Cricket 1904

- A ug . 25, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 363 O n e o f the most gratifying features to the Northamptonshire executive must be that their elevation has not been the result o f any direct agitation of their own, but rather the spontaneous initiative of the first-class counties themselves, and that it has not ciused an upheaval of any sort. For the last few j ears Northamp­ tonshire cricket has been distinctly of a high order. In Thompson the county has at least one player quite iu the front rank as an all-round cricketer, with more than one other, nearly if not quite up to the highest standard of county form. Another thing in its favour is that the leaders of cricket in Northants are particularly keen, and some of them indeed of a high administrative capacity. Mil. L . H . 0 . PALAIRET AND MB. S. M. J. WOODS. (Reproduced ly permission of the “ Tatler .” ) for Kent against Middlesex at the begin­ ning of this week, has represented his county for over twenty years. When he first began to play he was regarded as a bowler, but when his arm gave way for a time he went in seriously for batting, and, getting b ick his bow ling again, he has ever since ther been one of the best all-round men in the county. He is a brother of Frank and Walter Hearne, and a cousin of G. G. Hearne. J . N. CRAW fORD is carrying out the promise which he showed in his first match for Surrey, and experienced old I h e a r from the Man in the Street, who gets bis informa­ tion, so I am told, from the half-penny daily Press, that at the commencement of the next session a promineut M P. ciicketer intends to aBk for a Committee of E tqu iry into the alleged statement that the executive of a well-known club—wild horses would not drag its name from me—have been in the habit of using the Government employes in the persons of the telegraph boys, and the Government stationery, to wit the buff envelopes used for the transmission of postal telegrams, for the purpose of sending out to their captain in the field instructions as to changes of bow ling. Sensational developments are confidently anticipated ! ! ! To a very large section of cricketers there will be some com fort in the reflection that the latest promotion to first-class rank has not been the outcome of any of the several schemes that have been proposed b y which counties may rise and fall after the manner of the Football League. Without the smallest disrespect to the great winter sport, which is in the main far better managed, one may fairly hope that the day is yet far distant when cricket will be governed on football lines. A l e c H e a r n e , who played such a valuable defensive innings of 100 not out cricketers are saying that he has a brilliant future before him, aud that he may easily be the best amateur bowler of the time. He certainly has all the quali­ fications required of a great bowler, and one is irclined to thiuk that if he can withstand the flattery which will inevit­ ably await hi n, he will be one of the best bowlers that his county has turned out for years. Fortunately he seems a level­ headed young cricketer, who will not allow himself to be spoiled. M a t W r ig h t , the Bucks professional, did the hat trick for his county in the second innings against Norfolk, and iu the course of the match took thirteen wickets for 67 runs, eight in tbe first innings for 30, and five in the second for 37. He also scored 34 runs. A. M il l wa r d , the o l d Worcestershire cricketer and league football referee, who is now one of the first-class county um­ pires, had a day off last week, and scored 130 f o r L u d l o w against Mr. F. H. Hastings X I ., besides taking five wickets for 59 runs. O n the last day of the match between Gloucestershire a n d Worcestershire, F. H. B. Champain who was not out 82 overnight, was delayed so long on the railway that when he arrived on the ground he was too late to continue his innings. In some of the scores of the match he appears as “ ab­ sent, 82,” but “ re­ tired” would seem to be preferable. T h e public school cricket of the year has been worthily represented in the later county matches of 1904. J. N. Crawford, of Repton, the youngest of a trio of cricketing brothers, made his first appearance in county cricket at Canter­ bury on the opening day of August and has been doing excellent service for Surrey throughout the month. Middle­ sex has also found a likely young batsman in Clayton Palmer, tbe captain of the Uppingham X I., whose big score for the School against Haileybury earlier in the season will be generally remembered. And now as August is com ing to an end Surrey has introduced another public school cricketer in R. E . H . Baily, the Harrow captain, who made a promising start at Taunton on Tuesday with a useful score of 28 against Somerset on a bowlers’ wicket. T h e committee of the Northamptonshire C.C. are, I believe, holding a meeting, if it has not been already held, this week to con­ sider the best steps to be taken in view of the recent recommen­ dation of the Advisory Committee practically rf cognising the county for the future as first- class in rank. There ought not, one would think, to be any real difficulty in the ar­ rangement of the minimum number of matches requisite to qualify, in spite of the existing surfeit of first-class cricket. A t least one may con­ fidently hope to see N o r t h a m p t o n s h ir e next summer in the full enjoyment of its well - earned promo­ tion.