Cricket 1904

426 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S ept . 22, 1904. an unswept and unrolled wicket after their side had b itted for half-an-hour or bo on the previous evening on a wet pitch, will readily admit that times are indeed changed for the better as far as batsmen are concerned. W ith regard to the above alteration in the law about sweeping and rolling, it may be interesting to quote two remarks about Ihe season of 1883, which appeared in C ricket, of September 20, in that year. No alterationinthe laws has givengreater and more general satisfaction than that of allowing thewickets to he rolled, and pre­ pared, onthe secondandthirdmornings of a match, no matter whether the innings has beencompletedornot. The somewhat exceptionally fine season has hada correspondingeffectonthebatsmen of the year, andmuchlargerindividualscores andlargertotals have been chronicled than for several seasonspast. A C o r r e s p o n d e n t writes: “ In last week’s 4 Gossip ’ you referred to R. H. Lambert’s fine score of 256 not out for Leinster against Co. Kildare, but you omitted to add that when the innings was declared closedhe immediately went on to bowl, and that Lambert teok six wickets for29 runs, and, thanks chiefly to him,theCountywasall out inanhour,and lost the match byan innings and63 runs. In the course of the match he took twelve wickets. Some years agohemade 248 not out intwo hours and ten minutes against the FitzwilliamClub, and I fancy that his 256 not out is a record in what is known as first-class cricketinIreland.” T h e perfection of animal training seems to have been reached by the De Gracia family, who are touring the provinceswithatroupof youngelephants. During the performance these Kings of the Forest participate in a single wicket cricket match—C. B. Fry againstRhodes, with one to field—and the manner in which they are trained is really remark­ able, and gives one the impression that they must be conversant with the rules of the game. Wearing gigantic pads Fry journeys to the wicket and fakes guard with marked precision, while Rhodes measures his ground and prepares for the attack. The night that wehad thepleasureof witnessingthe per­ formance, Fry had only made two singles when he hit his wicket, and retiredcrest­ fallen. He gave the audience the impression that he was playing for bis average, but in justice to the great bats­ man’s representative it must be said that Rhodes was in his best form, and bowled good length balls. A word of praise is also due to the fieldsman— Foster—who picked up and returned the ball asquickly as his bulky frame would permit, while his manipulation of the figures on the score board elicited the heartiest applause and convinced one that these terrible, but docile, animals C essed the intelligence of human gs. C o l o n e l t h e R i g h t H o n . W. S . K e n y o n - S l a n e y , M . P . , the old M .C .C . and I. Zingari cricketer, has been pre­ sented by the members of theSbifnal and District Conservative Associationwith an illuminated address, expressive of their congratulations on his being appointed a member of the PrivyCouncil and of their recognition of his long and faithful Parliamentary work. T h e teams for the match between Jockeys and Athletes at the Oval, on September 26, in aid of the “ Robert Abal Testimonial ” are as follows:— Jock ey8 : M . C annon (ca p t.), H . Jones, K. C annon, W . L an e, D . M ah er. C . T rig g , W . D ollery, O. M a d ­ den , W . O riggs, B . M ath ew s, P . Cha’on er, H . R an d all, B . L y n h a m , G . W illia m son , J . H are, H . W ood la n d , an d H . A ylin . A tlle te s : A . S hrubb (am ateu r ru n n in g ch am p ion ), C . H . J u p p (220 yard s am ateu r ch am p ion ), H . N . D u k e (w alk in g), G u y B ix o n (scu llin g), J . W . M orton (ICO yards am ateur ch a m p ion ), B . J . B lu n d en (ex-880 yards am ateu r ch am p ion ), L . F . T rem eer (sprin tin g), E . H . M on tagu e (ath letics), D . Basan (lacrosse), A . L . B eed (am ateu r cyclin g ch am pion), H . L . D oherty (law n tennis ch am p ion ), J . B . D en sham (h u rd lin g), J . C . Stevens (h ock ey), C. W . F o x (athletics), A . K. C hu rchill (cross-cou n try), 8 . L . Sarel (g o lfj, C . D . M iller (p olo), M . H olb ein (sw im m in g ), H . W . G reg- son (ath letics), B . O’ H . L iveaay (foo tb a ll), and W . L otin g a (ca p t.). Each player will wear a number corre­ sponding