Cricket 1904

468 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, D ec . 22, 1904. N e w S outh W a le s . W . R . W . R . C o w a n ............ . 4 ... 104 1 R eedm an ... 2 .. 102 C la x ton .............. 2 ... 85 Travers .. 0 ... 69 C o om b e.. .. . 1 ... 81 |G ehrs ... ... 0 ... 18 S outh A u st r a l ia . F irst innings. S econ d inniD gs. W . R . w , R . C o t t e r ............. ............. 1 ... 43 ... ... 2 ... 47 J h n son ... ........... 4 ... 67 ... ... 1 ... 25 N o b l e ............. ............. B ... 52 ... ... 2 ... 8 H ow e ll ............. 0 ... 6 ... . .. 1 . .. 49 H op k in s .... 4 ... 34 TH E LONDON COUN TY C.C. IT S R IS E A N D F A L L . B t A l f r e d D. T a y l o r . The announcement of Dr. W. G. Grace’s proposal to the M.O.C. for a re­ duction of matches necessary to qualify forthe upper circle; the disinclinaticn of the premier authority to accede to the request; the subsequent application of Dr. Grace to enter the Second Division of the championship ; and the ultimate refusal of IheMinor Counties’ Association to permit the L.C.C.C. admission to their charmed circle, has produced something akin to consternation at Sydenham, and general regret throughout cricketing England. The Crystal Palace has come to be looked upon as a valuable nursery of our summer pastime, and the incalcul­ able amount of good rendered to the game by Dr. Grace’s merry band cannot be adequately estimated. The London County Cricket Club was formed in January, 1899. at the instiga­ tion of the Crystal Palace Company, who were fortunate enough to secure the servicesofDr. W.G.Grace assecretaryand manager. The management of the club and election of members was vested iu an executive committee, which originally comprised Sir Richard E. Webster, the late Sir Arthur Sullivan, Messrs. A. J. Webbe, A. W. Biggs, E. Clark, W. H. Stone, E. Schenk, G. Cosens, H. C. Mil­ ner, W. F. Umney, F. C. Barchard and Dr. W. G. Grace. The terms of annual subscription were fixed at £3 3s. for playing members and £2 2s. for non­ playing members, inclusive of season ticket to the Crystal Palace, with an en­ trance fee of two guineas, of which all members joining before May 1st, 1899, were exempt. Each candidate for ad­ mission was proposed and seconded by members or gentlemen known to the executive committee, and who were per­ sonally acquainted with the candidate; no candidate under the age of sixteen being eligible. The club possessed the advantage of being free fromall financial responsibility, which is undertaken and controlled by the Crystal Palace Com­ pany. Ample provision for the members and public was made. A newpavilion— a building of two storeys in red brick, with seating accommodation for 500 people was erected, together with a temporary stand, which has since been rep'aced by a permanent covered struc­ ture, affording accommodation for about fifteenhundred onlookers. In thePalace itself a suite of courts, abutting on the North Nave, was set aside foraclubroom for the exclusive use of members, with a ladies’ drawing room and loggia over­ looking the grounds. The initial match of the new club was fought onMay 5and6,1899, and resulted in a victoryby6wickets. Theopponents were the County of Wiltshire, and Dr. W. G. Grace appropriately registered the highest individval score of the match— 42, and took six wickets for 80 runs. Twenty-sevenmatches took place during the year, of which elevenwere won, four lost, eleven drawn, while one resulted in a tie. The batting averages at the end of the season were headedby Dr. W. G. Grace,whocompiled1,092runsinthirteen innings, average 84 runs per innings. Moreover, he registered four centuries, his highest attempt being 175 not out against Worcestershire. He also secured fifty wickets at an average cost of 15'62 apiece. No fewer thansixty-sixcricketers participated in the 27 fixtures, and the value of the new club was immediately apparent in unearthing players of un­ doubted ability who would never other­ wise have been given a trial in first rate games. Prompted by the successes so worthily achieved in 1899, Dr. Grace applied for promotion and power to enter the County Championship Competition in 1900, and, although his teamwas rightly debarred from competing for cham­ pionship honours, his claimto first-class rank was recognised, and all matches played against prominent sides were decided by the M.C.C. to