Cricket 1904

S ept . 22, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. 425 or they like the game, and are generally strongly huilt and ia perfect health, and would be the last to wish for fewer matches. Of course, if it happens that any member of the team is stale or tired, there is no reason why he should not stand out for a match or two and get the needed rest, and, indeed, this is exactly what really does happen over large as it is now, and when Surrey played a few second-class counties. But it is just as true now as it was then that professionals and amateurs are none the worsefor playingright through a season. It may be pointedout that theAustralian teams, with only fourteen men to choose from, play almost continuously through- batsmen rather than of the bowlers—the improved wickets, the heavy roller, the alteration from four balls in the over, to five and thento six, etc. But there is one important thing which he overlooked, and which is nearly always overlooked. Until May, 1883, the laws did not permit that the wicket should be rolled and THE LANCASHIRE TEAM. (CHAMPIONS, 1904.) T Y L D E S L E Y . . W . B R E A R L E Y . H U D D L E S T O N . R . H . SPO O N E R . H A L L O W S . C U T T E L L . P H IL L IP S . K E R M O D E . A . C . M A C L A R E N . H . G . G A R N E T T . S H A R P . A . H . H O R N B Y . L . O . S . P O ID E V IN . and over a^ain. A ll this is quite apart from the consideration that rising counties naturally like to have the opportunity of measuring themselves against a strong team, and to gain wrinkles which may enable them to attain to higher things in the cricket world. ------- T h e above interviewtook place before the number of first-class counties was as out the season, and nobody has ever dis­ covered that they were any the worse for it. M r. B r o d r ic k hits the nail on the head when he says that nearly all the changes made iQ nrst-class cricket for many years have been in favour of the (Photo by C. Hands.) swept before play began onthemornings of the second or third day of a match, if the batting side were still in possession of the wickets. The permission to roll and sweep has been entirely and greatly totheadvantageof batsmen. Cricketers— andtherearesome of themstill playing— who remember what it was to go in on'