Cricket 1903

J olt 30, 1903. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 307 BUSSEY’S “DEMON DRIVERS. < C C B « GEO, G. BUSSEY & GO Desire to inform Cricketers all over the world who may experience a difficulty in ob­ taining “ D em o n D r iv e r s ” that this difficulty arises in consequence of the ever-increas­ ing demand exceeding the supply. Readers of G e o . G . B u s s e y & Co.’s pamphlet, entitled “ Evolution of the Demon Driver,” are aware that a fea­ ture o f the success of the “ D em o n D r i v e r ” is due to a special process, occupying a long period, that the bats under­ go before leaving the works, and although there are always a large number o f Bats under this treatment which could be placed on the market, G e o . G . B u s s e y & Co., in the interest of cricketers and their own repu­ tation, will not deviate from the system that has made the W The Finest Bat the World produces. GEO.G.BUSSEY&CO, 36 & 38, QUEENVICTORIASTREET, E.O. Manufactory—PECKHAM, S.E. Timber Mills-ELMSWELL SUFFOLK. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B t F . S . A sk lk y -C oofbr . It is devoutly to he hoped that C. B. Fry will find it convenient to accompany the English team to Australia in September, as at the present time he is at quite the top of his form. As he is undoubtedly one of the most prominent cricketersof recent years, he should certainly make at least one trip. It is said that he is desperately anxious to face the Australians again in order to atone for his failures against them last year at Edgbaston, Lord’s and Sheffield, and, this being so, he could not possibly wish for a more favourable opportunity than the one which presents itself now. On seven occasions during the present season he has exceeded the hundred, making 174 v. Worcestershire, 181 v. Lanca­ shire, 234 v. Yorkshire, 200 v. Surrey, 160 v. Hampshire, and 127 not out v. Leicestershire for Sussex, and 232 not out for the Gentlemen against the Players, at Lord’s. One of the most noteworthy occurrences in connection with his remarkable career took place in last week’s match between Sussex and Leicester­ shire, at Brighton, in which he scored 99 and 127 not out, and, with Vine as a partner, put up 170 for the first wicket in the first innings and 179 for the same wicket in the second innings. This was, by-the-way, not the first occasion upon which he missed obtaining two separate hundreds in a match, as for Sussex v. Hampshire at Brighton in 1898, he scored 99 and 133, whilst in the match at Portsmouth three years later between the same sides, he was responsible for 88 and 106. The feat of the same two men obtaining over 100 runs for the first wicket in each innings of a first-class match is sufficiently rare to justify particulars of all such performances being given in this column. The following are the details :— Buns scd. in prtn’rship. Year. 123 \ Hall, L. (87 and 87} and Ulyett, G. (82and 91), Yorks v. Sussex, at Brighton . ... 1885 Brown, J.T. (208&81*),and Tunnicliffe, J. (62 & 63*), Yorks v. Midd’sx., at Lord’s 1896 G. Brann (58 & 68) and C. B. Fry (72 & AGENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. t 94), Susstx v. Middlesex, at Lord’s iw .Q .r ----------- ---------------------- 108 139 147' 135 148 131 j W G. Grace (71 & 80) and C. J. B. Wood . 142 j (63 & 70), Lon. C’ty. v. Sur., atCrys.Pal. 1901 108 ( C. J. Burnup (50 &70) and Humphreys. E. 100 t (60&28),Kentv.S’th.Afr.,atBeok’n’m. 1901 114 i Abel H. (44 & 47) and D. L. A. Jephson 109 i (95 & 85), Surrey V. Sussex, at Brighton 1901 134 ) Iremonger, J. (119 & 34*) and A. O. Jones 144* S (88 & 99*). Notts v. Surrey, at the Oval 1901 170 iC . B. Fry (99 & 127*) and Vine, J. (73 & 179 J 59), Sussex v. Leicestershire, at Brighton 1903 •Without a separation being effected. It will be observed that four of the eight instances recorded above occurred in 1901. The record for fine successive first-wicket stands is probably held by G. F. Wells-Cole and O. K Borradaile, who, in an M.C.C. Sussex tour in 1889, put up 101, 192, 100 and 113 together in four consecutive innings on successive days. Essex are to be