Cricket 1903

130 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 14, 1903. club cricket get more chances now of coming to the front than he did years ago ? ” “ It depends a great deal on the club. As a rule a boy does not get much coaching after he leaves school, and I have never noticed any serious coaching at the nets. On the other hand, a man who is keen can get almost as much practice as he likes at the nets, and as everybody takes a turn with the ball, it generally happens that nearly everybody can bowl a little. The ground man adapts himself with much consideration to the idiosyncrasies of the batsmen, and I remember one of his class saying to me, ‘ Oh, I don’t believe in bowling a gentle­ man too often. I give him one to hit, one to play, and one to get him out.” “ What about fielding ? ” “ Relatively it is better than in first- class cricket. The men who are very keen and very good fields are never likely to become stale like those who take part every day in first-class cricket. Person­ ally I think that too much blame is given to first-class cricketers when they make mistakes, for a man ought to be very fit and very strong in order to be able to stand the work required in fielding day after day in hot weather on hard ground. He may be very keen in the morning, and be, pardonably, a little slack before the time for drawing stumps.” “ You have played a good deal of cricket yourself ? ” “ I have played indifferent cricket for a long while—let us say tenth-rate cricket. I believe that the only first-class bowler I ever played against was Bowley. The wickets were pitched east and west, and when the time came for me to go in the sun was setting just behind Bowley’s arm, which of course looked quite black against it. When he bowled the first ball I never had even a glimpse of it, but I heard loud shouts of ‘ Catch i t ! ’ I felt very pleased with myself when, after I had made double figures, and to some extent got my eye in, the sun had just gone down behind the houses. And then I got out to the other bowler. In one match in which I was plajing I thought I had rather hard lines. For some time before it came off I had been unlucky in the extreme, and never could give half a chance wit hout it was accepted, even if the fieldsman was the biggest duffer in the opposing team. But in this match I was missed at least half-a-dozen times off very easy chances. I had gone in first, and saw the tenth wicket fall. But I did not carry my bat. We had lent the other side one of our men—a mere youngster—in oidar to play twelve a side, and tbis youngster then went on to bowl and got my wicket at once.” Mr. Christian played in former days on the ground of the Brixton Club, whose matches took place on the “ Leg of Mut­ to n ” field, now in the builder’s hinds. “ In one of our matches,” he said,“ we had lost four wickets for less than 20 runs. Somebody had done the hat-trick and I was the last of his victims. It was then suddenly discovered that our opponents had twelve men in the field, and of course our captain insisted on beginning the match again. Tbe other si(fi generously offered to lend us a substitute in order to make the numbers equal, and allow the game to stand as it was, but our captain would not take advantage of them, and so the game began again. We didn’t do anything quite as sensational in the new game. I should like to say, in con­ nection with the Brixton Club, that Frank Cheesewright, who died not long ago in Australia, was one of the best batsmen who never played in first-class cricket. I believe that he was offered a chance to play for Surrey, but could not afford to leave his business. Like all men who play at all I used to think I might have been a county player, given the necessary conditions. The conditions would have been ample leisure, proper coaching at the critical time, and a qualification for a third-class county which found a difficulty in getting to­ gether an eleven.” W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN 1903. MILL HILL SCHOOL. MAY. 13. Mill Hill, v. L. A. Cane, Esq.’a XI. 16. Mill Hill, v. University College School 23. Mill Hill, y . University College 27. Finchley, v. Finchley JUNE. 1. Mill Hill, y . Arkley 3. Mill Hill, v. London Scottish 6 . Mill bill, v. Bedford Modern School 13. Cambridge, r. The Leys School 20. Mill Hill, v. Hampstead 24. Neaaden, v. University College School JULY. 1. Mill Hill, v. Royal Naval School 4. Mill Hill, v. Aldenham School 8 . Bedford, v. Bedford Modern School 11. Mill Hid, v. University College School Old Boys 15. Mill Hill, v. M.C.C. 18. Mill Hill, v. Finchley 22 . Mill Hill, v. Wellingborough Grammar School 25. Mill Hill, v. Old Millhillians SUTTON v. ADDISCOMBE.