Cricket 1904

C R IC K E T , KLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M A Y 19, 1 9 0 4 . “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. No. 658. v o l . XXXII. THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1904. price 2 a. A CHAT ABOUT MR . B. J. T. BOSANQUET. There was shaking of heads when it was announced that Mr. Bosacquet had been chosen to accompany the M.C.C. team to Australia, but it was not because fears were entertained that he would be too nervous to do himself justice in the important matches. On the contrary, it was generally recognised that if his skill proved equal to his pluck he would be the very man for a big situation. The question was whether he had enough skill, a ques­ tion which, at least as far as bow ling was concerned, he soon answered in a manner which satisfied all his critics. H is pluck is proverbial, and his coolness is that of a phil­ osopher. It does not seem to matter to him whether he is bow led first ball or makes fifty ; whether he takes wickets or is hit all over the field. He has done his best, and if the fates are against him, why grumble at what cannot be avoided ? The name Bosanquet has always proved a stumbling block in the way of the crowd, and it is marvellous what a diversity of pronun­ ciation one may hear when he is batting or in the field. W ith equal readiness he is oalled Bos’n-ket, Bo-sankey, Bo-sanket, Bo-sanquay, B o- sankay, Bos’n-kay, Bos’n - quay, and Bos’n-quet. After a heated discussion at the Oval among some spectators, who had evidently come to the ground in company, a friend was referred to. “ What do you say, Bill ? H ow do you call him ? ” To which “ Bill ” replied, in a stately manner, after a moment’s hesi­ tation, “ Well, I says, when you comes to a cricket ground you pays your money and you takes your chice.” For some time after he first came at all prominently into notice as a bowler, Mr. Bosanquet was the delight of the crowd, for he had a fast style and a slow style, and he was looked upon as an eccentric bowler who might at any time provide a sensation. It began to be known that he alone of all bowlers could occasionally bow l an off break apparently with exactly the same motion and turning of the hand as for a leg break, and the ball began to be greatly dreaded b y batsmen. For, MR. B. J. T . BOSANQUET. (From a photo]'Jby E. Hawkins & Co:, Brighton). like the disconcerting break back bowled by Richardson in his palmy days, even on the best and fastest of wickets, the ball only came so seldom that a batsman was frequently off his guard when he received it, with fatal results to him. No bats­ man, however great, seems to have been able to fathom the mystery of the ball which, since the test matches in Australia, has become famous. Even C. B. Fry, most wary and watchful of batsmen, has admitted in print that he cannot tell when this particular ball is coming. With other bowlers who have a break both ways it may sometimes be difficult to detect the variation for a short time, but generally the movements of the hand are entirely different in the two cases. Of course, there al­ ways has been and always will be men who can never detect any change whatever in a bowler’s action, but in the nature of things they never become first - class cricketers. With regard to Mr. Bosanquet’s deceitful off-break, it is related that after playing against him two or three times, Clement H ill said that “ Bosacquet will get no more wickets in Australia; he is only difficult when you don’t know him, but now that we have detected his break you will find he will be quite harmless in the future.” Which shows once more, if the tale is true, that even the greatest of cricketers may make mistakes when they turn their attention to prophecy. Like most bowlers who rely chiefly for their suc­ cess on their peculiarities, Mr. Bosanquet only comes offoccasionally,although, like them, when he has a lucky day he may upset the very best of batsmen. When he was in the Oxford eleven he was known as a fast bowler, but as time went on he became much more success­ ful with slow leg-breaks. In 1902 he was a large factor in the success of Middlesex in the only three matches won b y the county, his great triumph of the season being in the match against Notts at Trent Bridge, where in the second innings he took seven wickets for 57 runs, the batsmen seeming quite helpless against him. The performance which he would perhaps regard as his best was in the Middlesex match against Surrey