Cricket 1905

J u n e 15, 1905. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 195 GEO. G. BDSSEY &CO, 36 & 38 , QUEEN VICTORIA STREET , E .C. Manufactory—PECKHAM, S.E. TIMBER MILLS— ELMSWELL , SUFFOLK, a g e n t s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d , AT TH E SIGN OF TH E W IC K E T . By F. S . A s h lb y - C o o p b r . Meetings between the Australians and M.C.C. and Ground have generally proved so interesting, and have provided so much good cricket, that the wet weather experienced at Lord’s during the last three days of the past week was little less than a calamity. All students of the game will readily recall the fact that it was the 27th day of May, 1878— perhaps the most prominent date in the whole history of cricket—that the Australians made their debut at Lord’s, and, coming “ down like a wolf on the fold,” smote a very strong M.C.C. team hip and thigh, winning in a single day hy nine wickets. “ The Marylebone ‘ cracks ’ for a trifle were howled, ’ ’ records Punch, their totals being but 33 and 19. The match not only established the reputations of Spofforth and Boyle, but plainly showed that in the Colonials were foemen worthy of our strongest teams. Boyle, who took nine wickets for 17, and so had a better analysis than Spofforth (ten for 20 ), did not attract so much attention from the crowd as did the latter, who performed the hat-trick in addition to cleanbowling “ W .G .” before he could score. The team of 1878 was fortunate in having to play through a very wet summer, for the slow wickets suited their bowlers to perfection, Boyle in particular proving far more deadly than he had ever been in Melbourne or Sydney. In 1882 the match was drawn, the M.C.O. scoring 302 in reply to Australia’s total of 138. Charles Studd, who quite recently played an innings of over 200 in India, made 114, and was the chief cause of the advantage gained by the home side. The Australian team of 1882 was probably the strongest that has ever visited us, and therefore the M.C.C.’s fine display was distinctly creditable. It was during 1882 that the late Bob Thoms, speak­ ing to Boyle, said that Australia had sent them a combination the like of which would never be seen again, at least during his (R. T .’s) time. He added, “ There’s Mur­ doch’s batting, Blackham’s wicket-keeping, Spofforth’s bowling, and your fielding to Spofforth at mid-on.” In 1884 M.C.O. gained a substantial victory by an innings and 115 runs, A. G. Steel making 134, the late William Barnes 105 not out, and W .G . 101 , this being the first occasion upon which three separate hundreds were obtained in one innings of a great match in this country, though the feat was performed by the York­ shire team at Cambridge four days later. In 1893 a memorable partnership by J. J. Lyons and A. C. Bannerman, when the Australians followed their innings, caused the match to be a memorable one. Together, the two men made 181 runs for the first wicket in 95 minutes, Lyons claiming as many as 149 of that number. The South Australian gave a display of fast-footed hitting on that occasion such as can have seldom been excelled, bear­ ing in mind the circumstances in which he made his runs. Three years later wit­ nessed the extraordinary collapse of the Australians for the absurdly small total of 18 against J. T. Heame and Pougher. The first wicket fell at 8 , the next two at 14, and the last six at 18 ; George Giffen being absent (ill), only nine wickets fell. Pougher went on to bowl when three wickets were down for 18, and delivered three maiden overs for five wickets. Three years ago Trumper missed obtaining two separate hun­ dreds in a match by a few runs only, making 105 in his first innings and 86 in his second. Last week’s match, although providing a capital batting display on the part of F. S. Jackson, and a distinct curiosity in the shape of only one ball being delivered during the first innings of a side, was in no way remark­ able. Perhaps no other equally-short series of great matches has been so productive of notable performances as that wherein the M.O.C. and the Australians have struggled for supremacy. Despite the presence of the Australian team in England, such time-honoured matches as Lancashire v. Yorkshire and Surrey v. Notts, continue to attract as much attention as ever, judging from the official returns concerning the attendances. Matches between the rival roses date back to 1849, and between Surrey and Notts, to 1851. It is worthy of remark that all the first 23 games played between Lancashire and Yorkshire were finished, the first nine being won by the latter county. Up to the 12th inst., Yorkshire had won 31 matches of the series and Lancashire 25, the remaining 20 having been left un­ decided :— s g Towns. £ o,d ^ 3 ►Jjl j SBa cj G S XM o 5K, 03 8p Total Sheffield .......... 1849 ... 9 . . 6 .. 4 . . 19 Manchester ... 1849 ... 15 .. 13 .. 9 . . 37 . 1 Whalley .......... 1867 ... 1 . 0 .. 0 . Middlesbrough. 1867 ... 1 .. 0 .. 0 . . 1 Holbeck .......... 1868 ... 1 .. 0 .. 0 . . 1 B radford.......... 1874 ... 2 .. 2 .. 3 . . 7 Huddersfield ... 1877 ... 1 .. 3 .. 1 . . 5 Dewsbury.......... 1886 ... 0 .. 0 .. 1 . . 1 Leeds .......... 1893 ... 1 .. 1 2 . 4 Results on Yorks’e Gr’nds 15 .. 12 .. 11 . . 38 Results on Lanc’se Gr’nds 16 .. 13 .. 9 . . 38 Grand Total ...31 ...25 ...20 ...76 The companion table dealing with the Surrey- Notts. matches is as follows :— Ground. B £ I f c ! . 1851 1852 1851 & . 17 .. 13 .. 1 . 19 20 0 s a 10 10 0 E h 46 43 1 O v a l.............. Trent Bridge . Godalming Results on Surrey Grounds 18 ... 19 ... 10 ... 47 Results on Notts. Grounds 13 ... 20 ... 10 ... 43 Grand Total ... 31 ... 39 ... 20 ... 90 In 1854 Surrey played Notts, at Godalming, owing to a dispute with W . Houghton, the proprietor of the Oval. The effective bowling of Wilfred Rhodes at Cambridge last week, coupled with the large scores recently made by Tyldesley, Fry and Hayward, should cause the English team to take the field against the Australians at Lord’s to-day with confidence. Every­ thing seems to point to the fact that the match will be played on a slow wicket, and, in these circumstances, it is quite possible that a place will be found in the home side for Haigh, who bowled so successfully during the long Lancashire innings at Old Trafford on Monday last. Many critics have declared that Haigh should be given a place in every Test match team during the present season, and it must be admitted that, on his day, there are few finer all-round cricketers in the whole country. Belonging to a county which is unusually well off in all-round exponents of the game, it is only natural that he should not occupy so prominent a place in the public eye as if he belonged to one of the weaker sides, where his undoubted ability would find greater scope. It is unfortunate that this week’s big match will not be played on a good and true wicket, for it is only when the ground is firm and the meteorological con­ ditions are eminently satisfactory that the game is seen at its best.