Cricket 1904

C R IC K E T , A WEEKLY REOORD OF THE GAME, AU G . 25, 19 04. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. JTO. 6 7 8 . v o l . x x i i i . THURSDAY, AUG. 25, 1904. p b i c e 2 d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. J. B. BARIiER. Although it is many years since Mr. Barber played for Lancashire, he still takes the greatest interest in the game, and attends first class matches whenever he finds it possible to do so. His first appearance for the County was in 1869, and until 1876 he played when he could get away. In 1874 he played at Maidstone against Kent, in the match in which Barlow carried his bat through the first innings of 116 for 26. The cares of business prevented him from playing very^often for the County, and when he went to live at Mitcham in 1872, where he was, with a few others, instrumental in founding the present Mitcham C.C., the rules of which are founded on the lines of those that govern the Manchester C.C., though having a more democratic tendency. Most of his cricket was confined to club matches in Surrey. He was captain of the village club in its palmy days, and naturally has 'many tales to tell about that time. As a raconteur, Mr. Barber is inimitable. Of the first occasion on which Mr.Barber went in .the field for Lancashire he said : “ I went down in 1869 to Brighton as twelfth man, and as Cornelius Coward ricked his knee I had the pleasure of fielding as substitute in both innings and paying my own expenses. Sub­ stitutes did not bat or bowl in those days, but apparently they are allowed to do so now. C. G. Hulton, who still plays cricket, was the Lancashire captain in that match, and among the other men who played for us were Hickton, E. J. Bousfield, Fred Reynolds and J. Ricketts. Chariwood played a grand innings for Sussex. The first time I batted for Lancashire was againBt Kent at Maidstone; I had been getting a lot of runs at Mitcham.” “ I remember,” said Mr. Barber, “ that the match at Brighton in 1876 was pulled out of the fire. I was playing on the Wednesday at Old Trafford for the Sale Club, and S. H. Swire came to me and said, ‘ When are you going back South P’ I replied that I was returning there on the next day. ‘ Will you play at Brighton to-morrow ? ’ he asked. ‘ Short notice, isn’t it,’ I said. But I agreed to go, and got down there in time to go in last. We made about 140 and Sussex beat us on the first innings by one run. We made 91 in the second innings, so that Sussex had to make the same number to win. Before stumps were drawn they knocked off 20 without losing a wicket. While we we) MR. J. B. BARBHK. dressing Hornby said to us, ‘ All these Sussex boys are going out to dinner. We will keep quiet to-night; some of you fellows had better go and look afterthe pros.’ It was a blazing hot morning when Sussex had to go in to make the runs, and as there were no rules in those days about the time for beginning play, they were all practising hard for a long time, and were none the better for it. We had no regu­ lar wicket keeper, but Hornby took the gloves and stumped Greenfield first ball in the concluding day’s play. I remember that as he was going away Hornby said to him ‘ You are out all right.’ Greenfield freezingly replied, ‘ You know very well I wasn’t, Monkey.’ In the end we won by about 12 runs. When the last two men were in Royle and I had a race for the ball, and as it was coming to my left hand Royle gave way and I threw down the wicket. I should like to add that I never received a penny from the Lancashire club in my life, and I know that I can safely say that even at that period there were very few who could say the same.” “ It may not be generally known,” said Mr. Barber, “ that Lancashire were the first to break the record of top­ ping the four figures for one of their most deserving stalwarts of his day, Alec Watson. I remember meeting Watson in the winter following his benefit as he was coming out of one of the principal banks in Man­ chester. ‘Hallo, Watson, glad to see you in such a good neighbourhood, ’ I said. *Yes, ’ replied Alec. ‘ I ’ve joost been putting the last of the siller and ither stuff to my benefit ac­ count.’ My reply was, ‘ I hope it is a satisfactory one.’ ‘ A verra satisfactory one,’ he said, — ‘ a record,—and if it had just been ten pounds more, it would have been a proper cricket benefit.’ ‘ How do yo make that out? ’ said I. ‘ W ell,’ said Alec, taking paper and pencil out of his pocket and putting down the following, £1,101 11s. Id., *Now, would not another tenner have made the amount all elevens ? ’ ” “ You lived at Mitcham for some years during the lifetime of Southerton ?’ ’ “ Yes, at the time when he was a great bowler. He was a man with much dry hu­ mour. Amongst other little bits of business old Jim did besides that of professional cricketer, village barber, tobacco merchant, &c., was that of providing certain schools and clubs in his neighbourhood with the necessary articles for sports of various kinds. Towards the close of one season, Jim had not seen the colour of any of the money of a certain club, so he wrote to the captain as follows :— ‘ Dear Sir,—Do not you think a change of bowling