Cricket 1903

M ar . 26, 1903. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 43 The County is fortunate in having such a capable authority to hand as the Rev. R. 8. Holmes, whose early contributions to C ricket will be well remembered. Mr. Holmes, who is a Yorkshireman by adoption, at least, knows Yorkshire cricket well, having lived in the County for many years, and followed its eleven closely. He is to edit the work which is to see the light in the autumn. V icto r Thumper, who has resumed his position with the Civil Service at Sydney, according to the Sydney Mail, holds the following records :— Best average made by an Australian in England—48.40. Greatest number of runs by an Australian in an English season—2570. Greatest number of runs recorded by any­ one in England in first-class cricket, season 1902—2570. Greatest number of centuries by an Austra­ lian in England in one season— 11. English record for centuries in season 1902 — 11 . Record for two centuries in one match—109 and 119 v. Essex. Scoring in every match in 1902 tour. Highest score made by an Australian against an English team—300 not out v. Sussex in 1899. Highest score on record in Anglo-Austra­ lian cricket— 300 not out v. Sussex, 1899. In companionship with K. A. Duff, best first wicket partnership by two Australians, 298 v. South Australia, January, 1903. In first grade club cricket—highest score 335 (2f hours) for Paddington v. Redfem, Kedfern Oval, January 31st, 1903. In company with Gee, 423 for first wicket, Paddington v. Bedfern, January 31st, 1903. In four hours on Saturday Paddington first grade team scored 618 against Bedfern on the latter’ s Oval. Did anyone on any ground in the world, asks the Mail, hit 22 fives and 39 fours in one innings f This was Trumper’s hitting on January 31st for Paddington v. Bedfern. T he Sydney Mail gives the following interesting additional details respecting Tiumper’s cricket:— On January 1st, 1002, he was dismissed for a “ duck” at Melbourne. For his failure to score then he has avenged himself on his natural enemy, the bowler, to the following extent before he was again dismissed for a cypher on Thursday last, January 29th :— Where played. Inngs. N.O. H.8. Tit'll. Aver. Austialia .......... 15 ... 0 ... 178 ... 631 ... 42 (6 lingland .......... 6 3 ... 0 ... 128 ... 2570 ... 48 40 A frica................. 12 ... 2 ... 218* ... 5S9 ... 59 90 Total ... 80 2 218* 3800 48 70 During that time he obtained 14 centuries, 11 in England, 101, 121, 106, 128, 113, 101, 109, 119, 125, 127, and 120; two in Australia, 178 and 130; and one in South Africa, 218 not out. It is a peculiar coincidence that Trumper failed to pass the 128 in the course of eleven hundreds in England, and that in South Africa when he did pass the mystic number, the same three figures, 128 (218) were required to represent his score. I n first grade cricket his socres have been:—82, 123, 125, 85, 120*, 191* 133, 162*, 34, 37, 15, 113, 103, 260*, 115, 118, 14, 36, 16, 51, 94, 75, 3, 49, 2, 30, 35, 213*, 26, 30, 158, 108, 27, 10, 64, 112, and 335. Thus from 1897-8 to date he has made 3304 runs for 32 dismissals, averaging over 100 runs per innings. I HEAR on the best authority that the presentation of the testimonial to Mr. J. B. Wostinholm, who has just given up the secretaryship of the Yorkshire County C.C., has been definitely fixed to take place during the luncheon hour on the first day of the Yorkshire and Surrey match at Sheffield. A photograph of Mr. Wostinholm, presented by the mem­ bers of the committee, with the sum of £210, voted by the committee, to be used as the recipient thinks fit, will be the thank- offering of grateful Yorkshiremen, to one who has devoted himself for years to the services of Yorkshire sport. T he Senior Pennant match between Cornwall and E?k at Launceston on February 7th, seems to have produced a double record for Northern Tasmania. Cornwall’s total of 453 and H. R. Purse’s individual score of 241 are said to be the best of the kind up-to-date in the northern part of the colony. Pennant cricket, in Melbourne the following Saturday (February 14th), gave rise to a much more notable performance in the way of run-getting. East Melbourne, who were playing Fitzroy, continuing their innings had raised their score to 744 for two wickets before play ceased. Frank