Cricket 1904

454 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 24, 1904 TH E OUTLOOK IN A U S T R A L IA . Opinions differ a good deal as to the coming cricket season. Many believe that, as an Australian eleven will go to England at the end of the summer, there ■will in consequence be a keen interest both in club and interstate criciet; but, personally, I am not at all sanguine on the point. As far as bowlers are con­ cerned, there never was a better chance for a moderately good man to win a place in an Australian team. It is an axiomin war that the side which is good only in defence and not in attack can never succeed, and very much the same thing applies to cricket. Our defence— taking batting to represent defence—is strong enough, more especially now that Darling is prepared apparently to take another trip—andDarling is one of those admirable batsmen who represent b}th sides of the game. He can attack when his side have to win against time; he candefend when a game has to be saved; and saving the game is the third and im­ portant phase of cricket in England which is quite unknown in Australia. But the winning is the important thing, and everyone is speculating where the bowling—otherwise the attack—is to comefrom. What areourpresent chances of getting a strong English side out, unless something remarkable in bowling talent, that everyone has overlooked, is suddenly discovered ? The opportunity, it is said, makes the man, and there is a chance for new bowlers; but, after all, an Australian Eleven is to cricketers a lottery with very few prizes in it, and a greatmanyblanks. Nearlyalltheprizes, too, are already drawn. I fear what re­ mains in the lottery for distribution will not give club cricket the impetus it so badly needs. Somethingquiteout of the common was required, and though there was hope at one titne that a distinct scheme would be evolve1, the end of it is that things are to be let drift for another season. It is a bad sign when, at the opening of the summer, one hears few people discussing cricket, and the few who do discuss it take by no means a cheery view. “ If that be the case,” some may ask, “ why emphasise it?” One] reason is that there seems to be need of an awakening.—“ Observer” in the Melbourne A rgus. W IN T E R CR ICK ET A T TH E C AM B E RW E L L BATH S . To get to Camberwell on a foggy evening is a work of some difficulty, but when once you have located your tramcar you arrive there in reasonable time, for the electric cars simply ring their bell, and go cheerfully ahead, fog or no fog. For my part, on the opening day of the cricket practice, I reached the Camberwell baths in the evening at a time when, as a polite attendant in­ formed me, “ Some of the cricketing gents had just gone, and the others hadn’t come yet.” But perhaps this did not matter very much, for as the electric lights were turned full on it was possible to inspect the courts thoroughly, with­ out being worried by the noise of balls. The first thing that must strike a spec­ tator in connection with the cricket pitches is that twenty-two yards seems a much more formidable distance in a bath than in the open air. The wicket looks almost as far from the bowling crease as it does in a match between small boys in the parks, where the invariable rule seems to be that the smaller the boys the longer the pitch. There are three pitches in the Baths, with ample room for the two batsmen on the outside, but the centre pitch is somewhat narrow, and if a tall batsman were to make a powerful hit to square-leg he would considerably startle his neighbour, especially if the latter happened to be trying a fancy cut at the same instant. But very likely in actual practice it has beenfound that eachbats- mvnhasenoughroomandtospare. India- rubber shoes will have to be worn by the bowler, and the difficulty of finding a foothold on the smooth surface of the boards with which the bath is covered is met by a supply of pumice-stone, or some suchmaterial. The batsman has a fairly wide piece of green matting on which to disport himself, wide enough and long enough for all ordinary pur­ poses, although doubtless he will be surprised now and then when he is opposed to a bowler who is inclined to be exceedingly short, or has an exagger­ ated ilea of the “ off theory.” But, even if a bill were to pitch exactly on the edge of the thick matting, it could hardly do anything more dangerous than to make the ba'snan fancy for the moment that he had received a shooter of the old-time variety, for the ball would only bound away at a curiousangle. The distance between thebowler’s wicket and the end of the hall nearest to it is about twelve yards, sothatunlessabowler has a verylong runhe is not handicapped. As many bowlers who make the ball swerve are under the impression that they re­ quire a wind to help them, whereas theorists seeminclined to think that the ball may be made to swerve without any wind at all, it would be of the greatest interest if careful experimentsweremade