Cricket 1903

418 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S ept . 17, 1903 B O U N D L E S S P O S S IB IL IT IE S . Sir Edwin Arnold is so well known as a sincere friend of the Japanese, and anything which he writes is received with such great attention in Japan, that his remarks in last Saturday’s Daily Tele­ graph on the benefits which would accrue to the subjects of the Mikado if cricket were to become universal among them ought not to be passed over without notice in a paper devoted entirely to the game. The Japanese are by nature so quick to learn, and such adepts at copy­ ing, that if once they began to play ciicket seriously, they would take to it as readily as a moorhen takes to water. But let us see what Sir Edwin Arnold thinks about it. “ Nature,” he says, “ sometimes permits or forbids the success of a sport which regenerates the whole people. England, for example, with her expanse of green grass, seems made for cricket, and if that game could be introduced and adopted by the Japanese I do not know any single reform wbich would prove a truer blessing. To make cricket universal among the subjects of the Mikado would give them an exercise healthy, manly, and absorbing, winch is greatly needed, while the cultivation of turf would imply the creation of graziDg grounds for sheep and cattle, of which they are now so destitute that in Japan you never see two or three cows together; indeed, I have paid a copper coin inf one of the villages as price of admission to inspect tbat wonderful animal a sheep shut in a cage! ” So far Sir Edwin’s position is quite unassailable by a cricketer, for he expresses just what every cricketer must feel now that his attention has been called to the Japanese. But, happily for Japan, cricketers will at once see a weak point in Sir Edwin’s reasoning when they read Ms Jconc'.usions, which are as follows:— “ Why, then, does not Japan borrow cricket from us, as it is to be hoped she will soon take the Roman character for the printing of all her books instead of that cumbrous and costly “ Honji,” the Chinese characters of which rob every Japanese boy and girl of five or six years cf their school time ? The answer is that she cannot. A dwarf bam­ boo grows over al) her downs and uplands, which pricks the living membrane of any graziDg creature into inflammation and death, and this, it is said, absolutely forbids her the cultivation of turf, which, indeed, is nowhere seen from end to end of the country.” If there were no such things as matting wickets the absence of grass in Japan might hinder the adoption of the game, although it would not absolutely prevent it from being played by enthusiasts. But when we know that in South Africa and Holland, in many p *rts of Iudia, Aus­ tralia and America, as well as in several other countries where turf which is suitable for wickets cannot be grown, cricket flourishes amazingly on matting, there is not the slightest reason why it should not do so in Japan. All that is necessary is to find a level piece of ground, to clear it of obstructions, and to lay down matting for the wicket. The ex­ pense is but trifling, which in a county inhabited by so many poor people is a consideration of the very greatest impor­ tance. What, then, is there to prevent the Japanese from playing cricket in their own country ? Absolutely nothing, ex­ cept a want of energy—and the Japanese have never been accused of being a lazy nation. To the uninitiated it may seem a very tall order to expect an Eastern people to take up what is purely an English game, but if the n a tiv e s of India have adopted it with an enthusiasm which h a s been a n e v e r -c e a s iD g source of sur­ prise to Europeans, why should not the Japanese become interested in it ? Size and strength are not of as much impor­ tance to a cricketer as a good eye and a supple wrist—it is only necessary to point to men like Quaife, Denton and Abel to prove this — so that the tiny Japanese would not be handicapped as they would be at football and many other games. It may be a long time before a team from Japan can venture to make a tour in England, but it is not beyond the bounds of possi­ bility that in years to come an English captain may be seen tossing for choice of innings at Lord’s with an almond-eyed gentleman from the far east. A wild dream ? Perhaps; but if the Japanese can be persuaded to take up cricket they will not do it by half measures; on the contrary they will strain every nerve to become adepts at it. One thing is cer­ tain : if a Japanese cricketer were to take up bis residence in the London district, and