Cricket 1903

132 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 14, 1903. it has as yet attained. For some reason hard to name the game in the county does not appear to meet with much sup­ port at the present time. Those of us whose acquaintance with Devonshire cricket goes back thirty or forty years, will be able to recall the enjoyable times experienced during the Torquay Week, when Torquay could boast one of the strongest teams in the west of England, and where such clubs as the M.C.C., the Incogniti and the Civil Service regularly visited the town. A few months ago the Torquay C.C. was resuscitated amidst much enthusiasm, and Col. Fellowes,— the hon. sec. to the county club,—who was present, stated that he hoped, as did all those who had the welfare of Devon­ shire cricket at heart, that the new club would become a power in the land, and a means of reinstating the county in the high position in the cricket world which it previously occupied. Many readers, unacquainted with the history of the game, may smile at the thought of Devonshire excelling in the summer game, yet the fact remains that three or four decades ago the county could place a capital side in the field. “ Devonshire has gained the highest honours attainable in the football world,” says Col. Fellowes, “ so why should it not at cricket also ? Our neighbours, Gloucestershire and Somersetshire, have worked their way up, and Devon should be able to do the same.” This is enthusiasm of the right sort. There must be in London and in various parts of the country many De­ vonians who would be only too glad to assist Col. Fellowes in his laudable desire to improve the county’s cricket. All such willing helpers should communicate as soon as possible with Mr. Fellowes, whose address is Trood House, Exmin- ster, Exeter. Are cricketers destined to have another wet season ? If any reliance can be placed on Shakespeare’s dictum that “ Coming events cast their shadows before ” it appears very probable that the weather of 1903 will be a repetition of that ex­ perienced last year. The rain last week played havoc with the game, play being possible on only two days out of six, and three matches abandoned in consequence without a ball being bowled. Fortu­ nately, for the peace of mind of cricketers, the weather at the time of writing gives promise of improving, although it is yet far from being perfect. Brighton enthu­ siasts were fortunate in the amount of sunshine they secured for the Worcester­ shire match, especially as the wail “ No play ” was raised in unison from almost all the other cricketing centres ia the country. Fry very promptly verified j Punch's forecast that he would probably have duck’s eggs to dispose of during the season, but as he supplemented the “ nasty round thing ” with a m a g n ificen t contribution of 174 in his second inniD gs he probably felt very satisfied so far as he personally was concerned. He gave one chance during the four hours he was at the wicket—and where is the batsman who could be relied upon to compile so large a score without making a faulty stroke ?—Wilson not accepting a caught and bowled when he was 31. Fry’s success so early in the season undoubtedly augurs well for Sussex. His innings is certainly the chief feature of the season so far, though how long it will continue so remains to be seen. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday last a Bazaar was held in the Shire Hall, Worcester, in aid of paying off the heavy debt (over £3,000) of the County Cricket Club. At the time of writing I am unable to state the exact extent to which the club will benefit as the result, although the proceeds of the Bazaar up to Saturday night were something like £1,200, but as a series of dramatic per­ formances arranged in connection there­ with have yet to be given, it is hoped that this amount may be materially increased. Those whose good fortune it was to be present on either of the three days will always have pleasant recollec­ tions of the event. The most noticeable feature of the Bazaar was the Unique Collection of Cricket Trophies organised by Mr. Charles Pratt Green, of Great Malvern, whose name will be familiar to Cricket readers. The collection consisted almost wholly of historic bats and balls, the former being lent for the occasion by Mr, Green—the greatest collector of famous bats in England—and Mr. Far- rants, of Ye Olde Spotted Horse Hotel, Putney, and the latter being provided by Mr. A. W. Shelton, of Nottingham, whose great enthusiasm for the game led him to publish “ Bat v. Ball” a few years ago. Mr. Green’s contribution to the bat collection was over a hundred, whilst the number of balls lent by Mr. Shelton exceeded a couple of dozen. The programme of the Bazaar is well worth having, as besides being excel­ lently produced and well illustrated it contains a most interesting chapter entitled “ A Short History of Worcester­ shire County Cricket.” It was announced in several news­ papers last week that the Rev. Wilson Carlisle, of St. Mary-at-Hill, The Monu­ ment, London—whose name was men­ tioned in this column in the last issue of Cricket, when reference was made to some sermons which had.been preached on the game—would take “ Surrey’s New Bowler ” as his subject at the evening service on the following Sunday. At­ tracted no doubt by the advertisement, hundreds of people.assembled, including several enthusiasts of the game—the writer amongst the number. Those who attended in expectation of witnessing or hearing anything out of the ordinary were by no means disappointed, as cine­ matograph pictures, lime-light views, and a huge phonograph are not generally to be seen in the Church of England on a Sabbath Day, neither is a vicar playing a trombone in a pulpit. It is perhaps necessary to explain that neither the cinematograph pictures nor the lime­ light views had anything to do with the game, the latter being chiefly religious subjects and landscapes, and the former dealing with general matters, such as the landing of the Boer generals at Southampton, the King boarding the Royal yacht, etc. The first reminder the congregation received that it was “ a cricket night” was when the vicar prayed “ for all cricketers” in the collect for all conditions of men. As Mr. Carlisle as­ cended the pulpit steps, a trombone in one hand and a lantern in the other, there was naturally much curiosity as to the manner in which he would deal with his subject. He commenced by apologising to Jackson, “ Surrey’s New Bowler,” as in his discourse he would be made to correspond to the devil. Throughout his sermon the vicar exhorted his hearers —the batsmen—to play with a straight bat, and defy with all their strength the wiles and cunning of the evil one—the bowler. Should their wicket be lowered, however, he trusted the voice of the umpire—the Messiah—would be heard proclaiming “ No-Ball.” “ No-Ball,” Mr. Carlisle explained, was called “ when the bowler did not throw properly.’ Many cricketing phrases were made use of during the sermon, though it was evident that the preacher’s knowledge of the game was not so great as his religious enthusiasm. During the course of his remarks he quoted Phil. i. 28 —“ Be ye in nothing terrified by your adversaries.” Is the advantage of “ taking first knock ” in a match over-estimated ? The question is asked by a keen student of the game, who states that of the ninety- seven finished matches played by the fifteen first-class counties last year, forty- two were won by the sides going in first and fifty-five by those which went in second. Is this a mere wet season phenomenon, I wonder? If not, why should captains be so chary about putting the other side in first more frequently ? In the early days of cricket to go in first often meant winning the match, and for this reason. The old law read—“ The Party which goes from Home shall have the choice of the innings and the pitching o f the wickets, which shall be pitched within thirty yards of a centre fixed by the adversaries.” Hence, the side which had the choice of innings possessed an enormous advantage, and possibly on this account the value attaching to winning the toss has been over-estimated ever since the law quoted above was changed. At the present time when the artificial wickets in use on the county grounds easily stand the wear and tear of three days’ cricket, “ taking first knock” is naturally not so advantageous as when a wicket wore considerably during an innings only. I cannot close my notes this week without stating with what regret I heard of the decease of Mr. Arthur Haygarth. The great service he rendered both cricket and cricketers by the compilation of Scores and Biographies will always be fully appreciated ; his good works will live long after him. During the past decade he wrote me hundreds of letters concerningthe players of past generations, many of them covering a dozen pages. I hoped this year to visit Hambledon in his company, as he expressed a great desire to see that famous spot once again ere he passed away, but Death, alas! has prevented the pilgrimage. Requiescat in pace !