congratulated on their form displayed during their Northern tour. Their defeat at Edgbaston must not be taken seriously, as Warwickshire, by winning the toss, had all the luck of the weather. Had the Leicestershire match been played out, Essex would in all probability have won, seeing that when stumps were drawn they had made 325 runs for twelve wickets against the home side’s total of 184 for ten. Against Derbyshire they held the lead throughout, and eventually won by 232 runs after declar­ ing their second innings closed with five wickets still in hand. At Glossop the wicket was slow, and the ball turned from the start of the game. In the first innings Perrin was bowled by a ball which bounced three times ! Gillingham dropped three catches, and then held a stinging hot one at point off a no-hall. He missed Fishwick (106) at 41, V. F. S. Crawford (90) at 42, and a Derbyite who did nothing very great afterwards; otherwise only Douglas, who missed Tyldesley twice, dropped a catch during the fortnight. The splendid finish at Old Trafford on Saturday last was worth going miles to see. Nothing to do with the wicket caused the curious collapse in the second innings of Essex— nothing but indecision—and had Mead gone in fourth wicket down instead of eighth, Essex would not have lost so many wickets in obtaining the necessary number of runs. Sewell was in a large measure respon­ sible for Lancashire’s defeat by two wickets, as he hit splendidly in the second innings and obtained 52 of his 69 rims by means of fours. Apart from his batting ability he is worth playing in any match owing to hiB activity and certainty in the field. It is surprising, remembering his great doings with the ball in India, that he is not utilised more by Essex as a bowler. Between August 1st, 1897, and July 31st, 1898, he took 157 wickets for 1,449 runs, average 9"5, despite the fact that he was also exceedingly busy with the bat, scoring 2665 runs in 19 completed innings, average 140'2, and obtaining eleven hundreds — or twelve, if one on 31st July, 1897, be included! During the two years he was qualifying for Essex he did better in club and ground matches than anyone else with the ball, let alone the bat, whilst for Essex this season he has bowled one over at East­ bourne ! So far as I can trace, the only occasions upon which he has performed with the ball this year in minor matches were in three innings for Moor Hall, Harlow, when, opposed to several good players (including G. Tosetti, Beeves, Tremlin, Bosanquet, Williams, and T C. O’Brien), he claimed 14 wickets for less than ten runs apiece. Last season he bowled in the second innings of Wiltshire, at the Crystal Palace, and took six wickets for about 50 runs on a billiard-table, and Wilts are not much (if any) weaker than Derbyshire and Hampshire, and perhaps another side or two. The unfortunate thing is that if a man who really can bowl is not occasionally tried, he loses the skill he possesses. Sewell is so keen about the game that it is gratifying to read that he has been chosen to assist the Players of the South against the Gentlemen of the South, at Bournemouth, in the first week of September. A singular accident occurred at the annual sports of the Crystal Palace School of Practical Engineering at Sydenham recently. The first prize for throwing the cricket ball was won by J. T. Betts, who afterwards, in attempting an exhibition throw, broke his arm above the elbow. Mr. F. J. Ironside, the cricket encyclopoedia of New South Wales, in his “ World of Cricket,” states (on page 74): “ A young fellow named Allison, in Queensland, broke his arm while in the act of throwing the ball at the wicket,” whilst it is well known that Mr. G. H. Bailey, who was a member of the Australian Eleven of 1878, fractured his arm above the elbow when playing for Australia against fifteen of New South Wales at Sydney soon after his return. Still more extraordinary was the accident which befell a well-known Clapham player, named F, Henderson, in a match at Lordship Lane, in September, 1886, for in throwing in a ball from the long-fiel(j he broke his arm in two places,