Cricket 1904

J uly 14, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME 259 99 BUSSEY’S “DEMON DRIVERS. < c c o « GEO, G. BUSSEY & GO Desire to inform Cricketers all over the world who may experience a difficulty in ob­ taining “ Demon Drivers ” that this difficulty arises in consequence of the ever-increas- ing demand exceeding the supply. Readers of G eo . G . B ussey & Co.’s pamphlet, entitled “ Evolution of the Demon Driver,” are aware that a fea­ ture of the success of the "Demon Driver ” is due to a special process, occupying a long period, that the bats under­ go before leaving the works, and although there are always a large number of Bats under this treatment which could be placed on the market, Geo. G. B ussey & Co., in the interest of cricketers and their own repu­ tation, will not deviate from the system that has made the The Finest Bat the World produces. GEO.G.BDSSEYftCO, 36 & 38, QUEEN VICTORIASTREET, E.C, Manufactory— PECKHAM, S.E. Timber Mills—ELMSWELL SUFFOLK. AGENT8 ALL OVER THE WORLD. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. By F. S. A sh lby -C oo per . The circumstances in which last week’s match at Harrogate between Yorkshire and Kent was abandoned constitute one of the curiosities of first-class cricket. The attention to the wicket was given either in utter ignorance of the laws of the game, or in order that Yorkshire might be benefited. As the groundman denied all knowledge of the action, the wicket was probably doctored by one of the home side’s well-meaning but too zealous supporters. Whoever was responsible, however, the Harrogate club doubtless suffered somewhat severely pecuniarily, as the captains, upon recognising the state of affairs, agreed that no importance should be attached to the match, and that play should cease at 5 o’clock on the second afternoon, Saturday being thereby rendered a blank day. That the wicket was tampered with there can be no doubt, for it is absurd to think that the umpires and the 22 players—all men of experience—could have beenmistaken in the matter. It is unfortunate that, owing to York­ shire’s heavy programme, it will be impossible for another meeting between the two sides to be arranged in place of that of last week, for the result of the match might have an important bearing on the County Championship. Par­ ticulars of a precisely similar occurrence were related to me some years ago by a member of an Australian team. The Australians were playing a match in the West of Eng­ land, and about half an hour before play ceased on the tirst day the home side com­ menced their innings on a wicket which was wearing. One of the tourists chanced to overhear some remarks during the evening which caused him to rise at an unearthly hour the following day, with the result that he was fortunate enough to catch two or three members of the home team carefully tending the wicket atfive o'clock in the morning ! The guilty ones, being discovered flagrante delicto., put a bold face on the matter, pretending to treat it as a good joke. The discussion which followed was more or less heated, but the match was recommenced at the advertised time, and few of the spectators had any knowledge of the occurrence. When Mr. G. F. Vernon’s England X I. played South Australia at Adelaide in December, 1887, and seemed to have a one-innings victory in prospect, the wicket was watered in the night, and, after looking at tirst sight to be ruined, it rolled out so hard and true that the South Australians played a second innings of 493. A reward was offered, but the perpetrators were never discovered. On the third day of the Kent v. Sussex match at Brighton in 1865, fresh wickets had to be used, some person having on the Friday night maliciously damaged the turf between the wickets. Five pounds reward was offered for his discovery. It is stated in ‘ ‘ Curiosities of First-class Cricket” that Tom Adams, at Gravesend, and Fuller Pilch, at Town Mailing, always employed a night watchman in order to pre­ vent such occurrences taking place. Last week, for the first time since 1896 the Gentlemen defeated the Players, both at