Cricket 1903

CRICKET, SEPT. 3, 1903. Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. Wo. 0 4 4 . VOL. X X II. THUESDAY, SEPT. 3, 1903. PRICE 2d. CHATS ON THE CKICKET FIELD. DR. RUSSELL BENCRA.Fr. For so many years had Dr. Bencraft been the honorary secretary of the Hampshire County Cricket Club, and also one of its most active playing mem­ bers, that it is hard to realise that, al­ though he is still honorary secretary, theever-increasing pressure of his professional work has compelled him to eive place to apaid secretary. He has not represented the county in the field for some time, but it would surprise no one if he were once more to turn out in the team some day when it happens to be a man short. Naturally he has not ceased to keep up a connection with the club, and his valuable advice is always at its service when­ ever it is needed. His last years for Hamp­ shire were during the period when hundreds were not as fashionable as they are now, but he played dozens and dozens of invaluable innings, being pre-eminently a man who was seen at his best when the conditions were unfavourable. He is one of the few fortunate cricketers who possess a complete and beautifully bound set of “ Wisden,” and he has the additional satisfaction of knowing that he did not give a ruinous price for it, and that its value is now very greatly increased. In club cricket he was always a very dangerous customer to meet, and once in the course of a week’s cricket he scored six hundred runs, only once being out. His highest score in this week was 243. He was at St. Edward’s School, Oxford, at the same time as Captain E. G. Wynyard. “ We had rather a good eleven then,” he said, “ and in addition to Wynyard we had F. W. Terry, the old g Somersetshire cricketer, who in after years went to Canada, where he was a prolific scorer. Wynyard was an extremely good player as a boy, and the best all-round athlete the school ever had. I was captain of the cricket and football teams at St. Edward’s.” Dr. Bencraft played against the second Australian team which came to England. This was in 1880. “ A match had been DR. RUBSELL BENORAFT. (From a photo by Messrs. Hawkins & Co., Brighton), arranged between the Australians and Eighteen of St. Luke’s C.C., Southamp­ ton, of which I was captain,” he said. “ We had Gilbert and Fred Grace on our side, but were beaten by an innings. Some of the Australians were dining at my father’s house, and in the course of the evening Spofforth bet me half-a- crown that he would bowl me out first ball on the next morning. Of course I made up my mind that I would keep that ball out of my wicket somehow or other, but I went in, took guard, and Spofforth, as he had promised, bowled me neck and crop first ball.” “ What was your first county match?” “ Against Kent, at Faversham, on August 17th, 18th and 19th, 1876. I re­ member that Yardley scored 19, and was missed seven times. I also remember well that before the match A. W. Ridley had said ‘ I shall be very sorry for the man who misses Yardley.’ We won the match, thanks chiefly to Ridley, who made a score of 104, and took ten wickets for about 113 runs. But years before that, in 1874, while I was at school, I played at Lyndhurst against Yorkshire for Sixteen of H am psh ire (w ith James Street, the Surrey profes­ sional, asgivenman). Wehad a splendid time, and York­ shire played two matches against us. I remember the scores. In the first match Yorkshire made 70 and 50 for five wickets against our scores of 53 and 66. In the return we made 94 and 58, and Yorkshire 136 and 2 for one wicket. Ulyett took fif­ teen wickets in the first innings, and twenty in the second, clean b ow lin g twenty-two out of the thirty- five. I recollect that he bowled me twice, once by a yorker which pitched right on my foot.” “ Which of your matches do you look back upon with the greatest pleasure ? ” “ I think I should say Yorkshire v. Hampshire at Sheffield in 1895, although I only made 4 and 4 not out. It was a dreadful wicket, and we had eight men out in the second innings with eight runs still to make against Peel and Wainwright, who were both exactly suited by the wicket. Baldwin then joined me. We survived ten or a dozen appeals for