Cricket 1905

M a t 25, 1905. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. i55 R o b e r t P e e l, the old Yorkshire cricketer, who now has an engagement at Blackpool, made 100 not out on Saturday against Lytham and took two wickets. From Brisbane our correspondent writes, “ I am afraid that Dr. R. MacDonald, who played so well for Leicestershire a year or two ago, has played his last match in Queensland, He will leave Brisbane next November to Bettle per­ manently in England. A younger brother of his, Dr. Yalentine MacDonald, is at present on a six months’ visit to England, and E. R. Crouch, of the Queensland eleven, leaves Brisbane on April 26th with the same object.” W riting about A. Marshall, the young Queensland cricketer, who bowled so finely for Gentlemen of England against Oxford University, and played so good an innings against them on Tuesday, our Queensland correspondent says :— Alan Marshal is a native-horn Queens­ lander, having seen the light at Warwick on June 12, 1883. He has had a very successful seasonwith his club (South Brisbane), scoring over 800 runs and taking fifty wickets in electorate matches. His highest score was 221 v. Nundah. At the time of his departure he was generally recognised as the hest batsman in Brisbane. He drives brilliantly on the off, cuts neatly, and is sound in his on-side play. As a howler he is right-handed, faBt medium, with a high delivery (he is 6 ft. 3 in. high.) His fielding at mid-off and in the country is irreproachable, and he has done some remarkably brilliant work for his electorate and for his State. He has repre­ sented Queensland three times, and on his recent visit to Melbourne madea very favour­ able impression on “ Felix” of the Australasian. A coRREsroNDlMT writes :— Anxious to see what the Australians were doing against Yorkshire on Monday 1 invested at 3.15 a halfpenny in a newspaper whose contents bill announced “ All the latest scores.” I found in a corner of the paper the results of all the matches which were played last year between the various teams which were playing, and under the heading of the Surrey match against Warwickshire at the Oval was the Warwickshire score, with full details up to a total of about 20 (Kinneir, not out, 8 ; and Fishwick, not out, 12). In the “ stop-press ” part of the paper appeared the lunch total at two matches; all the other totals were far in arrears. This seems playing it rather low on a trusting public, but does it pay? I, for one, shall never be had again by the same paper. T h e match played at Charterhouse, v. Old Wykehamists, on Saturday, was brought to a very interesting conclusion, when Chartei house won by 8 runs. The excitement was intense when the last wicket fell to a short catch by the wicket-keeper, Hoomah, who was the means of dismissing three other men, including J. R. Mason, in the tame way. Mason scored 53 in fine style fir the Wykehamists, who were all out to cstches except one. The Charterhouse made 243 runs and the Old Wykehamists 235. A t the conclusion of a meeting of the Melbourne Cricket Club Committee, the president asked the members to join him in wishing Major T. F. Morkham (one of the trustees of the ground) bon voyage prior to his trip to England. Major Morkham sailed in the “ Omrah ” on April 11, and will be away about seven months. T h e match between Surrey and War­ wickshire this week produced 1,299 runs for twenty-seven wickets—a record for the Oval. The previous record was 1,257 (thirty-two wickets) last year in Surrey v. Oxford University (June 21st, 22nd and 23rd). In 1899 the Yorkshire match against Surrey produced 1,255 runs for seventeen wickets, Yorkshire making 704, and Surrey 551 for seven wickets. Other large totals at the Oval were 1,244, Surrey v. Somerset (thirty wickets), in 1899, and 1,167 (thirty-five wickets), Surrey v. Cambridge University last year. T he whole of the Surrey team went on to bowl in the second innings of War­ wickshire against Surrey at the Oval yesterday. I t is truly remarkable how quickly the news that a batsman is approaching or has passed a record spreads round a cricket field. At Leyton, on Tuesday, the crowd cheered McGahey when he had beaten Rhodes’ and Fry’s score of 201, Warner’s 204, his own record of 225 Iremonger’s score of 239, Armstrong’s 248. If McGahey had made over 300 he would have been cheered each time he passed some other man’ s record. O v e r h e a r d at Leyton on Tuesday just after lunch, when the Essex total was about 280 for six wickets and Mc­ Gahey’s score 160:— Stranger (who has just entered the ground) to Laconic Spectator : “ Would you mind telling me how many Essex made ? ” Laconic Spectator : “ Ain’t out.” Stranger: Not out y e t! Oh, I see, some one has made 160. Who is it 'i ” Laconic Spectator : “ Cholly.” Stranger: “ Cholly? Who on earth is that ? ” Laconic Spectator: “ Cholly McGahey.” Stranger: “ Ah, I understand. ThankB.” T h e r e can be no doubt that the Aus­ tralians are exceedingly wise in arranging that no member of their team shall write daily criticisms for the press, for it must be patent to everyone that a man who sits down to write a “ smart” and pithy report after a long day’s cricket, instead of having a quiet smoke and chat, is handicapping himself and bis team con­ siderably. Is it remarkable tbat on the next morning he is sometimes to be found wool-gathering when a catch comes in his way, or that in trying to decide how he shall describe a new variety of swerve, he is bowled neck-and-crop ? T h e r e were some dramatic surprises for spectators in the matcheB of the past week. A visitor to Lord’s at half-past one o’clock on Saturday would have found that thematch was over. On Friday, after seeing in his early evening paper that four Australian wickets were down for 94, a pilgrim who arrived at Lord’s at half-past five would have found a total of over 500 on the board with only two more wickets down. At Leyton, on Mon­ day evening, four Essex wickets were down for 42, and Perrin was not playing. Yet, at lalf-past five on Tuesday, Essex were able to declare. At lunch time at Sheffield on Tuesday, Yorkshire bad made 108 for three wickets in their first innings against a total of 322 by the Australians, yet when stumps were drawn, the Australians had lost six wickets in their second inniDgs. From the Sussex Evening Times, by “ Willow Wielder ” :— How is it that Sussex have no reserve men when occasion arises? Where are the “ promising players” that replied to the advertisement of the County Club last winter ? Many to my own knowledge sent in their applications, but as far as I know there the matter ended. Wouldn’t it have been just as wise to have tried say a couple of Colts as to have fallen back on the “ old stock.” Mr. Newham admits himself that he is past cricket, and would, I know, willingly have preferred to see a promising youngster given a trial in his place. Besides, the duties appertaining to Secretaryship are not light at the commencement of a season, and he has found little time for net practice. R e f e r r in g to the mistake made by Sussex in engaging Cordingley, our con­ temporary says:— Ho came to us with excellent credentials. We were told that the Yorkshire Committee were undecided whether to select Rhodes or Cordingly as a suitable successor to Peel. They choose Rhodes, and Cordingly came to Sussex. The question of age never seemed to enter the minds of those responsible for his engagement, and it was not untd it had cost the club something like £300 that he was discovered to be forty years of age. O n Friday last Baker, the successful young Warwickshire player, made his first hundred in first-class cricket, scoring 102for Warwickshire against Cambridge University. On Tuesday Lord Ddlmeny, the Surrey captain, also made his first hundred in first-class cricket with 116 for Surrey v. Warwickshire. I t was announced last night, some­ what to the surprise of cricketers, that the England team for the first test match, at Nottingham next Monday, is to be chosen from the following :— Hon. F. S. Jackson (Captain), A. C. Maclaren, C. B. Fry, A. O. Jones, G. L. Jessop, B. J. T. Bosanquet, Hayward, Lilley, Tyldesley, John Gunn, Rhodes, Arnold, Lees.