Lord’s and the Oval. The match at Lord’s, as everybody knows, or should know, dates back to 1806, whilst it was not until 1857 that the two sides first met on the Surrey ground. In forty-eight consecutive years the Gentlemen and flayers have met on both grounds, but in only eight seasons have the former proved successful in the two matches, to wit, in 1868, 1869, 1872, 1873 1878, 1881, 1896, and 1904. In 1883, how­ ever, they almost accomplished the feat, winning at Lord’s and playing a tie-game at the Oval. As W.G. was unable to partici­ pate in the latter match, the Gentlemen did very well in making the game a tie. The lass match ot the series played on the Surrey ground was, in many ways, a remarkable one. Hayward’s great innings of 203 was a very fine performance, considering how indifferent the light was whilst he was in. A three-figure innings by Bosanquet can never come as a surprise, but*the success achieved by Murdoch and Hunt was cer­ tainly unlooked for, the former being in his forty-ninth year, whilst the latter, who had never before scored a century in a great match, was making his debut for the Gentlemen. SUNNINGDALE SCHOOL v. FARNBOROUGH SCHOOL.—Played at Famborough on July 6 . F arnborough . J. Walker, b Hubbuck 0 8. G. Fairbairn, b E. - Green ............... 26 R. Davis, b Hubbuck 2 D. Brown, c Proud, b Hubbock................. 0 G.Bowyer,b8criogeour 16 L.Bowlby.bScringeour 3 b. Hay, run o u t 8 B. Leverson,bHubbuck A.KebleWhite,cProud b ScringeD u r.......... W . Mackenzie, b Hub­ buck ........................ D. Hall, not o u t......... Extras .......... Total SlTNNINGDALR. J D.Proud.bFairbaim 3 J. A. Damant,cliowlby, b Hall .................31 M.Scrimgeour,cBrown b Hall ................ 17 J. Les'ie8mith, b Hall 2 M. L. Parrington, b Fairbairn... ......... 2 J. Ebden, b Fairbairn 0 J . M. Graham, b Fair­ bairn ........................ 2 J. Hole, c and b Hall.. G. S. Brown, c Hay, b Hall ........................ J. Egerton Green, b Fairbairn................. G.Hubbuck, not out... Extras .......... Total . 64 SUNNINGDALE SCHOOL “ A ” v. EARLEY- WOOD.—Played at Sunningdale on July 9. SuNSINGDALB. M. L. Parrington, b Johnson .................36 J. Ebden,lbw,b Kearns 17 J. Egerton Green, b Kearns .................18 J. M. Graham, lbw, b Kearns ... 13 E.E.Field,ma, b John­ son 2 G.8.Brown,lbw,bHug- gard, m a ................. 6 J. Hole, b Johnson ... 13 L.E. Field, mi, b John­ son ........................ A. Grant, c Carter, b Kearns ................. N. Graham, b Johnson D. C. M. Lindsay, not out ........................ Byes ................. 8 Total ...118 E arlxywood . F. Johnson, c and b Brown .................26 R. Carter, ma, b Par­ rington ................ 0 H. Huggard, c Field, ma, b Parrington ... 6 L. Kearns, c Brown, b E.-Green 0 D.Osmaston, c Brown, b Lindsay 20 C. Greensill. run ou t.. A. Bate, b Lindsay ... R. Carter, mi, ruu out P. Ashby, not out J. Lowe, b Field, m i.. D.Jenkins,c E.-Green, b P^rriogton .......... B 5, w 3 .......... i Total ... ... THE WANDERER 8 v. FOREST H ILL.—Played at Perry Hill on July 7. F orkst H ill . N. Cockill, o Barnett, b Colman..............37 C. Moore, b Nice ... 2 j T. J. Balkwill, b Colman ...............21 W. S. Holt, c Damian, b Nice ...............24 C. W . Le May. b Gillespie.................. 2 W .R. Williams,bNice 13 S. 8ilverthorne, c Nice, b Rose ................. 18 C. Barham, b Nice ... 0 C. B. E. Lee, b Nice... 6 T. Balkwill, b Nice ... 0 J. G. Trotter, not out ........................ i Extras.................17 Total .168 T he W anderers . S. Colman, c Barham, b Williams .......23 E. E. Barnett, c Holt, b T. Balkwill.......21 H. D. Wyatt, c W il- liatns.b Silverthorne 41 Dr. O. J. Damian, b F. Balkwill .. .9 1 P. P. Line >ln,c Silver­ thorne, b Williams 3 A. M. Latham, b T. B alkw ill..............40 H. M. Langdall, b F. B tlkwill .................io J. D. Gillespie, c and b T. B alkuiil.......... 9 W. R. biogham, not out ........................ 13 A. L. 8 . Rose, b T. Balawill ................. 0 E. Nice, 0 Holt, b Wil- 1 ........................ 7 Extras .......... 13 Total ,.271