Cricket 1904

266 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J uly 14, 1904. A g a in s t Mr. Harrison’s X I . last week Wiseton Park declared with six wickets down and a score of 263, leaving their opponents tw o hours in which to bat. The runs were hit off in an hour and three-quarters, Lord Dalmeny, the Surrey cricketer, making 75 in a little over half an hour. I n recent matches an unusual numb9r of men who were down late on the lists of the order of going in greatly dis­ tinguished themsplves. Thus during the past week, Nice (ninth) made 63 not out, for Surrey v. Warw ickshire; R othery (ninth), 70 for Torkshire v. H an ts; G. Shepstone (ninth), 64 ; and E . A. Halliwell (tenth), 72 not out, for South Africans v. Somersetshire; Cox (eighth), for Sussex v. E ssex; Whittle (eighth), 65 for Warwickshire v. Cambridge ; J. H . Hunt (eighth), 128 for Gentlemen v. Players at the Oval. A t the commencement of the Sussex innings against Kent on Monday at Tunbridge Wells Blythe bow led for nearly an hour for one run, although he did not take a wicket during that time. On the evening of the first day of the match between Torkshire and Kent at Harrogate last week the position was that Yorkshire had scored 212 for seven wickets against 177 b y Kent. But when the wicket, which had become worn at one end, was inspected on the next morn­ ing it was discovered that somebody must have tampered w ith it and vastly improved it. For a little more than an hour the game went on, but at the con­ clusion of the Yorkshire first innings the tw o captains discussed the matter and resolved that the question whether the match should be counted in the Cham­ pionship should be left to the umpires. Accordingly the umpires were consulted and decided that the match should not count. The game was resumed as an ordinary meeting between two teams, but abandoned at the close of the second day. T h e Committee of the Harrogate C.C. have issued the follow in g letter signed b y the Chairman, Treasurer, and Sec­ retary of the club, with reference to the supposed tampering with the wicket in the match between Yorkshire and Kent. W e beg to inform you that the Committee of the Harrowgate C.C., at their meeting this evening (Friday), at which every member— seventeen in all—was present, held an ex­ haustive enquiry into the serious charge made against their groundsman (J. Kedfearn). After hearing evidence from him, their other groundsman, their former professional (J. Littlewood), who was with them seventeen years, and an expert gardener, they came to the opinion that the wicket had not been tampered within anyway, either byKedfeam or anyone else, but that the improvement in the pitch was solely due to climatic influences, there having been an exceptionally heavy dew, which caused the clay, of which the wicket is largely composed, to roll out, and give the players an even better wicket than on the previous day. The Committee passed a unanimous vote of confidence in Kedfearn, who has been with them now for seven years, and is held in the highest esteem by every member of the club. I n connection with the above it may be added that the M .C.C. Committee have decided that they can take no steps in the matter until they know the exact details of the incident. Lord Hawke has made the follow ing statement: — I would willingly have let the unfortunate incident at Harrogate disappear from the history of Yorkshire cricket, but the action of the Harrogate Club Committee in stating that the umpires and the twenty-two cricketers are incapable of judging whether a wicket has been tampered with makes that course impossible. As the umpires are ap­ pointed from Lord’s, I am sending full accounts of what happened to headquarters, and am asking that an inquiry be held at the earliest possible opportunity. Until that report or verdict is received I hope further criticism will be held in abeyance. S e v e r a l instances have been known in first-class cricket when wickets have been tampered with ; notably in the match at Adelaide between Mr. G. F. Vernon's Team and South Australia in the season 1887-88, when it was dis­ covered that the wicket had been watered overnight, when the Australians had to go in for their second innings. The match was continued on the same wicket, which, thanks to the watering, played so well that the home team made 493. In one o f the matches on a southern ground years ago, it was discovered that pebbles bad been put into the wicket at one end the night