Cricket 1904

474 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. D ec . 22, 1904. T h e teamwhich is to leave England for the West Indies on December 31st is now complete, as follows:— LordBrackley (M.C.C.) (capt.), 0. P. Foley (Middlesex), Capt. E. G. Wynyard (Hampshire), T. G. O. Cole (Lancashire), B. C. W. Burn (OxfordUniversity), G. H. Simpson-Hayward (Worcestershire), H. Hesketh-Prichard (Hampshire), H. J. Powys-Keck (Worcestershire), A. F. Somerset (Sussex), 0. H. M. Ebden (Sussex), G. Drummond (M.C.C.), E. G. Hayes (Surrey), G. J. Thompson (Northamptonshire). It may be stated that Hallows was asked to accompany the team, but, acting under medical advice, he decided not to accept the offer. Hesketh-Prichard and H. J. Powys-Keck will join the team in the West Indies. From the D aily C hronicle: — What is a “ no-hall hat ” f The question is prompted by a perusal of the latest issue oftheCommonwealth‘‘GovernmentGazette,” whichcontains particulars of 270 invantions forwhichpatents were sought by ingenious Australians during a single month. A Queenslander has evolved a “ no-ball hat,” andamong the other novelties is an up-to- date broom handle. Evidently for mixed matches. “ No-ball hats” for ladies and “ up-to-date broom-handles” for their opponents. Enthusiastic cricketers, these Australians! R e fe r r in g to the county team at the annual meeting of the Worcestershire C.C., Mr. H.JL. Foster said: — There was one weak spot in the team. Eighty orninety catcheswert droppedat the wicket, and they were good batsmen, who got nearer theball than those who went in lower down, whoweremissedat the wickets at the start. As tonext season, his brother, whowent to Australia, was very anxious to play, and said he would certainly play in August. He hadpointed out to his brother that hewouldnot have a chance in the test matches unless he played a bit of cricket before August, so perhaps they might have him earlier. (Applause). His brother who hadjust gone to Oxfordwouldprobablymake agoodmember of the team, and they would have thS services of Cuffe, who, he hoped, would be a very good left-hand bowler, so that theywouldhave a better prospect next year than in any year since he had been captain. A. C o t te r , who is generally fancied as the fast bowler likely to take E. Jones’ place in the coming Australian team, has been doing some good performanceswith the ball just lately in Sydney cricket. In a match on November 5th for Glebe, he took five of the ten wickets, all of them clean bowled, in the first innings of the SouthernDistrict teamat a cost of only 21 runs. S u r r e y ’s Easter Mondaymatch at the Oval next year will be against the Gentlemen of England, not against the LondonCountyC.C.,as at first announced. Mr. W. G. Grace, who was entirely responsible for the idea of a first-class match in Easter week at the Oval many years ago, when he was captain of the Gloucestershire Eleven will, of course, get up the Gentlemen’s side, of which he has already the foundation, having secured several of theverybest amateurs. The match in which Surrey was to have figured at the Crystal Palace onMay 1st andtwo followingdays hasbeengivenup. Some heavy scoring was recorded in the different matches played in Sydney on November 5th between the Country Districts and the Metropolitan clubs. Central Cumberland, who were playing the South Coast District at Parramatta had the distinction of the highest aggre­ gate, a total of 593, inwhich there were three hundreds, S. W. Pye, 164; E. Rinaldi, retired, 100; and G. Jordan, retired, 103. The best individual innings of the daywas J. R. Mackay, 251 (out of 431), for Burwood v. Newcastle District. E. G. H a y e s , Surrey’s excellent all­ round cricketer, has had an invitation to join the te»mLord Brackley is going to conduct to theWest Indies early in the NewTear. With the concurrenceof the Surrey authorities he has decided to go ; and as his cricket is always strenuous, the West Indian public will find him quite one of the most interesting person­ alities on the side, whether he is at the wicket or in the field. At the annual meating of the New Zealand Cricket Council, held only last month,thesecretarystatedthatthevarious associations had beencommunicatedwith in connectionwith the forthcoming tour by the Australian team. Auckland had guaranteed £250 for a Saturday match ; Wellington, £250; Otago, £250 (second day a Saturday); Canterbury, £250; Southland, £150 (probably) for two-days’ match; West Coast, £100. Information had been received that the teamwould arrive at Auckland on February 6th, and leave New Zealand on March 20th. I am able to state authoritatively that the Australians are to leave Sydney on February 1st for New Zealand. They are due to reach England via Canada on April 20th. Alick Bannerm an is still able to stonewall with the best of them, as he showed by his innings of 118 for Pad­ dington against the Combined Juniors on the SydneyGround onNovember 5th. The crowd came to. see Victor Trumper, who was already padded when M. A. Noble went in to join Bannerman. According to the Sydney M ail, “ the crowd orderedBannerman to retire, they gently asked him, they finally pleaded, even their pathetic intimation that they wanted to Bee Trumper was of no avail. Bannerman indeed kept on pegging away till he had got 118, when he was caught, and in the end Trumper was not seen at the wicket that afternoon at all. Bannerman and Noble (96) added 180 for the second wicket. The latter was in great formtoo with the ball, dis­ missing eight of the ten Juniors for only 52 runs. G. L. W iia tfo r i), the Anglo-Indian cricketer, who figured in a few matches for Sussex at the end of last summer, was very much to the fore a few weeks ago for Peshawar against Lahore at Peshawar. The home club closed its innings with the total 380 for eight wickets. Of these Whatford was re­ sponsible for no less than 132. Th e Parsee cricketer Machliwalla did a good thing in the way of run-getting at the end of last month. He was play­ ing for the Railway Club Agmere against Mayo College,|andthoughinfor less than an hour, was still at the wicket with 103 of 165 for two wickets to his credit when play ceased. Th e Australasian newspaperofNovem­ ber 12thhas the following remarks onthe subject of the selection of the manager for the coming Australian team — “ The preliminary work so far in com­ municating with England, has been done by Major Wardill, and all the leading Australianplayers would be very pleased to have himonce more as manager. He is beyond all doubt peculiarly well quali­ fied for the position, and has given every satisfaction both here and inEngland in prior trips. I understandthat theM.C.C. committee, having regard to the expres­ sion of opinion at the annual general meeting in 1902, are averse to granting the necessary leave, and that therefore the Major will not be a candidate for the managership. More’s the pity.” Clem H i l l ’s 111 not out for South Australia in the middle of last month, is his fifth innings of three figures in inter­ state matches against Victoria. He went in first wicket down with the total at 45, and as in thethree hours and forty minutes he was batting 202 were added, he scoredmore than half the runs while he was in. Laver was at the wickets four and three-quarter hours for Vic­ toria, and his innings of 164 was fault­ less. Of the younger players, Claxton’s all-round cricket for South Australiawas most conspicuous, and hisperformance in this matchmust have gone a long way to improve hischance of a placein the Aus­ tralian teamfor England. The cricket authorities in Bombay are hopeful of being able to arrange a match between the Bombay Gymkhana and the Parsees while Lord Hawke and K. S. Ranjitsinhji are in the capital of the Western Presidency, so that the two travellers may be able to participate in the game. Lord Hawke, it is expected, will play in Calcutta for the I. Z. team. General Spens, the old Hampshire cricketer, is taking to play for the Calcutta C.C., as well asfortheNorthern India Eleven, which he is bringing against the Calcutta Club. L. O. S. P oid ev in , who has been giving his opinions to the Sydney Referee,