Cricket 1903

S e pt . 10, 1903. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 409 the Music Hall Benevolent Fund, Hospital for Incurables, Putney, and the Licensed Victuallers’ Schools and Asylum. In addition to a comic cricket match between the Moore, Burgess and Mohawk Minstrels and the music-hall artistes, there will be several novelties. An exhi­ bition will also be given of the game of Vigoro. The committee rooms are at the Hammelton Hotel, Akerman Road, Brixton, where tickets for the covered stands may be obtained. Sir T. R. Dewar, M .P., is the president. O n Monday last Lord Hawke won the toss for the ninth time in succession, but perhaps he would have preferred to lose it sometimes on the condition that the clerk of the weather would play on his side instead of against it. F or London County v. Forest Hill lest week at the Crystal Palace, L. O. S. Poidevin and Murch, the old Gloucester­ shire bowler, put up 217 runs in an un­ finished partnership for the fifth wicket, Poidevin making 103 and Murch 132. The innings was then declared, and chiefly owing to fine bowling by C. J. Posthuma, the Dutch cricketer, Forest Hill were dismissed for 148. A NEWbowler made his first appearance for Surrey on Thursday last against Sussex. His name is Rushby, and he has played in the second eleven and for the Club and Ground, as well as for the Cobham C.C. with success. He is right hand, medium to fast. As he was op­ posed to Fry, Vine and Ranjitsinhji on a perfect wicket, he had no chance of distinguishing himself. A lthough Ranjitsinhji’s performances this year have been somewhat put in the shade by those of Fry, he has had a fine season, and has now scored 1886 runs. As a native of a hot country, he is naturally seen at his best in decent weather, but even on the worst of wickets, and on the coldest day, he is a great batsman. On Thursday and Fri­ day last he made his highest score of the season—204 against Surrey. His previous best was 162 not out v. Gloucestershire, at Brighton, at the beginning of June, but in addition to this he has made 144 not out, 132,106, 99, 95, 93, 88, 87, 72 not out, and six other scores between 70 and 50. I re d a le cables as follows to the Daily Mail from Australia :— ‘ ‘ Among Australians Spooner is not known, but cricketers who have visited England recognise his fine abilities as a batsman, and trust he will come with the team, as he is regarded as the most promising player since Trumper. Cricketers consider that the team is above the average in howling, but think that MacLaren’s absence is sure to he felt. They recognise the great responsibility rest­ ing upon Warner as captain, considering the large number of new players.” A m atch will take place on the Rich­ mond Athletic Ground on Thursday, September 17th, between elevens cap­ tained by W. Brockwell and W. G. East. Brockwell’s eleven will probably include C. McGahey, Hayward, Hayes, Richardson, Lockwood, J. T. Hearne, Killick and Lees. The match will, as usual, be played for the benefit of the Richmond Hospital. A no th er match in aid of the funds of a hospital is to be played at Gunnersbury Park on September 16,when G. W. Beldam, the Middlesex amateur, will take a team to play a local eighteen on behalf of the Acton local hospital. This team may include W. G. Grace, G. L. Jessop, L. Walker, and perhaps C. B. Fry and Ranjitsinhji. Mr. Leopold de Roths­ child has lent the park for the occasion, and will entertain the teams at luncheon. A noth er charity match has been ar­ ranged by Tom Richardson, the Surrey bowler, who will take a South of England eleven to play the Mitcham C.C. on the DB, dRACB AND MR. W . OARLES8 AT HASTINGS. Fairfield Recreation ground at Kingston pn September 17tb, on behalf of the Kingston Victoria Hospital. A fou rth match on behalf of charities is to take place at Twickenham on Sep­ tember 21st in aid of the St. John’s Hospital. Mr. W. Strutt Cavill’s X II. will oppose XV III. of Twickenham. The Twelve will be captained by Dr. W. G. Grace, and the other members of the side will be G. L. Jessop, L. O. S. Poidevin, L. Walker, R. S. Lucas, T. Richardson, W. Brockwell, E. Hayes, W. Lees, J. T. Hearne, and G. Ayres. S ome amusing comments, which have a good deal of point in them, are made by C. B. Fry in the Daily Express on the subject of the comparative merits of the Sussex and Middlesex teams. He says :— Up north they go so far as to say that Sussex is the next best, and not Middlesex. Sussex is in the position of Bill the Bruiser, who, not being satisfied with his last meeting in the ring, would like to arrange another if any gentleman will put up a purse. Iu other words, Sussex has not had a go at Middlesex at all, as both matches were wiped off the slate by rain. Personally I regard Sussex as quite equal to Middlesex as between Sussex and Middlesex. There are several county teams we fear more than Middlesex—Kent, for instance, and Essex, not to mention York­ shire. But, on the other hand, Middlesex is a better match-winning team than Sussex as regards most of the other counties. For instance, Middlesex would never have been beaten by Essex on a good fast pitch as Sussex was at Eastbourne, and certainly not hy Worcestershire ; in other words, Middle­ sex would not have lost either of the two matches the losing of which spoils the Sussex record for the year. So though we im­ pertinently claim equality with the champion county team to team, we do not agree with our northern flatterers that we are as good a side as Middlesex is for county championship purposes. A lthough in London the weather was beautifully fine last Thursday and Friday (until the memorable Friday evening, when pretty nearly the whole London district was flooded), there was only three hours play at Bournemouth, while at the Oval play ceased three-quarters of an hour before time on account of the bad light which preceded the big storm. On Saturday there was no play at all at Scarborough, owing to heavy rain in the morning. F or the match between the Champion County and the Rest of England at the Oval on September 14th, loth and 16th, the following players have accepted the invitation to play for the Rest of Eng­ land :—Lord Hawke, K. S. Ranjitsinhji, C. B. Fry, Braund, John Gunn, Strud­ wick, Hirst, Rhodes, and Tyldesley. Invitations were sent to P. Perrin and G. L. Jessop, but the latter wired that he was unable to play, and his place will be taken by Arnold. The team includes five of the M.C.C. team for Australia. I n the course of the coming winter, a bazaar is to be held in aid of the funds of the Sussex County C.C., which, like all other county clubs, has suffered severely from the wet season. The success which has attended other bazaars—such as those held by Warwickshire and Derby­ shire—leads one to hope that Sussex will be equally fortunate. Now that the Hastings Week is in progress, it may be pointed out that although the expenditure has of late exceeded the receipts, this is not due to loss of patronage, but to an increase in the expenses of the matches, owing to the determination of the committee to have the very best cricket possible. It may also be noted that the guarantors have never been called upon to make good any losses, for these have been pro­ vided for out of a reserve fund. One of the other chief causes of expenditure is the necessity of providing stands, the Hastings ground having no seating accommodation to speak of.