Cricket 1903

18 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. F eb . 26, 1903. altogether -without a fault. Indeed, it need only be said that it was the very best innings he has ever played in England.” Of the same innings, Dr. Grace, in his reminiscences of “ Cricketers I have met,” says, “ I do not believe he has ever been troubled with nervous­ ness at any period of his innings; any­ how, I shall not readily forget the unceremonious way in which he treated the Australian bowling at Lord’s for the M.C.C. and Ground in 1884 immediately he took guard. He lost no time in getting well set that innings.” He certainly did not, for he began to take the upper hand at once, which has never been the usual thing in Australian matches. Tbe mention of “ reminiscences” brings to mind a curious mistake about Mr. Steel made by Alfred Shaw in his book, published last year. Referring to the match at Brighton in 1881 between Gentlemen and Players for Jim Lilly- white’s benefit, Shaw says: “ I wonder if Mr. A. G. Steel will remember a con­ versation that passed between us during this match. I was captain ef the Players, and when the popular Lancishire gentleman came in to bat his second innings he said to me, ‘ Alf, you have tempted me many times in your life, but you are not going to tempt me out of my ground this time on any considera­ tion. You may try as hard as you like, but I shall not come.’ I laughingly replied, ‘ Oh, you may do, if you stop very long.’ ” “ When this conversation passed, the Gentlemen, who only needed 113 runs to win the match, had got 64 with but two wickets down, and I had begun to think it was necessary I should go on to bowl myself. Mr. T. S. Pearson was batting when Mr. Steel came in. I soon bowled the first-named, and then Mr. Steel p’ ayed as carefully as he could for about half-an-hour or longer. He declined to be tempted, as he said he should, but I kept pegging away, and finally got him to ‘ have a go,’ as I felt sure I should. Result, clean bow led! “ Mr. Steel as he retire!, turned towards me and admitted he had been ‘ done again,’ although he had made the strongest resolution not to succumb to temptation, and had not believed it possible that he could be successfully tempted.” How the conversation with Mr. Steel doubtless took place just as Shaw has described it, but he is all at sea as to his facts. So far from‘ there being two wickets down for 64 when Mr. Steel joined Mr. T. S. Pearson, these two batsmen went in first, and although Bites and Morley, who began the bowling, were followed by Barnes, Barlow and Emmett, the score mounted until, to quote the Daily News of the fallowing day : “ Then Mr. Steel, who up to this point had played the good bowling with great caution, hit the first, third and fourth balls of an over from Barlow for four each — straight drive, cff- drive and on drive. The total was 55 without the loss of a wicket when Shaw put him­ self on to bowl. Then and there the character of the game was altered. Up to this point the Gentlemen seemed to be winning easily. Shaw’s third ball bowled Mr. Steel, and nine runs later an equally good ball from the same bowler took Mr. Pearson’s wicket. These two gentlemen had admirably performed their task, the first wicket falling at 55, and the second at 64.” It will thus be seen that Alfred’s memory has entirely failed lim here, and that instead of taking “ half an hour or longer ” to tempt Mr. Steel, he managed to beat him with the third ball. Although Mr. Steel played but seldom against the Australians he has a fine recard for these matches, among his scores being 148 (England v. Australia); 134, 135 (England v. Australia, in Australia) ; 60, 55, 72, 50 (twice) and 59, while he often met with great success with the ball. In 1882 he went to Australia with the Hon. Ivo Bligh’s team, and was at the head of both the bitting and bowling averages with 30 for 22 innings, ard 152 wickets for 6|- runs each. At rackets he represented bis University in 1880, and, partnered by the Hon. Ivo Bligh, won the doubles by 60 points to 33, gaining four games off the reel. He was also an excellent football player. He was born on September 24th, 1858, and his height is 5 feet 7\ inches. W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . O B ITU A R Y . A