this winter in the Camberwell Baths. Many critics would be willing tobet that even the most pronounced swerver would find himself unable to make the ball curve an inch out of its normal course in a hall in which wind has no opportunity of making its presence felt. But doubt­ less some of the theorists will make due inquiries into the question, now that an excellent chance to do sopresents itself. It may be stated that the nets, which are supplied by Messrs. Wisden & Co., are very stout and strong ; they are placed over the pitches as well as at the back and the sides, so that safety is assured. W. A. B e t t e s w o r t h . CR ICKET IN CAL IFO RN IA . The following will show the results of the competition for the championship of San Francisco last season :— T eam s. P ly d . W o n L st. D rn . P t«. P et. San F rancisco C ou n ty 12 .. 7 ... 4 ... 1 ... 15 ... Hi A lam ed a .......................12 ... 6 ... 4 ... 2 ... 14 ... 1 8 P a c ific a ..............................12 ... 4 7 ... 1 ... 9 ... 37 Santa Cruz ... ............. 6 ... 2 ... 4 . 0 ... 4 ... 33 T h e b a t t in g a n d b o w lin g a v e r a g e s f o llo w : B A T T IN G . N o . T im es M ost o f n ot T ota l in an Ia n s. O ut. R u n s. In n s. A ver. R ich ardson (S .F .C .) 11 ... 6 ... 730 ...*103 .. 146*0J A . Jenkins (S .C .) .. 6 ... 3 ... 139 ... *50 ... 46*3J A . W . W ilQ in? (P .)... 12 ... 2 ... 399 ...*107 ... S9*90 P etersen (S .F .C .) ... 10 ... 1 ... 339 ... 109 ... 37-66 G . H . W a rd (A .) ... 12 ... 4 ... 204 ... 71 ... 25 5 ) E . H . W ilk es (P .) ... 10 .. 0 ... 255 ... 101 . 2V60 S. M F oster (A .) ... 12 ... 2 ... 219 ... *59 ... 21*90 H . D . B ow ley (P .) ... 11 ... 2 ... 196 ... 67 ... 21*77 F . J . C roll ( A .) .......... 11 ... 0 .. 215 ... 41 .. 19 54 F. A . Stahl (A..) .. 11 ... 0 ... L01 ... 60 ... 18*54 F . J . B ennion (A .) ... 7 .. 2 ... 86 ... *54 ... 17 2 i M cN am ara (S .C .) ... 6 ... 1 .. 85 ... *42 ... 17 (JO H . C. C asidy (P .) ... 8 ... 2 ... 102 ... 62 ... 17*00 H . R oberts iS .F .C .) .. 8 ... 2 ... 9 5 ... 36 .1 5 * 8 3 H . B ird (A .) .......... 6 ... 0 ... 89 ... 40 ... 14 83 G . C roll (A .) .......... 6 ... 0 ... 88 ... 27 ... 14 80 M cN au gh ton (A .) ... 11 ... 0 .. 164 .. 45 ... 14*00 W . P eth erick (P .) 10 ... 1 ... 1 5 ... #4L ... 11*84 Q ualification, six inniD gs, an d over ten average. •Signifies n ot out. B O W L IN G . A . D avies (S .F .C .) ............. H . R oberts (S .F .C .) ........... G . H . W ard ( A . ) ..................... F . A . Stahl (A..) ...................... W . A . M cN am ara (8.C ) .. E . J. S tratton (S .F .C .) E . M . Petersen (S .F .C .) H . B . R ich ardson (S .F .C .) A . Kims (S .C .) ..................... F . J . C roll (A ) ..................... E . H . W ilkes (P .) ........... H . C. C asidy ( P .) ............. O . N . T a ylor ( P . ) ........... E . H . M . L aunow e (P .) Q ualification O. M . R . 84 .. 29...114. 146... 34 3 .8 207... 35 ..447. 62 .. 10...135. 106 .. 18 210. 51... 7...136 93... 23 202. 68... 11. ..147, 114 .. 22 . 254. 45.. 355 2* . *8{. 9 . 2*i8 .119.. 29 . 298 . 78... 18 . 20i ten w ick ets. 182 . 123 . 97 . W . A ver. .. 16... 7 01 .. 35... 9*94 .. 37...12 08 .. 11...12 27 .. 17 ..12*35 .. 11...12*36 . 1 5 .1 3 4 6 .. 1 1 .1 3 -3 6 .. 19..13.37 .. 26 ..13*65 .. 19 ..14*89 .. 17 . 15*76 .. 17 . 17 52 .. 11 . 1872 TR IA L M A TCH AT S Y D N E Y . M. A. NOBLE’S ELEVEN" v. BALMAIN. Playedat Birchgrove Park on September 17 Thematchwas drawn, the visitors having battedtill 4*15, andthe local team till 5*30. A. J. Hopkins captained the Eleven, Noble being unable to play through a strained muscle. M . A . N o b l r ’ s X I . P . J . S. C arew , b O ’ R eilley ......................20 G . L . G arnsey, retired *9 E . G . N oble, retired ... 16 S. E . G regory, lb w , b B ernard ...................... 1 J . R . M ackay, c Jan ­ sen, b R obson ... 23 A . J. H op k in s, retired 29 J . J . K elly , st L ov e- ridge, b R ob son ... 3 A . C otter, b R ob son VO W . W . C hapm an, n ot ou t ................................ 1 G . K in g , n ot ou t ... 1 B 4 ,l b 3 , w l ... 8 T ota l (8 w kts) 151 A. M’Beth did not bat. B a l m a in . W . D. Loveridge. b Gregory ................. 11 G. Carrick, b M 'B eth ............................... 7 F . Carrick, c Cbapman, b M‘Beth .......... 6 S. Janes, c Gregory, b Garosey ...................... 5 J. Robson, not out...................................... 14 F . Hrwe, c and b Chapman ................. 24 W . Whitting, not ou t............................... 0 Byes ...................................... 7 Total (for 5 wkts.).. .. 74 B. O’fieilley, W . Bernard, E. Jansen, snd P. Woolcott did not bat. BOWLING AVERAGES. B a l m a in . O. M. R. W.l 11 2 49 0 I Bernard ., 7 8 13 1 I Robson . M. A. N o b l e ’ s XI. O.M. R. W. W h ittin g.. O ’ R eilly .. C otter... M ’B eth G regory K in g ... 4 1 10 0 4 1 1 2 1 4 0 10 1 2 2 0 0 Carew G arnsey ... C hapm an... O . M . R . W . 6 1 19 1 10 1 67 3 O . M . R . W . 1 10 0 1 20 1 0 4 1