Cricket 1903

476 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. D ec . 31, 1903. 5. Hastings, South of England v. South Africans (Hastings Festival) 8. Hastings, North v. South (Hastings Fes­ tival) 12. Oval, Champion County v. Rest of Eng­ land (four days) THE SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR. 30. Lord’s, v. M.C.C. and Ground ' JUNE. Worcester, v. Worcestershire Cambridge, v. Cambridge University Oxford, v. Oxford University Bristol v. Gloucestershire Birmingham, v. Warwickshire •Lord’s, v. Middlesex Crystal Palace, v. London County Dublin, v. Dublin University Cork, v. Gentlemen of England JULY. Southampton, v. Hampshire Lord’s, v. an XI. of England Edinburgh, v. Scotland. Liverpool, v. Liverpool and District Hull, v. Yorkshire AUGUST. Leicester, v. Leicestershire Manchester, v. Lancashire Nottingham, v. Notts Lord’s, v. The Indians Derby, v. Derbyshire Brighton, v. Sussex Canterbury, v. Kent Oval, v. Surrey SETEMBER. Scarborough, v. Yorkshire Hastings, v. South of England. THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM. PROGRAMME FOR 1904. MAY. 9. Crystal Palace, v. London County. 19. Cambridge, v. Cambridge University. 23. (Whit Monday) Sheffield, v. Sheffield United.* 26, Edgbaston, v. Warwickshire. JUNE. 6. Lord’s, v. M.C.C. 9. Leicester, v. Leicestershire. 13. Derby, v. Derbyshire. 17. Swindon, v. Wiltshire.* 2f>. Alton, v. Hampshire. 27. In Kent, v. Kent. JULY. 7. Northampton, V. Northamptonshire. 11. Cork, v. Gentlemen of Ireland.t 14. Dublin, v. Gentlemen of Ireland.+ 18. Carlisle, v. Carlisle and District.* 20. Newcastle-on-Tyne, v. Northumberland.* 22. Durham, v. Durham.* 25. Glasgow, v. West of Scotland.* 29. Edinburgh (Grange C.C. Ground), v. East of Scotland.* AUGUST. 1. (Bank Holiday) Cardiff, v. South Wales. 4. Worcester, v. Worcestershire. 8. Aigburth, v. Liverpool & District. 11. Lord’s, v. South Africans. 15. Oval, v. Surrey. 22. Eastbourne, v. Eastbourne C.C.* 26. Harrogate, v. Yorkshire. * Two-day matches. + Irish Tour. In addition to the above, E. H. D. Sewell hopes to arrange matches with Sussex, May 9, and Essex, June 23. The London County match may take place on May 29. It is also possible that a match with Norfolk may be arranged. Up to the present the learn has not been chosen. It is a little curious and decidedly unfortunate that the Calcutta news­ papers have not done anything whatever to forward the interests of the scheme, which they seem to have left severely alone, although why this should he the case is not easy to see. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. F ra n k C. D bknis.— Very sorry that we cannot give you the information, but it is impossible to get complete records of all scores made in minor matches. Have written to your address at Chorlton. R ICHARD DAFT’S “ Nottinghamshire Marl.” — Particulars apply, Radoliffe on-Trent, Notts. [A dvt .] THE PROPOSED NEW COUNTY COMPETITION. At the beginning of the month C. B. Pry sent a circular to the counties pro­ posing a series of matches on the lines of the Football Association Cup —that is to say, there would be first round, second round, and so on until the two surviving counties would play in the final. Elabo­ rate estimates were drawn up to show that the profits, which were to be pooled, would be very great, but they were drawn up under the supposition that each match would last three full days. No allowance was made for bad weather or quickly finished games, while the expenses were calculated on a very low scale, and the takings on a very high one. A few of the counties, viz. Sussex, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Derbyshire, and Gloucester­ shire, have expressed approval of the scheme, but the rest do not seem enthusiastic about it, to say the least of it, while some of them have declined to have anything to do with it. The objections to the scheme seem to be manifold. It would naturally be very difficult, even in a year when there was no touring team in England, to fit in the matches, since, except for the first round, no county could be sure of requiring any further dates, and although in the case of counties which only play a few matches this would not perhaps matter, it would be highly inconvenient to those which are engaged on nearly eve-y day during the season. Again, it does not at all follow that because cup tie matches in the Association football game attract enormous crowds even on neutral grounds, there would be the same enthusiasm shown by cricket crowds. One can hardly imagine for instance a vast rush of spectators on each of the three days in a match at Birmingham between Glouces­ tershire and Derbyshire in a “ semi­ final.” In the