Cricket 1903

CRICKET, MAY 21, 1603. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toll.” — Byron. jto . 020. v o l . x x i i . THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1903. p b ic e ad. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. VICTOR BARTON. Long before he played in first-class cricket, Victor Barton was well known to cricketers as Bombardier Barton of the Royal Artillery. He was always a fine batsman, with a most taking style, and always made heaps of runs. His largest score in first- class cricket was 207 for Hampshire v. Sussex, at Brighton, but perhaps the best innings that he played in England was 125 against Yorkshire on a difficult wicket. In making his 207, he had scored 175 over night without the slightest mis­ take, but on the next morn­ ing began the game with a couple of chances. He is a good bowler, a splendid field, as well as a fine bats­ man, andinall three branches of the game he shows the utmost keenness. As an in­ stance of this, the following may be noted. On a very hot day indeed at the Oval, he was bowling for Hamp­ shire. The ball was played on the leg side towards the boundary at such a pace that it might or might not reach it. The slips and the rest of the field were willing to trust to chance that it would reach the bouudary, and not one of them started for it, so Barton went for his own ball at a tremendous pace right across the Oval and only just arrived too late to save the ^our. At the present time Barton is proprietor of the Alexandra Hotel, Bellevue Road, Southampton. reply to the question how it was that he first came to piny for Kent, he “ It happened that I made 91 and 102 for the Royal Artillery at Lord’s when I was in the service in 1889. Lord Hams was present in his carriage and • Grace, who was also there, took me across to see him. Lord Harris, who was then Under Secretary of State for India, asked me whether I would like to take part in county cricket, to which I replied that I would like it very much. I was Hampshire born, and was stationed at Woolwich at the time, and was quali­ fied to play for Kent. Lord Harris put me in the Kent team against Yorkshire for my first county matoh, and VIOTO* BARTON. (From a photo ly Messrs. Hawkins & Co., Brighton.) I made 32. Military duties prevented me from playing in every match, until I was bought out of the army by Kent. After I had gone with Mr. W. W. Read’s team to South Africa, I thought it was better for me to settle down. I met Dr. Bencraft, who asked me whether I would settle in Hampshire, being a Hampshire man, and I resolved to do so. Since then I have met with the greatest kindness from the Hampshire authorities, more es­ pecially from Dr. Bencraft, and I have had very good luck since I have played for the county.” “ Before you joined the Army had you any idea that you would play county cricket later ? ” “ I think |I was always in hopes of playing in first-class cricket, and before I enlisted I was on the ground staff at the Oval for a time as a bats­ man ; I remember playing against Mitcham for the Surrey club and ground and making over SO. When I joined the Service the offi­ cers took an interest in me, finding that I was regular at practice, and they were very good to me. I played in every match for the Royal Artillery, but I found I could not do soldiering and also play first-class cricket. I was bom at Netley Hos­ pital and my father was sergeant-major, and as I had four brothers in the Service at the time I naturally had a liking for the Army.” Like nearly all army cricketers, Victor Barton has been a thorough sportsman, and two or three times he has done things at which sticklers for the rigour of the game have held up their hands in horror. “ I remem­ ber a time,” he said, “ when Mr. Simpson-Hayward, who plays for Worcestershire, had made five duck’s eggs in succession. When he next came to the wicket I was at oover-point and as he passed me I said to him, ‘ I f you play a ball to me you won’t get a 1blob ’ to-day.’ He played the ball, as it happened, straight and sbarp to me, and although Mr. S.-Hayward was eager to get off the mark the batsman at the other end would not run. But it seemed cruel for a man to keep getting blob after blob in this way, so in returning the ball to the bowler I chucked it over hig head. It broke Mr. Simpion-Hayward’* run of