-Played at Sutton on May 9th. S utton . R M. Bell, c and b C. V. R. Bromage, c A. Kenward................. 3 Y\ilt 8 hiie, b C. Wilt­ G. H. Hadfied, c E. shire ........................ 5 Wiltshi.e, b Kobarts 59 R. S. Dally, c Robarts, J. A. Knight, b C. b C. Wiltshire 0 Kenward................. 3 J. G. M. Bell, c E. L. Jackson, cPyobarts, Wiltshire, b C. Ken­ b C. Kenward . 41 ward ........................ 0 S. J. Brocklesly, c G. R. Blades, b C. Iiobarts, b C. KenKenward................. 2 ward ........................ 3 B 2, lb 2 .......... 4 C. C. Roberts, b C. — Kenward................. 3 Total ..........140 J. T. Illington, not out 17 A ddibcom b *. E. Wiltshire, b Had- A. Wiltshire, c and b fleld ........................ 0 R Bell ................. 0 C. W. Lindsay, b U. C.Kenward, c Roberts, Bell ........................ 46 bR . Bell... ......... 5 H. G. Roberta, b Had- F. W. Robarts, b Had- fleld ........................ 15 fle ld ........................ 9 R. S. Turner, c BrockA. C. Beaton, not out 5 lesly, b K. Bell 38 H. Y. Brown, b Had- R. Kenward, c Robtleld ........................ 2 erts, b K. Bell.......... 12 B yes................. 4 T. R. Warren, b Had- — field ........................ 0 Total .........136 C RICKET Report Sheets, lOd. per dozen, poet free* Order of Going-In Cards, 7d. per dozen, post free* Cricket Score Books, 6 d. and Is. each ; postage. 30 extra.—To be obtained at the Office of Vrickei, 168, Upper Thames Street, London, B.C. © o r r e s t p o n O e n c e . The Editor does not hold himself responsible for the opinions of his correspondents. TRUMPER’S DUCK’S EGG. To the Editor o f C r ic k e t . S ir , —In your issue of February 26th you write as follows: “ In the return match between New South Wales and Victoria, Trumper’s duck’s egg in this match was the first that he has made in 59 consecutive innings.” I am not going to question its acauracy as I do not go outside of Australia for records, but accepting Trumper’s performance as a basis, it is easily beaten in Australia by F. Laver, of Victoria, who, starting in November, 1891, against South Australia with two innings scores of 5 and 1 and playing up to and inclusive of the match, curiously enough, against South Aus­ tralia, in November, 1900, in which he made in his only innings one run—ten years, during which time he played in 37 consecutive matches for 67 innings, and did not register one duck’s egg, the sequence being broken in the following match, when he made a “ blob ” in his only innings against New South Wales, December, 1900. The matches played in were as follows:— Mtchs. Inns. Against South Australia ........................ 16 ... 28 „ New South Wales.......................... 12 ... 23 ,, Tasmania...................................... 1 ... 2 „ Amateurs v. Professionals......... 1 ... l „ New Zealand................ .......... 1 ... l „ England...................................... 3 ... 6 For Rest of Aust’lia v. Team for England 3 ... 6 37 67 Yours, etc., R. H. C a m p b e l l . 388, Albert Street, E. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. April 8th, 1903. VICTOR TRUMPER’S HITTING. To the Editor of Ckicxbt. S i r , —In “ Pavilion Gossip ” in the March number of Cricket (page 43) you have reproduced an extract from the Sydney Mail from which it appears that that paper seems to think that V. Trum­ per’s hitting in the match, Paddington v. Redfem, has never been surpassed on any ground. May I take the liberty of pointing out that W. Hyman’s hitting in the match, Bath v. Thornbury, played at Bitth iast July, slightly surpasses Trumper’s hitting in the match referred to above. Iu his innings of 359 (not out) Hyman hit thirty-two 6’s and thirty 4’s [vide Vol. X X L of Cricket, p. 292), which is a shade superior to Trumper’s twenty- two 5’s and thirty-nine 4’s in an innings of 335. Hyman scored 812 of his runs, i.e., nearly 87 per cent., by means of 4’s and 6’s ; whereas Trumper scored 266, i.e., 80 per cent, only of his runs, by means of 4’s and 5’s. Yours truly, D. J. W. Parsee Bazaar Street, Bombay. 25th April, 1903.