were to join the local cricket club, he wou'd receive as enthusiastic a welcome as the many Indian native cricketers who have settled among us. He would at once be made “ one of the family,” and would be treated in all respects as if he were an Englishman born and bred. I have an idea that in his younger days Sir Edwin Arnold was a cricketer ; I know that this is not the first time that he has written in favour of the game. But whether he has been a ciicketer or not, to him belongs the honour of being the discoverer of the vast possibilities wl ioh lie before a great people if they will only avail themselves of the oppor­ tunity. It must now be left to pioneers to take the next step towards inducing the Japanese to play cricket. There are Englishmen living in Japan who regu­ larly read Cricket, and they have a great opportunity before them. But, after all is Slid Sir Edwin Arnold himself cau do more than any other man to keep the ball rolling by stirrirg up the right people in Japan to exert themselves. W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . PELHAM T, HONORABLE ARTILLERY COM- PANY.-Played at Finsbury on September 12. H on . A btille b y C o . H. J. Sharpe, c Mott, b A. F. Potter . .. 39 W E Weigh, b De la C our........................ 5 R.W.Newmegan, lbw, b Wallis .................84 H. J. Bonser, b Wallis 6 Total (6 wkts)* 166 J.D.H. Watts, not out 18 * Innings declared closed. D. C. Kaye, lbw, b Wallis ................. 0 H.W.Bell.lDelaCour 32 D. Eiil, not out......... 11 B 14, lb 7 ..........21 P elh am . J. Wallis, not out ... 33 R. B. Tyler, not out... 0 B 8, lb 4, nb 1 ... 13 W . E. Peel, b Sharpe 50 F. C. De la Cour, b Bonser ................. 2 A. F. Potter, b Bonser 0 J.E. Potter, c Sharpe, b Bonser ... .......... 1 A. M. Margetson, B. Catling, E. Qraystone, G. Sharpe, and S. V. Mott did not bat. Total ... 99 OLD CITIZENS v. ENFIELD.—Played at Enfield on September 12. O ld C itize n s . K. D. Leslie, b Cham­ bers ........................ 5 S.M.Banker, c Pratt, b Starkey .................36 H. T. Blewett, not out 59 J. H. Burnett, J. F. Cole, F. L. Hunt, L. Mirylees and L. H. Kenny did not bat. * Innings declared closed. E n fie ld . M.H.Jenkins.bStarkey 4 R. C. Cole, not out ... 45 B 6, lb 4 -.........10 Total (3 wkts) *159 R.Pratt, c J. F. Cole, b Hunt . ................... 11 H.L.Toms, c Banker,b Blewett ................... 12 S.G.C.Starkey, c Miry­ lees. b Hunt ............48 S. J. Edwards, b R. C. Cole ... ................ 0 Chambers, not out ...12 D. Spicer, c Blewett, b Banker .................13 E. W. Toms, c sub., b Blewett ................. 0 C.T. Davies, b Blewett 0 A. “ Smith,” not out.. 3 B 6, lb 3, nb 1 ...10 Total ( 7 wkts) 108 A F A M O U S C R IC K E T F E S T IV A L .* This very useful little book contains the full scores and bowling analyses of the matches played in the Hastings Week since its institution in 1887, with short notes which are just suffici nt to ex­ plain any important points about the play. The author has also given a chapter on cricket in Hastings, an account of the way in which the Week was instituted, a list of receipts and expenses for each year, and a couple of pages of interesting statistics. Both author and publisher have done their work well. The book is well printed on good and thick paper, and it is not very easy to see how it can be issued at the price of twopence. It affords a re o rd o f the Week which ought to command a ready sale. It is to be noted tbat by far the largest profit was made in the year 1895—nearly double that of any other year—the ma'ches being North v. South and Mr. Sfcoddart’s Australian team v. Best of England. Twice there has been a loss when the Australians have played at Hastings. Prom the bjok we learn also that the highest individual innings played during any of the Weeks was the 169 by W. Gunn for Players v. Gentlemen in 1891; that the highest aggregate for an innings was 440 for North v. South in 1900, and the lowest 59 for Gentlemen v. Players in 1901. Fourteen of the first-class Cjunties have at one time or other taken part in the Festival, and nearly two hundred individual players. The Festival was originated in 1887 on the suggestion of Mr. W. Cailess and Captain F. Greatorex, who became the joint hono­ rary secretaries of the first Week. Since that time Mr. Carless has always acted as sole secretary, and it is chiefly due to his untiring efiforts that the Festival has continued to be so successful. •A review of the Hastings and St. Leonards’ Cricket Festival, from 1887 to lv03. By Alfred D. Taylor, Hastings, F. J. Parsons, Ltd. Pnpe 2d,