Member of M.C.C. writes: “ With reference to your note of last month as to the late Mr. Hine Haycock, he was, perhaps, one of the most regular habitues of the many who spend the whole cricket season at Lord’s. And to those not acquainted with him and his wonderful power of work, it may almost have seemed that, during the summer at any rate, he lived for cricket, and cricket only. As a matter of fact, and as those privileged to be his intimates were aware, Mr. Hine Haycock had generally done a hard morning’s work before he put in an early appearance at Lord’s, and took up for the day his invariable seat on the Balcony, right behind the bowler. Philan­ thropic work, with all that this entails in the way of attending meetings, occupied a large share of his time, and he probably knew more about the London hospitals and train workings than any man in London. Mr. Hine Haycock’s know­ ledge, too, of general subjeo's was profound, and this, coupled with a memory that must have been quite exceptional, rendered him the most delightful companion to sit next to during the course of a slow day’s cricket, now, alas, by no means a rarity at the St. John’s Wood ground. He will be terribly missed next summer, as his genial presence was quite one of the features of the Balcony at Lord’s, and the writer is only too pleased to be allowed to offer this slight tribute to the memory of one of the kindest hearted and chatty of cricket spectators. As to his keenness for the game, I believe, he missed only one of last year’s Test Matches—that at Sheffield—and there were very few men who ever played at Lord’s with whose doings ha was not well acquainted.” “ An Old Harrovian” writes: “ The Warden of Winchester College, the Rev. Godfrey Bolles Lee, died at his residence in Winchester on the 29th ult., at the sge of 85. He was educated at Winchester, and afterwards went to New College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1839. He took his M.A. degree in 1843, and was ordained a deacon in 1845 and priest in 1846. H's appointment to tbe Warden- ship of Winchester College took place in 1861. He formed one of the Winchester Eleven against Eton and Harrow at Lord’s in 1833 and 1834, and assisted Oxford against Cambridge on the same ground in 1838 and 1839. His portrait appeared in the Illustrated London News of July 29th, 1893, and again in the same paper of February 7th, 1903” The Right Rev. The Hon. Arthur Temple Lyttelton, D.D., Bishop of Southampton, died, after a prolonged illness, at the Castle House, Petersfield, on the 19th inst. He was the fifth son of the fourth Lord Lyttelton, and was born in London on January 7th, 1852. Scores and Biographies (Vol. xi., p. 404) says of him: “ Hon. Arthur Temple Lyttelton’s first match* at Lord’s, where he has seldom been seen . . . Like the rest of the family, he is a fine free hitter, and an excellent field at long-leg, or middle-wicket off. Height 5 ft., 1H inches; weight 12st. 81bs. Was at one time page of honour to Her Majesty.” The following appears in Vol. xiv. (page lxxxi.) of the same work : “ In 1882 he was appointed Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge. Also (1884) Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Ripon, and Commissary to the Bishop of Bombay. In February 1891 he became Hulsean Lecturer or Christian Preacher at Cam­ bridge. In 1893 he was appointed Vicar of Eccles, Lancashire, and therefore resigned the Mastership of Selwyn Col­ lege, Cambridge. In 1898 he was made an Honorary Canon of Manchester, and in the same year was nomina­ ted by the Bishop of Winchester as Suffragan Bishop of Southampton. At the time of his decease he was also Provost of Lancing College. * For Eton against Harrow, July 8th and 9th, 1870. Captain Alfred Torrens, who died on the 22nd ult., was in the Harrow Eleven in 1848 and 1849. He was a member of the West Kent Club and an original member of I. Zingari. Two of Captain Torrens’ sons have been in the Harrow Eleven, and one, M. Torrens, has played for Kent. _____________ Captain Lamb died at his residence Alban’s Grove, Leixlip, Co. Kildare, on the 31st ult., at the early age of 37. He was a prominent member of the Co. Kildare C.C. Mr. William Seymour, who died in January, had been for twenty years captain of the Sherborne C.C.