count in the first-class averages, providing the neces­ sary number of games to qualify were played. Having received official recog­ nition, the L C.C. started its second year of existence with a fairly promising out­ look, and the results, if not brilliant, were as good as could be reasonably expected. Out of thirteen first-class games the club won three, lost five, and left fiveunfinished. The matches at the Crystal Palace did not secure any large amount of public patronage, but they clearly afforded a great deal of pleasure to those who watchedthem. Inaddition to this, fifty-seven minor matches were played, twenty-eight beingwon, ten lost, and nineteen drawn. The champion, “ W. G.,” was again the shining light, no fewer than 2273 runs being subscribed by him- 982 in the higher grade fixtures —while he registered centuries against M.C.C., Worcestershire, Wanderers, Baron de Worm’s XL, Gravesend, Oundle Rovers, Anerley, and Croydon. In addition, he secured 133wickets, per­ forming the “ hat trick” against Kenley. In the minor fixtures alone he obtained over 1000 runs and 100 wickets; and this from a man who had seen thirty-six years’ active service! The following year witnessed the Old Man repeating this double event; his record with the bat yielding 2457 runs, and his vic­ tims numbering 142. Altogether, the club enjoyed a very successful season in 1901, their cardembracing the enormous number of ninety-two engagements. Of these thirteen were designated “ first- class,” of which eight were won and two lost. Of the ordinary matches, thirty- one were won, nineteen lost, twenty- eight drawn, two abandoned and one ended in a tie. The old Australian captain, W. L. Murdoch, was never ia better formthan he was at the end of the summer, and after August 28 actually compiled 831 runs in ten completed innings. The feature of the year, how­ ever, was the play of the youDg Oxford­ shire cricketer, Mr. W. Smith, who won the match against the M.C.C. at Lord’s, and obtained an average of over 64 in first-class games. Dr. Grace is excusably proud of the opportunities he has given at the Palace to cricketers who would otherwise have had no opening in first- class cricket. Mr. Smith’s case is only one among many, and if solely for this reason the fall of the L.C.C. is to be deplored. With the sanction of the M.C.C. the experiment of deciding matches on the first innings was tried, but it was not maintained the following year. Yet a further increase in the heavy programme was deemed advisable, and in 1902 the L.C.C. arranged no fewer than 108 matches. Of the fourteenmore important games, five were won, three lost, and half-a-dozen drawn; while the eighty-four minor attractions resultedin forty-one victories and fifteen defeats. For the third year in succession the Doctor accomplished the feat of scoring over 1,000 runs and capturing over 100 wickets, while his batting average for the minor series, despite thewretched weather, reached the remarkable figures of 100 runs per innings. Mr. W. L. Murdoch, perhaps, in the whole of his career, had never played finer cricket, and at the close of the season possessed an average of just upon 80 runs an innings. Indeed, the feature of the season was the admirable batting of the two famous veterans, and between them they mustered no fewer than thirteen centuries. For the season of 1903 Dr. Grace arranged a more ambitious programme than he had previously ventured upon, and had the weather proved fine it is highly probable that cricket at the Crystal Palace would have attracted greater attention fromthe general public than in any other year. Gloucestershire and Lancashire figured on the card for the first time, but, as it was, both, failed to attract the public; Gloucestershire appearing without Jessop, and rain causing the game with the Red Rose representatives to be abandoned. The wretched weather, too, interfered greatly with the minor games, no fewer than thirteenof theninety-two arrangedbeing abandonedwithout a ball being bowled. Last season the L.C.C. were successful in winning thirty-nine minor matches, and losing but fifteen. In the more important events, however, their vic­ tories fell to four, while their defeats increased to seven. Thirty-five three- figure contributions were registered for the club, and in all fifty-four cricketers turned out on its behalf. Having regard to the delightful conditions under which