club seemed so keen to play us that it seemed unkind to refuse.” 4‘ Are there any professionals in India ? ’ ’ “ There are no Englishmen that I know of, but some of (he clubs have native professionals. At Calcutta there was a native who in my opinion was a magnificent bowler, but I don’t think they thought much of him, for he was not included in the team. I forget his name ; he was very fast. In addition he was a fine field, and he greatly dis­ tinguished himself one day when he was fielding as substitute for us. The native professionals bowl with bare feet; and seem to get a very firm hold of the turf.” “ Did you play on matting wickets at all ? ” “ Only once. This was at Delhi. Here there is no club at all, and the wicket was made on the morning of the match by crowds of coolies, female as well as male, who dug the eoil all up, pounded it to a powder, rolled and watered it, and then spread the matting over it. It turned out to be not at all a bad wicket. It must be very difficult to get a good grass wicket in India for several reasons. In the first place all the water (except at Calcutta and Bombay) has to be carried by coolies in skin bags, petroleum tins, etc., and as you never can tell how much dew to allow for, it is more or less of an accident if the wicket turns out to be perfect. The grass is tougher than in England and not so thick. It grows iu one season, and has to be raked up about every other year, for it cannot stand the heat of the sun for long. There seems no possibility of getting a permanent turf like that at Oxford and Cambridge col­ leges, for instance.” “ Cricket in India seems to be played under considerable difficulties ? ” “ It is surprising that it flourishes as it does. Men have very little time to give to cricket, while polo, which can be played for an hour, is much cheaper to play in India than in England. Then there is the difference in caste, and the impossibility of natives and Euro­ peans fraternising to any great extent. There are no professional umpires and very few professional bowlers, while in many cases the arrangements on the ground are very primitive. For example, there are very few grounds where they have the proper implements for marking out the crease, and the result is that it has to be done by guess work. Add to this the monotony of nearly always playing against the same few opponents, and the vast distance to be travelled for the few big matches, and you will see that cricketers in India are greatly handicapped.” “ Do you think that the tour of the Authentics is likely to give an impetus to cricket in India ? ” “ Undoubtedly. And it would be a good thing if other tours could be arranged. It was, of course, a bad year for cricket out there because the officers had so much extra duty on account of the Durbar, and could seldom get away, and in an ordinary year the teams which would have opposed us would have been much stronger. In most of our matches our first two or three batsmen made enough runs to give us a good chance of victory, and the rest had to score as quickly as possible if the match was to be finished. The surprise of the tour was Simpson-Hayward’s bowling, and he im­ proved so much that he can hardly be left ont of the Gentlemen’s team this year. In the course of the tour he had the unusual experience of making two hundred runs in an innings, doing the hat trick twice and making spectacles twice. After he had done the hat trick at Aligarh his third victim formally presented him with a fez such as Egyptians wear.” “ Were you struck by one thing more than another while you were in India ? ” “ There were so many wonderful things to see that it would be very difficult to say what struck one the most. But perhaps the thing which made the most impression on me had nothing to do with scenes or wonders. It was the way in which people who had lived in India for a long time feared the sun. Oddly enough the Authentics did pot as a rule seem to feel its effects at all, except at Bombay, and to us it appeared comparatively harmless. Of course, we played during what is known as the winter, but in winter or summer, residents have a t reat dread of the power of the sun. At times during the tour we found it bitterly cold, and at about five o’clock, when the sun went down, it would be even colder than the present April. In the hottest parts it was bearable at night, while in the coldest parts there was nearly always frost—a thing which we certainly had never dreamed of finding. At Peshawar the thermometer went down to 25 at night, and rose to 130 in the middle of the day, so that we had variety. I may say that at Peshawar we were in a dis­ trict where the hostile natives are always shooting at sentries. Of course, the members of the team were in no danger, but we realised that we were in the out­ skirts of civilization when it was found necessary to surround the ground with soldiers during the visit of the Duke of Connaught to see the match.” W. A. B e t t e s w o b t h . SUTTON v. PRIVATE BANKS.-Played at Catford on April 26. P r iv a t e B a n k s . W . F. Smith, 8t Jack­ son, b Hadfield ... 78 L. Davidson, b Knight 16 H. Davenwood.c Jack­ son, b Hadfield ... 9 T. Fairhead, c Blades, b K night................. 2 H. Batclay, b Knight. 0 S. Tyler, b Hadfield... 18 C. Jarrett, not out ... 4 L.Cregoe, c Hadfield, b Knight ................. F, Fitch, c Blades, b Hadfield ................. H. R. Wi.son, b Had­ field ........................ H. Blade, absent B 4 ,lb 3 ................. Total 0 .. 0 .. 7 . 136 S u t to n . R. M. Bell, b Fitch ... 29 i J. A. Knight, not out. 89 V. R. Bromage, not B 3, lb 5 ................. 8 out ........................67 — Total (1 wkt) 143 L. Jackson, G. H. Hadfield, J. G. M. Bell, C. C. Roberts, J. G. Poole, J. T. ILlington, A. L. Sloper and G. R. Blades did not bat. NOTT8 CLUB AND GROUND v. MR. J. A. DIXON’S X I.—Played at Trent Bridge, Notting­ ham, on April 23. C lub a n d G round . Iremonger, b Pennicg- ton ........................20 Gunn (G.), st Oates, b Dixon........................82 Gunn (J.), b Penning­ ton ........................ 0 Anthony, st Oates, b Dixon........................41 Day, b Pennington ... 14 Hallam, b Dixon ... 0 Total ..........131 Hardstaff, b Penning­ ton ........................ 4 _ _ „ , Mr. J. A. D ix o n ’ s XI. H. H. Goodall, c G. Gunn (W.), not out.. 77 Gunn, b Wass........ 4 H.A.Curaham, notout 84 C. R. Moms, b Wass 6 J. A. Dixon,cMarshall, b Hardstaff ..........30 Dexter, not o u t........ White, c and b Pen­ nington ................. Wass, lbw, bPenning- ton ........................ Marshall, b Penning­ ton ......................... Extras .......... l Total (3 wkts) 151 LONDON COUNTY v. TOWNLEY PARK .— Played at the Crystal Palace on April 25. Gamble took six wickets for 32 runs. W. G. Grace, jun., hit nine 4*8 and nine 3’a, and W. L. Murdoch had one 5, thiiteen 4’s and four threes. T o w n l k y P a e k . G.W.Vivian ,bKeuward 14 P. W . Hoe, b Gamble 5 H. J. Booktr, c Ken­ ward, b Gamble ... 0 W . J. Baker, run out 6 R. J. Burlington, c Brewer, b Gamble... 0 P. W. Hale, b Gamble 13 J.K. Pratt, b Richards O. Pitts, b Gamble ... E. R. Woolley, st Brewer, b Gamble... F. Wallers, not ou t.. Extras................ Total 8 0 4 8 7 . 59 W. G. Grace, jun., c Hale, 1 Pitts .......... 100 W. L. Murdoch, o Pitts, b Baker...........121 T. T. Brewer, run out 28 H. Stafford*Webber, b Baker .................. i L o n d o n C o u n t y . C. H. Richards, lbw, b Hoe ........................59 C. Hayw >od, not out 45 D. G. Gale, not out ... 29 Extras............... 63 Total (5 wkts.)...446