Cricket 1905

C R IC K E T , A W E E K LY RECO RD OP T H E GAM E. AUG. 24, 1905. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil;”— Byron. No 70 2. TOIi. X X IV . THURSDAY, AUG. 24, 1905. FXtlOE ad- A CHAT ABOUT DAVID DENTON. If public form were the only, or even the chief, guide upon which selectors of the elevens for test matches are accus­ tomed to rely, it is certain that Denton would have represented England five times this season against Australia, On the other hand, the Hon.F. S. Jackson and Mr. Maclaren, two of the finestplayers in the world in test matches, would hardly have been selected at all on public form. But Denton has at least the satisfaction of remembering that he was chosen once this season to represent England, and of knowing that if fortune had been favourable to him in the match at Leeds he would have played at Manchester and the Oval. Much has been written about Denton’s exceedingly good luck, and it is jokingly said that he invariably begins an innings by giving two chances which are never accepted. But the same thing has been said about almost every player who has the reputation of being a man who is never afraid to take risks, and if Denton has perhaps had more than a fair share of luck this season in the way of dropped catches he has had his days and even weeks when every chance which he has given has been snapped up, even if the fieldsman were the most arrant duffer in the world. Whether the wicket is good or bad seems not to matter very much to Denton, and on a really bad wicket he is feared more than any­ one else in the Yorkshire eleven, for he has so supple a wrist, and so good an eye, that he often survives a ball which ought in decency to have beaten him. He is exceedingly popular with the crowd, and it is amusing to notice the way in which every man in a Yorkshire crowd settles himself comfort­ ably in expectation of having a thoroughly good time the moment that Denton is seen stepping on to the field of play. Denton has been steadily improving ever since he began to play for Yorkshire, and although he made over two thousand runs last year in first-class cricket he has already this season beaten his record. Denton did not startle the world by DAVID DENTON. (From a photo by Messrs. Hawkins & Co., Brighton . any wonderful performances in his early days, but when only seventeen years of age he was considered good enough to play for twenty-two colts of Yorkshire against the county. In the following year he gained a place in the Yorkshire second eleven, and in 1894, at the age of 20, he first played| for tthe county, but only in matches against teams which were not recognised as first-class until the following year — Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire. In 1895 he made his first appearance in first-class cricket, scoring 77 not out for Yorkshire against Cambridge University. He fol­ lowed up this innings with 44 not out against Lancashire, and 30 against Leicestershire, after which, like so many young players, he fell off gradually for some time. Neverthe­ less, by the end of the sea­ son, he had made 1,057 runs, with an average of 25.32, a performance which was quite good enough for any player in his first year. Since that time he has been a regular member of the Yorkshire team, always making over a thousand runs except in 1898, when he was 92 runs short of that number. In 1908 he came very near the second thousand, his total being 1,832, and his average 34-56. Last year, for the first time, he exceeded the two thousand, with 2,088 in fifty-five innings, three times not out, and an average of 40-15. The only men who had an higher aggregate were Hayward 3,170, Mr. Pry 2,824, Hirst 2,501, and Tyldesley 2,439. It may be interesting to compare the c ommen t s which “ Wisden ” makes upon Denton’s appearance in 1895 and his last year’s play. “ Wisden ” of 1896 says, “ Another matter upon which the Yorkshire execu­ tive might heartily con­ gratulate themselves was the i\ introduction of D. Denton into the team. Tried in three minor matches in 1894 he made his first appearance lastseason in the match against Cambridge University, and speedily rendered his place in tie team secure. An extremely promising crick­ eter, possessed of good style, watching the ball well, and hitting very cleanly when set, Denton did sterling work last