Cricket 1904

Nov. 24, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 455 O B ITU A R Y . MB. GEORGE LACY. The death of Mr. George Lacy, -which occurred on November 4th at his resi­ dence, Sandgate, removes fromthe cricket world, not only a keen loverof thegame, but a writer, critic, and statistician of much ability and versatility. He was a splendid type of the roving Englishman and Empire builder. Born sixty years ago, he was the second eon of Mr. Chas. James Lacy, a banker of the City of London, and, throughhismother,claimed lineal descent fromthe ancient family of Bacon, that gave to the world Lord Bacon. Though destined for a banking career he could not endure such a hum­ drumexistence, andat the age ofnineteen went to the Cape to begin an extra­ ordinary career as sportsman, hunter, journalist and author. He edited newspapers, published novels, and was well qualified to write uponeconomical, philosophical, scientific, political and artistic subjects, and his leadingwork “ LibertyandLaw” (Swann Sonnenschfin) shows considerableorigin­ ality of thought and research. His articles in “ South Africa” on the Boer "War weremuch prized for their masterly summing-up of the questions at issue between England and Dutch South Africa. Australia, New Zealand and Cape Colony were all perfectly familiar to him; he had travelled over all these colonies and made his mark in each one of them. His health was never robust, and it was largely due to that fact that he never settled down for any lengthy period in one placa. From 1863 to 1887 he was constantly roaming about, and then, returning to England, he spent his latter years at health resorts, seeking relief fromthe sciatica to which he had become a martyr and to which he even­ tually succumbed. To Cricket and the Sportsman he was a frequent contributor, and though his criticisms were often trenchant, there wasreasonineverything he wrote, and he had the welfare of the game at heart. Altogether he has left over fifty MSS. works of fiction, sport, travel and politics. The writer had corresponded withhim, on cricketchiefly, for many years, and his letters, often of sixteen to twenty closely written pages in length, were always worthy of atten­ tion andpreservation. He was, to some extent, a “ laudator temporis acti.” He preferred thewickets to be natural, and not marl-prepared. He did not like enormous scoring, nor that innings should be frequently closed at 300 for two or three wickets. He thought the bowlers ought to have more chance, and regretted that shooters were not as common as thirty or forty years ago. He thought that boundaries should be abolished, and that menshould run out their strokes, as they did in the days when W. G. hit Emmett to leg for 7, or cut Freeman for 6, and the spec­ tators made way to allow the fieldsman to pass between them to the farthest part of the ground. Mr. Lacy himself had been a keen cricketer in Australia and New Zealand, and on the Basin Reserve, Wellington, N.Z., had run out many a six of bis own. He knewhow much more exciting it was to the spec­ tators that men should run out their runs rather than stand in the crease and gaze at. the ball, which some spectator would return, the fieldsman having also made no effort, because useless, with the billiard-table like ground, to do so. But Mr. Licy only extolled past times in the sense that he thought they pro­ duced better all-round cricket than the present. He was far from thinking that Old England’s sons had degenerated, or that the cricketers of the present were not “ in posse” capable of playing as well as thoseof thepast. But he thought the game played as it was in his youth in the early sixties, the halcyon days as he calls them, was more calculated to drawwhat was best out of a man, than the game as played to-day. MB. GEORGE LACT. (Photo by J. Weston & Son, Sandyate Rd.