present county competi­ tion, unsatisfactory as it is in many ways, it is at least pretty certain that the county which wins the championship will be one of the strongest of the season, if not absolutely the strongest, but the vicissitudes of a game of cricket are so pronounced that, in a “ knock-out ” com­ petition, a team which was nearly last in the other competition might easily, favoured by weather and luck, have the distinction, such as it was, of being the holder of the cup. And the idea of cups is abhorrent to about ninety-nine cricketers out of a hundred. There are heaps of other objections to the proposed scheme, which is not by any means a new one—a similar scheme was set forth in detail some years ago in “ Baily’s Mag­ azine ”—while on the other hand it is difficult to think of anything in its favour. W. A. B. The draft of the proposal for the New Inter-County Tournament as set forth by Mr. Fry as follows : It is proposed — (a) That in addition to (and in no v/ay interfering with) thepresent county champion­ ship there he instituted a new inter-county tournament, not on tho presei.fc American “ all-play-all ” lines, hut upon the English system, by which the beaten teams fall out in each round. ( b) That, for this purpose, there he (1) a first round, in which all the first-class counties and one other—sixteen in all—are drawn together in pairs, making eight matches. Then (2) that the eight survivors be similarly drawn, making a second round of four matches. Then (3) that the four survivors play in a semi-final round of two matches. Then (4) that the two survivors play in the final. [This makes four rounds in all.] («) That definite dates he fixed, by which all the ties in each round he played off— e.g., the first round hy June 18, the second round hy July 16, the semi-final hy August 13, and the final hy September 3. (d) That in the first and second rounds the matches he played on the grounds of the counties drawn first in each tie, and that the hours of play he from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. That unfinished matches he decided on first innings. That the semi-finals and final he played on neutral grounds; hours of play either as above or else the matches played out in four days or more. (e) That in the first round the net profit of each match be equally divided between the two clubs. But that in the second round, semi-finals and final, the net profits of each match he liberally taxed (in a proportion hereafter to he decided) in favour of a “ pool­ ing fund,” and that the total amount thus accruing be afterwards distributed either among all the counties entered for the com­ petition or among those that do not reach the final. ( / ) That details and modifications be dis­ cussed and settled at a meeting of represen­ tatives of the counties favouring the proposal in principle. CRICKET IN BRITISH GUIANA . BRITISH GUIANA v. GEORGETOWN (2nd XI.’s.) - V j - j j - l s* TWO SEPARATE INNINGS OF A HUNDRED. Played at Georgetown in November. B ritish G oiana . First innings. Second innings. H. B. Sadler, b Conyers 17 b J. Mc'Jowan ... 66 C. Lopes, c Abraham, b English ........................57 lbw, b G. Jones... 7 R. Mackay, c Simpson, b Abraham ........................15 run out ...........S3 H. Davis, c English, b Abraham ........................ 5 b Greene ........... 6 L.Dey,cSimpson,b Abraham 7 c Conyers, b G. Jones ..........55 D. Smith, b E nglish.......... 0 b G. Jones........... 1 J. Cottam, lbw, b English.. 2 c McCowan, b G. Jones .......... 0 Sgt.-Mjr. Petty, b Abraham 23 b G. Jor es...........44 P. Gaskin, b English.......... 1 not out..................14 D. Forshaw, c Greene, b st. Jones, b Eng- English ........................ 2 lish .................12 R. Ralphs, not out .......... 1 b G. Jones........... 1 B 10, lb 4 .................14 B 28, lb 1 ... 29 Total ...144 G eorgetown . Total ..258 First innings. A.H.Brebner,cDey,bDavis 140 H. McCowan, b Sadler ... 20 F. Abraham, c Dey, b Davis 10 R. Egg, b D a v is................. 6 E. Conyers, b Davis ..........17 W . S. Jones, run out.......... 5 C. Simpson, b Cottam ... 2 C. Greene, b Sadler ......... 5 G. H. Jones, b Dey .......... 0 E. W. F. English, not out... 7 J. McCowan, retired.......... 0 B 4, lb 2, w 1 .......... 7 Second innings. not out.................104 b Mackay ..........17 lbw, b Ralphs ... 0 c sub., b Sadler 2 run out .......... 0 cForshaw,bSadler 10 b Mackay .......... 0 notout.................25 Total ..........219 b Cottam .......... 8 B 12, lb 6, w 1 19 Total ...185 Printed and Published for the Proprietor by M b b b itt & H a tch e s, L td ., 167,163, and 169, Upper Thames Street London, B.C., Deo. 31st, 1903.