Cricket 1903

74 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r il 16, 1903. was only slightly more successful, having to be content with 46 runs for the same number of innings. By way of contrast I may add that in two knocks for Padding­ ton, J. J. Kelly, the Australian stumper, was able to score 92, 42 in one and 50 in the other. J. G. H irsch , who has recently joined the London County C.C. and played for it against Surrey this week, had an excel­ lent all-round record last year as captain of the Shrewsbury School X I. Bis bat­ ting average was 21 for fourteen com­ pleted innings and as a bowler he had far the best figures, taking 53 wickets at an average cost of 9-73 He is now up at Cambridge. The three Cambridge “ freshers ” — N . F. NormaD, P. K. May and J. G. Hirsch—all had a bad time of it at the Oval on Easter Monday, failing to get a run between them. C arpenter , the Essex player, who has been fulfilling an engagement with the Melbourne C.C. this winter, was representing that club in a match against Melbourne University on February 28th. He had no chance of making a big score as W. Bruce, the fine left-hand bat of the earlier Australian teams, and Mailer, who went in first, stayed so long together that he had to be satisfied with carrying out his bat for 22 in a score of 171 for one wicket. T he following extract from the minutes of the annual meeting of the Warwick C.C., of Sydney, held in September, 1865 contains an entry of great interest as showing the fact of William Caffyn’s first engagement in Australia. The committee’s report to the members con­ tained the following announcement:— The committee have much pleasure in advising the engagement of Mr. W . Cafiyn as professional during the ensuing season, from which they anticipate that exceedingly favourable results will accrue, not only to this club, hut also to the general hody of cricketers in the colony, and while on this subject they would beg to express their thanks for the assistance which has been so kindly rendered both by members of the clubs and by many gentlemen who, although not members of a cricket club, were desirous for the sake of good cricket of seeing Mr. Caffyn settle in the colony. Caffyn, who it is pleasant to chronicle, is still going strongly in spite of his 75 not out, was duly engaged to the great benefit not only to New South Wales in particular, but of Australian cricket in general. The veteran, I may add, has moved from Hertford where he was for many years, and is now located in the neighbourhood of Redhill. M e . A. C. M aclaren ’ s letter to Major Wardill, giving his opinion that it would not be advisable for him to take out an English team to Australia in 1903 and practically postponing the matter till next year has, as was only to be expected, produced a good deal of discussion on the other side. In reference to the suggestion that these visits should be under the control of representative cricket bodies in England and Australia, “ Mid-on,” the cricket critic of the Sydney Referee, has the following to say:— An Association representative of Australian cricket may be formed some day, and em­ powered with the right to decide in conjunc­ tion with the Marylebone C.C. or the county clubs of Englandwhen these Anglo-Australian tours shall take place, and a few other matters affecting international cricket. But as far as the absolute control and management of an Australian X I.’s tour is concerned, there is no reason to believe that any radical change from the system in operation up to the present will take place. There is only one really powerful association in Australia, and it—the New South Wales Cricket Association—has no more right to control or manage an Aus­ tralian team than any other association. To establishing a thoroughly powerful board or association representing all Australia there are some big obstacles, one that the Victorian Association is not the puissant force in Vic­ torian cricket, despite its being the nominal head. In international matches it is quite secondary. The South Australian Association is practically in the same boat; there is a ten­ dency to sacrifice principle and rights for expediency. Were it not for this the Aus­ tralasian Cricket Council would be in existence to-day and probably doing good work. New South Wales withdrew from the council because it declined to be swept into the position of subserviency to which the other associations had drifted. It fought for a principle, and at the finish had to play a lone hand, for which cricket, in this state at all events, has not suffered. A STRANGELY unfamiliar side it was that took the field for Surrey at the Oval on Easter Monday. Mr. Jephson, it is true, was in charge, as everyone was delighted to see. Hayes and Lockwood, too, were there, both of them fit and well. But where were Captain Bush, Messrs. Dowson, Leveson-Gower and Frank Crawford, Richardson, Brockwell and Stedman, with “ the Guv’nor,” not to mention Albert Baker and Clode ? They were all absent for different reasons, more or less, mostly more, cogent. Mr. Frank Crawford, it is hardly necessary to recall, is a permanent loss to Surrey, but the others were, in theatrical parlance, merely “ resting.” ------ J ust at the moment, indeed, it would seem to be Surrey’s policy to give a really good and sufficient trial to one or two of their most likely players coming along. Three, who come under that category, were tried this week, and, on the whole, with successful results. Mr. E. Wiltshire, a left-handed batsman, showed really good form last year for Surrey’s second eleven, though, so far, he has been out of luck in both the matches he has played for the first team. Mr. G. H. Hadfield and Davis both came well out of the ordeal of a first appear­ ance in first-class cricket. The former kept generally an excellent length, and as he mixes his bowling cleverly and is apparently not afraid of being hit, is worth a good trial. Davis, who is a fine field, which should be of itself a great testimonial, is a free hitting bat. Last year he bowled big breaks for the Surrey’s second eleven with considerable success at times. D oubtless with a view of getting a little batting practice before the Surrey match, London County took on an Eighteen of Sydenham on Saturday with highly satisfactory results to themselves, for several members of the team distin­ guished themselves considerably. B. Jaya Ram, the Indian cricketer who is now in England, has soon shown that as a batsman he is something quite out of the common, and his innings of 118— the first hundred of the year which has appeared in print—greatly impressed the critics. E. H. D. Sewell also nearly made a hundred, while L. O. S. Poidevin and Dr. Grace were both in fine form. C. J. P osthuma , the excellent all­ round cricketer who captained the Gentle­ men of Holland in England two years ago, is also just now over here. In his case the mission is purely cricketal. As he is located with his family at Upper Norwood, in the immediate neighbour­ hood of the Crystal Palace, he will be a very handy recruit for W. G. and the London County C.C. He would have played this week at the Oval, but was unfortunate enough to strain his leg last Friday, and had to be content with looking on. G eorge G iffen , who seems like the G.O.M. of cricket to be quite rejuvenated, finished February in quite a blaze of triumph. In addition to his excep­ tionally brilliant all-round performance for South Australia v. Victoria, he took a prominent part in a big score of 316 for two wickets by West Adelaide against Port Adelaide on February 21st. His share of the total was 167 not out. His chief supporter was E. Bailey, who went in first and was dismissed for 141. M ention was made in last week’s ‘ ‘ Gossip ’ ’ of the consistent scoring of J. O. Anderson in Buenos Ayres c : :_icet. Since then he has played another big innings of 148 not out for the Buenos Ayres Club against Flores. It was his tenth not out, and brought his aggregate to upwards of twelve hundred runs as the result of this season’s cricket. His exact figures are 1,246 runs for nineteen completed innings. T he testimonial to H. G. Owen, the retiring captain of the Essex County eleven, Cricket readers may like to be reminded, is to be presented on the County Ground at Leyton on Thursday next. The annual general meeting of the Essex C.C. is to precede it. The members, with whom Mr. Owen is universally popular, are sure to foregather in great force. T he guage for testing the width of bats can boast a respectable antiquity. About 130 years ago the famous “ Shock ” White, of Beigate, who once made 197 on Sevenoaks Vine, appeared at the wicket in one of the Hambledon matches with a bat as wide as the stumps. The Hambledonians naturally protested, and