} Folkestone )* The following extract from a letter written to me by Mr. Lacy, and dated July 10th, 1898, is no less applicable, as illustrating his views, to-day than it was six years ago :— “ Is cricket on the down grade? As you know, I have long maintained that it is, and I am glad to see that others are ooming to tbe same opinion. There is a point which I think has never been noted in conn<ction with it. It is the prominent position held by old players like Grace, Murdoch, Shrewsbury, Hawke, Abel, Gunn, and many others who are over or nearing the forties. If making runs were not much easier work than it used to be, these men could not performthefeats they do. Inthe sixties, the halcyon times of cricket, not one of themwould have survived. On theother hand, how many under 25 are in the front rank of batsmen ? Only three or four amateurs. In the old days it was these who came out on top, Parr, Hay­ ward, Caffyn, Jupp, Mitchell, C. G. Lyttelton, etc., were all inthe first eleven of England before 25, but now-a-days, what with boundaries, easy grounds, poor bowling, etc., men c*n make as many runs at 40 as 25, and the battirg cannot be soattractive.” Many will agree with the above opinion of Mr. Lacy, who was not born in the days he calls halcyon. Indeed, the facts he draws attention to and deplores cannot be questioned. May there never be wanting men of Lacy’s stamp, with the true interests cf the game at heart, who will give their time and experience towards renovation and recuperation, antiquitaa sceculi juventus mundi, and may he whose hand is now stilled for ever rest in peace. H a r o l d A. T a t e . CR ICKET IN PH IL AD E LPH IA . PHILADELPHIA-GERMANTOWN V . BELMONT-MERION. Playedon the ground of the Germantown C.C., onOctober 7and 8, inconnection with the jubilee celebrations. Philadelphia-Ger­ mantownwonhy 158 runs. P h ila d e lph ia F . 8 . W h ite, b Lester lf> P . N . L eR oy, n ot ou t lf8 J . H M a son , b Kiner 8 P . H . C lark, b A . P . M orris ......................24 J . E . O. M orton , b E . 8 . Ila re ...................... 8 T . C. J ord an , c K ing, b A . P M orris 22 H . L . C lark , c C . C. M orris, b K in g ... 19 G e b m a n t o w x . H . W . M id d leton , c 8cattergood ,b M orris 23 W . P. O ’ N e ill,st S cat- tergood . b K iD g ... 0 W*. P . N e *h all,e K in g , b Lester ...................13 G . B. W arder, c K in g, b L ester ................... 1 E x tr s ..............40 T otal . 342 B elm o n t - M e b io n . 1st innings. J . B . K in g , c N ew hall, b L e B o y ........................................ 21 J . L . E van s, st Jord an , b L e B oy .......................31 O. C. M orris, lb w , b L e B o y 10 R .G .H a re ^ O ’N e ill.b L e R o y 1 J . A . L ester, c N ew hall, b M orton ................................41 H . A . H aines, c W h ite, b P . H . C lark ................................ 2 J . H . S cattergood, ru n o u t 0 A . P . M orris, c L e R o y , b M orton .........................................43 E .S .H are. c W h ite,b M orton 17 W . A . A llison , c & b M orton 0 F . H . C larke, n ot o u t .................... 2 E x tia s ... .............13 2nd in nin gs. o Jord an , b P . H . C la r k ....................... 1 not out................ 10 c and b M orton ... 1 c M orton , b P . H . C lark...................... 6 c & b P . H . C lark b P . H . C lark ... c W ard er, b P . H . C la r k ...................... c N ew hall, b P . H . C la r k .............. Extras..........13 T o ta l .....................184 T otal (7 w k ts.) 36 BOWLING A V E B A G E :*. B e lm o n t -M eriow . B . R . M . W . B . R . M . W . K in g ...........144 107 2 3 IA P .M crd sl0 8 104 1 3 C. (J. M orris24 12 1 0 E . 8. B a re 30 20 0 1 Lester ... 72 69 2 3 \ W id es : A . P . M orris, 2 ; Lester, 1. P h il a d e l p h ia - G e r m a n t o w n . 1st innings. 2nd innings. B . R . M . W . B .R . M . W . P .H . C lark ...1 1 4 31 6 1 ................ 4S 8 3 6 L e R o y .... 90 83 0 4 M orton ....... 61 37 0 4 ............... 48 23 0 1 M id d letcn ... 30 15 2 0 O ’ N eill 6 2 0 0 W id e : L e R oy, 1.