before the home team had to bat, in the fourth innings of the match. Old Surrey players could tell a tale of watering over much in one of their out marches, and old Derbyshire players could do the same about some curious watering when they had to bat against a touring team and seemed to have a good chance of winning. But it is unnecessary to go into details about these things. O n e is reminded b y the Harrogate incident that when the Australian Team o f 1882 (W . L . Murdoch’s second team) visited the town to play an England X I ., the match began on Saturday, September 23rd, and that before play began on the Monday it was rumoured that tbe wicket had been watered since the first day’s play ended. The report was brought to the notice of Murdoch and Garrett, but the game was continued on the same wicket. As far as I know this was the only first-class match ever played in E ogland on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday; it was the last match of the Australian tour that year, and no doubt Mr. Murdoch would remember the rumour. T h e Bev. Francis Kerchival H ilton, who is resigning the heaimastership of A rdingly College at the end of the present term, was a batsman who only wanted opportunities to have been a first- class cricketer. He had much to do with the early training of the Sussex cricketers, W . Newham, W. Blackman, George Brann, and W. A. Bettesworth, as well as of B. W . R. Walters (Northumberland), H . J . Seymour (Dorsetshire), W . M . Thompson (Hertfordshire), and other cricketers who made the school well- known. He was at school at Lancing College, and afterwards was in the eleven at St. John’s College, Oxford ; if he had enjoyed the same advantages as modern cricketers at Oxford, he would have undoubtedly received his blue. M a jo r R . M . P o o r e , the famous Hampshire cricketer, who returned to England a short time ago, played for I Zangari against Green Jackets at W in­ chester at the beginning of this week, and scored 42. T h e Haverford captain, C. C. Morris, did a fine performance on Tuesday against Winchester College. Winchester College declared when thfir total was 446 with eight wickets down in their first innings, and Haverford had to follow on with a balance against them o f 268. Morris then carried his bat through the innings for 147, and b y judicious management of the bow ling succeeded in bringing about a drawn game when the last man was in with him. ------- A lt h o u g h J. H . Stogdon, who played so well in both innings for Middlesex against Essex at L ord’s, has played very little in first-class cricket since lie was in the Cambridge eleven in 1897, ’98 and ’9 9 ; he is undoubtedly a fine cricketer. He was at school at Harrow, and in 1895 he scored 124 and 21 against Eton. H . C. T e b b u tt , the captain o f the Leys School eleven, played his eighth innings of a hundred this season last week for the school. His record thus is about on a par with that of D . Q. Steel for Uppingham, V . F. S. Crawford for Whitgift School, and J. E. Raphael for Merchant Taylors. T h e committee of the Leicestershire County C.C. have decided to set apart a match next season for the benefit of A. E . Kuight. ------- Two fu ll-ptge reproductions of photo­ graphs cf the University match appear in this week’s Bystander. One o f the pictures represents A. C. von Ernsthausen bow ling to H . C. McDonell, and the other the scene during tbe luncheon hour. KENSINGTON PARK v. MARLBOROUGH BLUE8. —Played at St. Quintin’s Parte on July 9. M a rlbo& oogh B lues. M. 8. Rogers, c Travor, b Abney .................46 G. Platt, b Worsley ... 4 G. M. May, b Thomp­ son ... ... 3 L. N. Rogers, c & b Stutfleld .................23 H. M. Kogers, b C. F. Nicholas .................68 J. P. C. Coast, c M. A. Nicholas, b Abney... 6 A. N. Rogers, not out 16 A. M. Black, b C. F. Nicholas ... ... 0 H. Milner, b C. F. Nioholas................. 0 C. Baillis. b Worsley 3 P. W. Rogers, c & b W orsley................. 4 B 3, lb 1, nb 3 ... 7 Total .169 K ensington P abk . H. T Roberts, c Platt, |C. B. Worsley, b M, b M. 8. Rogers ..’ 94 C. F. Nicholas, lbw, b M. 8. Rogers.......... 2 P. Gretorex, b M. 8. Rogers .................12 H. Travor. run out ... 3 A. P. Comyns, c Coast, b PUtt .............. 4 M. A. Nicholas, b M. 8. Rogers................. 2 2 S. Rogers H. A. Stutfield Coast........................ 8 L.E.G. Abney, not out 32 W. G. Thompson, b M. 8. Rogers ... 12 W. Wintle, not o u t... 4 B 4, w 4, nb 3 ... 11 Total (9 wkts.)180