Cricket 1903

CRICKET, JUNE 18, 1903. “ T og e th e r joined in C r ick e t ’s m an ly t o i l .” — Byron. vo. 0 33 . v o l . x x i i . THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1903. p b i c e aa. ROBERT THOMS. S O M E R E M I N I S C E N C E S . For thirty years or thereabouts Thoms, who to the sorrow of everybody who knew him, died last week at the age of seventy-swen, held an unique position in the cricket world. He was universally regarded as the umpire of his period, imper­ turbable, a c c u r a t e and prompt in his decisions, and a great authority on the laws of the game. Unlike most umpires who, when they have given a decision, decline to argue or discuss the matter, he had a habit of explaining just what had happened, and as he very seldom made a mistake, his comments were always heard with respect and often ad­ miration. Many of his quaint sayings have become house­ hold words to cricketers. He it was who invented the phrase “ gentle tapper,” facetiously applied to Mr. W. J. Ford, one of the hard­ est hitters of his or any other day. It was Thoms who, when someone spoke to him about the splendid cricket shown by Australian teams, replied, “ A y e ! They are fine cricketers, but they are finer showmen.” Again, it was Thoms who, to an aggrieved bowler who was convinced that a batsman ought to have been given out l.b.w., said with a smile, “ Leg before? Why the ball didn’t pitch in the same parish.” Although Thoms would not have given an unfair decision for the world, he strongly objected to the system of appealing time after time “ on* the ohance,” a system which is not unknown even among present day cricketers. When a bowler of this kind, who had appealed without success half-a- dozen times, angrily asked at the next opportunity, “ How was that, then ? ” he suddenly became very serious and said, “ I ’ll make a note of it. I ’ll think it over and let you know to-morrow morn­ ing,” a remark which caused roars of laughter among the fieldsmen who heard it. Another bowler had a habit of shout­ ing “ How’s that ? ” with a voice like that of a practised bargee. Thoms stood it for some time, but finally said “ Not o u t! And I ’m not deaf.” One of the best stories told about him has, I think, never appeared in print. He was umpiring in a club match ia the days before the law about declaring the innings closed came into force. In the third innings of the match, the batting side, who had lost on the first innings, had made enough runs, and were naturally anxious to get out, with the object of winning on the post if possible. They therefore began to knock their wickets down. On the other hand the men who were leading on the first innings by no means wanted to go in again. 8 0 in their turn they bowled wides and no-balls. There was pandemonium. The spectators became very excited. The other umpire began to get nervous, and went up to Thoms, saying “ We can’t let this go on. Look at our own reputation.” Thoms said “ Get back to your end. This lot can’t hurt my repu­ tation, but they can break my head, and they will, too, if we interfere. I am an umpire, not a policeman! ” Everybody knows that Thoms was for many years the umpire of the Incogniti cricket club, whose members entertained the highest re­ spect for him, and, indeed, regarded him as a friend. When Mr. J. E. Raven was acting as honorary secretary of the club last year, Thoms went to see him pretty regu­ larly to make sure, as he expressed it, that ‘ 1 every­ thing was prospering.” One day the two men were talking about what a pity it was that amateurs should give up everything else and turn their lives over to playing cricket. Thoms said “ Don’t you bring your boys up to playing county cricket^—at least (and here his love of the game asserted itself) not too much of i t ! ” The famous old umpire was always greatly interested in the doings of the sons of his old friends. “ Have you heird that Mr. So-and-so’s son is in the Winchester eleven ? ” he would ask, “ and that Mr. So-and- So’s son is sure to get his colours at Harrow f ” Or, turning sharp round on a prominent member of the club, he w o u ld say “ Now, sir, are you teaching that boy of yours to get his foot across and keep her down on the off-side ? You know you would always throw your own wicket away for the sake of a smack. ROBKRT THOMS. (From a photo by Messrs. Hawking & Co., Brighton).