Cricket 1905

26 CRICKET : A'^WEEKLY RECORD'OF THE GAME. E eb . 23, 1905. which he considered reliable. Bat in the face of Mr. Bowden’s denial he was delighted to withdraw what he wrote with regard to remarks about Sydney crowds at teat matches appearing in his book to which exception had been taken. They would be expunged from any future edition. It is also stated that Mr. Warner has promised to delete in any future edition the famous remark in his book that “ anyone who has played in a Test match at Sydney may consider him­ self thoroughly salted and fit to play before an audience from the infernal regions.” This is to be expunged from a new edition, if a new edition is required. T h e Stre%th»m Cricket Club had a dinner at the Cafe Monico on 19th J-tn- uary, at which 80 were present. The chair was taken by Mr. J. A. Druce, one of the vice-presidents, who proposed the toast of the club, which was responded to by the hon. secretary, who stated that 40 matches were played last season. Of these 20 were won, 15 drawn and five lost, only two of which were in whole-diy cricket. The toast of the visitors was responded to by Mr. H. D. G. Leveson- Gower, G. J. V. Weigall and. Major Philip Trevor. The president, Mr. Samuel Fisher, to whom the club owes the fact of its continued existence, was at the last moment unavoidably prevented from being present and taking the chair. The hon. secretary of the club is Mr. Horace H . Scott. IN a leading article, the Daily Telegraph referring to the parliamentary tactics of Sir Robert Peel, in June. 1846, says: — There is no Badical, no Whig writer who condemns these tactics, and yet Mr. Balfour is to be held up to derision and contumely for refusing to declare his innings closed, just because the Opposition think that they would like a turn with the bat. If (-ir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and his team can get rid of the other side in a legitimate way, well and good; but it is poor cricket for the captain of the fielding eleven to try and get the members of the batting team to press their leader to “ declare.” T h ere seems to be a pretty general opinion in Sydney that L. W. Pye is a better all-round cricketer than some of the members of the Australian team. A correspondent of the SydneyReferee points out that in all matches this season up to the beginning of January he had scored 770 runs in eight completed innings, with an average of 96-25, and taken 31 wickets for 616 runs, average, 19-87 ; whereas Hopkins has scored only 341 runs in nine innings, average 37-88, and taken 26 wickets for 511 runs, average 19 65. Yet Hopkins is one of the bowlers of whom some of the members of the M.C.C. Australian team think so highly. A t a meeting of the Victorian Ciicket Association at Melbourne, R. W. McLeod, who acted on behalf ot Yictoria in the selection of the Australian Eleven, satd the team was picked in the pleasantest manner, and that, with the exception of D a rlin g , w h o w ou ld n ot p ick b im se lf , each m em b er o f th e team w as u n an i­ m ou sly ch osen . L e e s W h it e h e a d , th e Y ork sh ire p r o ­ fession a l, w h o is a b o u t to leave Sheffield fo r W est H a rtlep o ol, w a s entertain ed to a d in n e r o n J a n u a ry 2 6 bh at S heffield, a n d p resen ted w ith an illum iuated a d d re s s T h e d ea th is a n n ou n ced o f M r. R. S. S p en cer in S ou th A frica . F o r som e years h e w as h on ora ry secreta ry o f the B ick lin g G reen C .C , and he p la y e d as an am ateur fo r H ertford sh ire. T h e L eicestershire C ou n ty C .C . balance sheet sh ow s th at th ere w as a loss on last y e a r’s m atch es o f a b o u t £ 2 6 6 , and that th e b a la n ce d u e to th e bank is n o w £ 87 1 . T h e m em b ersh ip o f th e clu b is n o w over I,6 0 0 , an d it is h o p e d to b rin g th e n u m b e r to 2,000 d u rin g the present yea r. T h e a n n u al m ee tin g w ill be held on M a rch 15th. F o b O ota cam u n d G ym k h a n a v . the 2n d B a tta lio n o f th e C heshire R egim en t, C . T . S tu d d , the o ld C am b rid ge B lu e, m ad e 151. T h e ch ie f b a ttin g averages in the in te r-sta te m atches o f 1904-5 in A u s­ tra lia are g iv e n b e lo w . It w ill b e n o tice d th a t th e m em bers o f th e A ustralian team w h ich is n o w in N e w Z ea la n d , are w ell to th e fo re . No. Times Most of not Total in an inns. out.runs. inns. Aver. E. P. Waddy (N.S.W.) 1 ... 2 ... 351 ... 129*... 70'20 M. A. Noble (N.S.W.) 6 . . 0 ... 373 ... 112 ... 6216 W. P. Howell (N.S.W.) 7 ... 1 ... 333 ... 128 ... 