Cricket 1904

A pr il 21, 1904. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 73 Cricket: A WEEKLY RECORD OF TEE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. THURSDAY , A PB IL 21 st , 1904. $a\nlton Gossip* The abstract and brief chronicle f the time.— Hamlet. With this Number we present our readers with the Pictorial Supplement, containing the revised list of County Fixtures for the ensuing season. Dupli­ cate copies may be obtained post free at our offices, by sending two penny stamps. A l l the members of the M .C.C. Aus­ tralian team, with the exception of Mr. R . E. Foster, who remained in Paris, arrived in London on Sunday evening, via Marseilles and Dover. Although the time of their arrival w^s not generally known, a large crowd assembled at Victoria, and the various members of the team received a very hearty welcome. I t was decided at a meeting of the Yorkshire County Committee on April 13th, to suggest to the M .C.C. that as June 16th is unsuitable for the playing of the match between Mr. Warner’s team and the Rest of England the game should begin on May 9th. Yorkshire should meet the M.C.C. at Lord’s on that date, but the county committee are pre­ pared to agree to the cancellation of that match to permit of the other taking place. M r . W a r n e r is not at all impressed with the suggestion that the match against the Rest of England should be played at the beginning of May instead of June, as previously arranged. He pointed out tnat he and the rest of his team badly wanted a rest, and that neither side could possibly be at its best so early in the season. This is an objec­ tion which will probably meet with sympathy from most cricketers, and if the match is to be played, it seems a pity to run the risk of making it unattractive. W it h referen ce to th e a b o v e m atch , M r. W a rn e r’s ow n w o rd s, as g iv e n iu the Daily Chronicle, are as follows : — “ I don’t know what to do if the M.C.C. persist in that idea. Look at it from this point of view. Here we are, just come back from an arduous campaign. Personally, I ’ve had enough cricket to last me for some time. I want to look round a bit now. There’s a great deal too much fuss made about county cricket in England. You know this would be the match of the season ; and to play it in May, when the weather may be anything—it may snow—when every ball will sting, well, I don’t know what to think. “ Apart from the match, 1 don’t start practising till May 15th, and it’s too bad to ask me to play this match when neither side can be in condition. Lot it be in June. That would be sensible. If they have a better team in England let them come and beat us—if they can. “ The Australians share my views. The last thing they said to me was that they would watch every wire whilst this match was in progress. It’ll he the biggest fixture of the season. And they want to play it in May. Well, they may if they like, but— ” A t Calais the M .C.C. team met the Corinthians, who were returning b y the same boat after a long tour on the con­ tinent. Among the Corinthians were some well-known cricketers, including G. O. Smith, S. H . Day and L. J. Moon. D r . G r a c e made his first appearance of the season on Saturday, when, against a provincial sixteen, he made fifty and then retired. He also did a little success­ ful bowling, taking five wickets for twenty runs. S e v e r a l members of the Leicestershire team have been practising indoor cricket, the dining-room of the pavilion having been temporarily fitted up with nets, green matting, etc. T h e r e were two old cricketers in the House of Commons team which was defeated b y the Ranelagh Club at g o lf on Saturday, viz., the Colonial Secretary and Mr. H . W . Forster. Mr. Lyttelton’s opponent was Mr. Woodbine Paish, while Mr. Forster, who used to play for Hampshire, lost to Mr. S. H. Petre. I n the Public Schools Racket Cham­ pionship, G. N. Foster, a brother of the famous Worcestershire cricketers, represented Malvern College, partnered by A. P. Day. Malvern made its way to the final, in which it was beaten by Winchester. In 1892, H . K . Foster and W . L. Foster won the Championship for Malvern, while in 1900, when Malvern again was victorious, B. S. Foster was one of its representatives. M r . E. M . S p r o t , the captain of the Hampshire eleven, won the Prince’s Club Tennis Handicap, beating M r. Y . W . Yorke in the final. Each player received one bisque. A t a meeting of the Primrose League, on April 13th, the Colonial Secretary, responding to a vote of thanks and an expression of confidence in the Govern­ ment, said that when he began his innings there were those who prophesied that it would not be a lon g one. (Laughter.) The wicket had been rough and the bowlers’ deliveries h a l been very often unfair, but they were still in. (Laughter and cheers.) The position was rendered all the more enjoyable if it was attended with a little danger. (Cheers.) A c o m m itte e has been formed in Somerset, with the Mayor of Bath as chairman, to organise a dinner to L . C. Braund on April 30th. Braund will also receive a tangible expression of the good will of Somersetshire cricketers. Tyldesley is also to receive a testimonial, wnile Hayward is to be entertained to a smoking concert at Cimbridge, and will be presented with a testimonial. GEORGE G u n n has returned from South. Africa, where he assisted the Wanderers Club for four months. He had a most successful season. His big­ gest innings was 163 not out against the Bashi-Bazouks, Mr. Frank Mitchell, the Yorkshire cricketer, compiling 150 not out in the same match. , Gunn played three other innings of over a hundred, scoring altogether over 1,000 runs, and capturing over 100 wickets. T h e Standard Athletic Club of Paris, which for the last two or three years has toured in England iu August, has arranged another short tour on the South Coast for the com ing season. The matches are as f o llo w s A u g u s t 29 th and 30th, v. Hythe C.C., at H ythe; August 31st and September 1st, v. Royal Artillery, at D over; September 2nd and 3rd, v. Royal Marines, at Walmer; and September 5th and 6th, v. Folkestone C.C., at Folkestone. S om e interesting things were talked about at a meeting in the Portsmouth Town Hall of Hampshire cricketers who had come together to discuss the question of reducing the county’s debt of £400. It was stated that Southampton, with a population of 130,000, contributed to the county club 417 members, while Ports­ mouth, with 200,000 population, gave only 73; but thanks were expressed to the latter town for having contributed £70 at the football match on the previous day between Southampton and Portsmouth at Fratton Park. A sub-committee for the purpose of raising funds was appointed. It consists of the Mayor of Portsmouth, Major Bethune, Colonel Holbrook, Rev. R. S. Medlicott, Messrs. Bonham-Carter, H. Love, A. H . Wood, F. G. Allen, E. H. Andrews, J. Read, and Brutton, with power to add to the number. A t the same meeting Mr. F. H. Bacon, the secretary, stated that Major Poore, Colonel Greig, and Major Wynyard would all play for the county this year. F ac ts are sometimes curious things, and this may perhaps acoount for the follow ing statement in a weekly review which generally deals with subjects foreign to cricket: “ It is a fact that most of the counties play home and away matches, such as Gentlemen v. Players.’ O n e of the March issues of the Sydney Mail contains a supplement which is full of photographic reproductions of cricketers. Some of the pictures represent various scenes in the lives of the youthful members of a seaside club which has its habitation on the sands. It seems that