with his number on the card. Messrs. John Wisden and Co., will present a bat to the highest scorer in the match, ard a ball to the bowler with the best average. A t a meeting of the committee of theGloucestershireCountyC.C. last week it was announced that there had been no loss on the past season’s matches. An effort is tobemadetobring theguarantee fund up to £'2,000. Next year a benefit match is to be given to Wrathall, who has played with success for the county for the last elevenyears. The Gloucester Week is to be renewed if the ground is improved, and a new Week, somewhat on the lines of the Canterbuiy Week, is to be instituted at Bristol at the end of June or the beginning of July. D e n n e t t , the Gloucestershire profes­ sional, who has bowled so finely this sea­ son, has accepted a winter engagement with the well-known Wanderers’ Club at Johannesburg. G. F. S. Griffin, the Middlesex cricketer, won four first prizes and a second prize in the sports of the Belsize C.C. at Neasden on Saturday. He won the 100 yards’ handicap by five yards from G. S. Buckingham, the 120 yards’ hurdle race, the long jump, with a leap of 18 ft. 1 in.; throwing the cricket ball, with a throwof 93 yds. 2 ft., and with a jump of 5 ft. was second to M. Wenham, whocleared 5 ft. 2\ in. in the high jump. G. Buckingham, who won the bat and ball race by a yard from his brother, E. S. Buckingham, also proved success­ ful in the three-legged race. O n Saturday last L. O. S. Poidevin, the Lancashire and Australian cricketer, left Southampton for Australia. It is his present intention to return to Eng­ land in time for the cricket season o 1905, and it is quite on the cards that if the Australian team comes ever he may be one of its members. It will be re­ membered that but for an accident to his hand he would in all probabilityhave been chosen for the Australian team of 1902. T h e b e has been some amusing corre­ spondence in the D aily M ail as the result of an article by Mr. E. H. Miles, who insisted that “ during game and practice . . . . there shouldbe full devotionof the whole being, complete absorption by the task iu hand.” In reply to this a lady doctor said that “ there is no more stupidperson than your man or woman who excels in games, none more lacking in imagination, in subtlety, in general brain power. The forcedathletics of onr modemschools havemuch to do withthe deplorable mediocrity and poor physique of modern youth.” T h e n came Mr. Milej’s turn, and apropos of stupidity, he asked the lady doctor “ whether she has ever met Alfred or Edward or any other Lyttelton, Edward Grey, Arthur Balfour, W. H. Grenfell, Lord Alverstone, the Studds, A. G. Steel, C. B. Fry, E. F. Benson, or a hundred others.” He might also have asked whether she had noticed the deplorable mediccrity and poor physique of R. H. Spooner, C. B. Fry, J. R. Mason, E. H. D. Sewell, the Hon. F. S. Jackson, the Fosters, V. F. S. Crawford, and otherproductsof ourmodemschools. From BombayArsenal acorrespondent writes:— ‘‘ I should be much obliged to youif you will kindlygiveme a reply tothe following queries through the columns of your paper, giving your views bothaccordingtothe Laws of Cricket and laws of courtesy: A captain has carefully selected his team, but before going into the field he finds that one of the eleven (a) is absent and he puts in another ( b ) in his place. After some time (a) turns up.—Now, (1). Has heanyright tocomein? (2). What is the course the captain has to follow if he wishes him to come into field? (3). Can the captain keep both the late comer (a) and his substitute (b) and send awayanyother of theeleven ( c ). (4). Is this sufficient reasonfor (c) totake it as apersonal insult and expert an apology from the captain? As to the above it is only necessary to say that it is generally recognised that, except for the purpose of changing the order of going in, no alteration ought to be made in a teamwhen the names have once been posted up in the pavilion. There is no actual lawon the question. It is impoBeible to discuss in “ Gossip” the actions of an individual captain with regard tomembers of his team. In an article in the P all Mall Gazette A. C. MacLaren Eays:— ‘' I heardat the Oval that V. Trumper is soill hemaynot be ableto cometoEngland next summer. I was toldthat whenhe runs a threeheis quite winded. I sincerelyhope the report is exaggerated, for if Trumper cannot come to England the Australians