Laver was responsible for 341, McAlister 173, Stuckey not out 150, and Horan 45 not out. The second wicket fell at 613. W. S. L ees , who has just got back to London after a very successful engage­ ment with the Wanderers’ Club in Durban, will have special reason to re­ member his first benefit match, which was at Durban on January 31 last. Play was stopped soon after five o’clock by a terrific storm which smashed the flag staff on the pavilion into smithereens, and sent the fragments flying over the ground. As a bowler, Lees has had a fine record out there, taking some seventy wickets at a cost of between three and four runs a-piece. In his benefit match, when he captained the Married against the Single, with both sides well represented, he secured six wickets for 22 runs. Just before he dismissed the first batsman, up to the end of the innings he took his six wickets for five runs, a fine performance against a good batting eleven. In the last issue of Cricket it was claimed in Gossip for the 298 of Trumper and R. A. Duff for New South Wales v. South Australia in January, that it was a record for first-class matches in Australia. Several correspondents have pointed, more or less forcibly, that I erred sadly in making such a claim, call­ ing attention to the 314 of A. C. McLaren and Hayward for the English Team v. New South Wales at Sydney early last year. I had really not over­ looked that splendid performance. In faqt, it was a mere slip of the pen, if an unfortunate one. All I meant to olaim was that Trumper and Duff had estab­ lished a new record for Australian cricketers in a first-class match. M r . J ephson ’ s desire to be relieved of the captaincy of the Surrey Eleven, owing to the increasing requirements of business can hardly be said to have been un­ expected. He was unable to play, for the same reason, in several of the later County matches of last season. Subse­ quent events have necessitated his formal retirement from the position he has so worthily filled for the last few years. His decision, it may be added, does not in any way mean his relinquishment of Surrey cricket. On the contrary he intends to assist the County as often as opportunity will allow. There is every reason to hope that this will be not in­ frequently. L ieut . U da l, a son of that keen old sportsman, the Hon. J. S. Udal, of M.C.C. and Incog, fame, has sent an interesting account of the cricket doings of the Army Service Corps during the last few months in South Africa. At Kimberley, though during the latter part of their stay there were only fifteen men from whom to select a team, in the later matches they were very successful. In Yryburg, where he was with the 37th Company of the Army Service Corps for seven months, only nine or ten played cricket, and although any odd man had to be borrowed to complete a side, not a single match was lost. While in Cape Town the Army Service Corps took on the Garrison twice and beat them each time. At present the 37th Company of the Army Service Corps is at Mafeking, and with two months for cricket Lieut. Udal is hopeful of making a good show there. The outfield on the local grounds is generally very bad, and with the existing difficulty of getting anyone to stand up to the wicket, a long stop is a necessity. T here are seven boys who play cricket in the family which claims Clem Hill as its bright particular star. They are “ Farmer” (retired), Percy, Frank, Harry, Clem, R iy and Stauley. It is strange, adds the Australian paper in which these facts appear, that none of the seven is a bowler of any pretensions. T he later stages of the Match between New South Wales and Victoria produced a specially meritorious stand in which one of the actors was a youngster making his first appearance in this important contest. The player in question was R. N. Hicks du, aud his cool and plucky play when things were going rather iu favour of Victoria with M. A. Noble enabled New South Wales to turn the tables and secure a creditable victory. Hickson, who is only nineteen years of age, got his 89 not oat in less than two hours. His score is the highest as yet made by a New South Wales player in his first match against Victoria. D r . H. J. H. S cott , the captain of the Australian team of 1886, better known to his friends as “ Tup ” Soott, has lost none