55'50 V T.Trumper( N.S.W.) 4 ... 0 ... 198 ... 81 ... 49"50 ,T. H. Stuckey (V,) ... 3 ... 0 ... 118 ... 75 ... 19-33 ’■ill (S.A.) ........ : 7 ... 1 ... 289 ... 111*... 48-16 V. Hansford (V.)......... 7 ... 1 ... 275 ... 80*... 45‘83 II. E A. a .h 's( S.A.)... 7 ... 0 ... 304 ... 170 ... 43'42 W. W. Armstr vg(V.) 7 ... 0 ... 256 ... 85 ... 36'57 J. J. Kelly (N.S.W.) ... 5 ...0 ... 176 ... 56 ... 35-20 It: A Duff ( N.S.W.) ... 7 ... 0 ... 253 ... 80 ... 33-28 F.Lm er(V.) ................ 7 ... 0 .. 232 ... 164 ... 33’14 J. F. Travers (S.A.) ... 7 ....3 ... 122 ... 58 ... 30-50 .9. E. Gregory (N.S.W.) 6 ...0 ... 179 ... 49 ... 29-83 J.H . Pellew (S.A.) ... 5 ... 0 ... 136 ... 68 ... 27-20 N. H. Claxton (S.A.) ... 7 ...0 ... 188 ... 58 ... 26’85 O. f . McLeod (V.) ... 7 ...0 ... 178 ... 65 ... 25'42 A. Cotter ( N.S,W.) ... 6 ... 2 ... 97 ... 56*... 2-1-25 A. J. Hopkins (N.S.W.) 7 ... 0 ... 168 ... 37 ... 24'00 J. Darling (S.A.)......... 7 ... 0 ... 159 ... 67 ... 22*71 The names in italics are those of the players who are coming to England. L o r d H a w ick has stated th a t he exp ects to rea ch S ou th am p ton on M a y 6 th on h is retu rn from In d ia . T h e first, tw o Y ork sh ire m atches are v. Som ersetshire o n M a y 4 th , 5th and 6 th, an d v . G lou cestersh ire on M a y 8 th, 9 th and lO ih . T h e rem ain in g m atch es to b e p la y ed b y th e A u stralian team in N ew Z ea la n d are as fo llo w s : — FEBRUARY. 24, 25, 27.—At Christ Church, v. Canterbury. MARCH. 3, 4, 6,—At Dunedin, v. Otago. 15,16,17.—At Wellington, v. Combined New Zealand Trie itram v-ili leave A u ck la n d o u M e.rch 2 0 th , an d travel via V an © uv> r and C an ad a to Et g la n d , b tin g d u e here on o r a b o u t T h u rsd a y, A p ril 20th. W r u i n g in ti e Sportsman, " W a v d e i e i ” says : - 1 notice that there is a revival of the suggestion for bands. These are all very well at football during the wait before the start and at the interval, and would be wel­ come on a wet day at Lord’s or during the luncheon hour at a fashionable match. I must also confess that I appreciate them on such an occasion as the military week at headquarters, and they are allowed out of defei ence to the lady p < tr* ns of the Canter­ bury and other Kentish festivals. But in the most ferious cricket they would be unwelcome intruders. Fancy a Te-t match wiLh a band —even a Tee o al Prize Band—as a concoiniiant! Take a plebiscite of the leiding cricketers, and 1 venture to think you would go', a pretty “ hoi” collec'ion of opinion*. And yet it is so easy to put down a mistake to that wretched music. T hk death is announced of the Rev. W. K. B. Bedford, wh >, on July 20th, 1856, gave the name of the “ Free Foresters ” to a team of bis which opposed the “ Pilgrims of the Dee.” From this beginning arose the club which is known to all the world. Mr. Bedford and Mr. W. E. W. C >llins were the authors of “ The Annals of the Free Foresters,” published by Messrs. William Blackwood in 1895. A t Peshawar on Januu-y 9:h, 10th, and 11th, G. H. S. Fowke made a score of 309 for the Gordon Highlanders against the Queen’s Regiment. This is a record for India. Cap'ain G. H. Neale, whose score of 267 was the previous recjrd for India, was playing in the same match f r tfce other side, and made 92 and 100. The Gordon Highlanders made 609. A list of scores of two huudred or more made in India will be found on another page. It may be added that G. H. P. Fowke was in the Uppingham School Eleven in 1897, 98 and 99, in his last year heading the batting averages with 46-70, aud being 6econd ia the bowling averages with 17-56. In 1899 hR played in six innings for Leicestershire, his highest score being 55 against Hampshire and his average 12 50. I n a letter to L >rd Hawke, Washing­ ton, the Yorkshire professional who has been for some months iu South Africa on account of his health, says : — “ I am pleased to say that since writing you last I have continued to improve, although it has been hut Blowly. I intend staying in South Africa another five or six months, and then, if all goes well, returning to England. I really cannot ‘ stick ’ this country much longer. As to my playing county cricket again, this is very doubtful, as I don’t know how the English climate will affect me. I should very much like to play again.” A t the annual meeting of the Glouces­ tershire County C.C. the chairman pointed out that financially the past season was the best since 1898, and that for the first time since there was a profit. He hoped that the amount of the guarantees would