Cricket 1905

438 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. O ct . 26, 1905 D EFEN CE AND D EF IAN CE . Writing about the batting of the past Australian team, L. 0. S. Poidevin in the Sydney Beferee says :—“ It reminded me very much of a typical Sydney Saturday afternoon grade innings, and it carried with it the same lesson. Such batting is very pleasant to watch when it comes off, as it often does against moderate bowling. It was an innings characteristic of the present Australian Eleven methods, and one that touches the key-note of the re­ peated failures of some of our batsmen in their biggest engagements. My remarks are of a general nature, and not directed at any particular individual. There’s too much attack about our batting; it is all very fine for the spectators, but one is not so sure that it is very fine for the team. Commencing with Trumper and Duff our men hit with freedom. They begin to lose wickets, but they continue to hit—to strive after so-called brilliant batting effects—and they hit all down the line. Perhaps Noble is the only man to provide a background of solidity ; no one else on the side appears capable of making any pretence to methods of defence in a broad sense. T-he critics and the populace unite in acclaiming the brilliance of the Australian batting, but more often than not it is the brilliance of the fusee, whose dazzling flash dies away inevitably into gloom—and so our biggest matches are lost, or nearly so. “ Now the one thing that impressed me most forcibly, if I may presume to say so, about cricket in Sydney, as I recently saw it, was the worshipful devotion at the shrine of so-called brilliant batting. The batsman who makes his runs at anything less than a run a minute is a player to be despised, too slow to watch and not worthy of encouragement, no matter how skilful. Nothing satisfies the public taste more fully than a rapid succession of fours, ir­ respective of the risks incurred in obtain­ ing them. The adulation of the Press goes out to the maker of 60 risky runs in half as many minutes, while the player with the sound and carefully compiled 50 in thrice the time scarcely gets other than disparaging mention. Rapid scoring is at a premium; attack is thebatsman’swatch- word, with scarcely ever a thought for defence. “ The conditions under which Saturday afternoon cricket is played contribute something to this state of affairs. The ultra-good wickets upon which, as Archie MacLaren says of Sydney Cricket Ground, ‘ you only need to poke your tongue out at the ball to get a fourer,’ the batsman has such a decided advantage that he can exploit all manner of risky, yet run-pro­ ducing ‘ play at the pitch ’ strokes; the limited hours of play, and perhaps the smouldering desire to emulate themethods of Victor Trumper, all these help to elevate brilliant batting methods on a dangerous pinnacle of importance. Go to a First Grade match almost any Saturday after­ noon, and you may See one of Sydney’s young batsmen play a brilliant innings for a century or more. It is very pleasant as a spectacle to see that batsman driving and punching the ball all over the field in the most daring fashion. No Test match player could give a brighter or more charming display against that class of bowling. These fast scoriug and dash­ ing methods are his natural game. When he meets 1class ’ bowling, such, we will say for the sake of argument, as that of Warner’s team, against which he will have to earn all the runs he gets, bowling that when he has got down to the third or fourth change never presents any long- hop or half-volley brigade, then he must needs restrain his dashing methods. He must look to his defence; without a strong defence he cannot hope to make any headway against such bowling. Nothing but disappointment awaits the player who is short of soundness in defence, be he ever so brilliant in attack. Performances against Warner’s team would seem to amply illustrate my con­ tention. If the Australian batsmen were sounder in defence the ‘ ashes ’ would not now be resting in an English urn. The tendency in Sydney to neglect this most essential factor in the batsman’s armour startled and surprised me beyond expres­ sion. It is a tendency fraught with danger, and cricketers themselves should supply the remedy even at the loss of a little personal popularity.” DR. E . M. G RACE ’S RECORD . Although he has played since 1851, Dr. E. M. Grace has had few more successful bowling seasons than that which has just closed. The veteran cricketer took no fewer than 303 wickets for the Thombury Club— his best performance since 1875. As a run- getter, however, he is handicapped by increasing years. The genial doctor has, as everyone knows, a remarkable record. It is safe to say that it is unparalleled in the history of the game. On thirty-one occasions the old Gloucestershire amateur has taken all the wickets in an innings, and eight times he has gone in first, carried his bat through, then followed up by dismissing every one of his opponents. We append Dr. TJrace’s complete record for each season since 1851. It should be pointed out that in 1885 the Doctor was unable to play owing to an injured knee: Year. 1851 .. 1852 .. 1853 .. 1854 .. 1855 .. 1856 .. 1857 .. 1858 .. 1859 .. 1860 .. 1861 .. 1862 .. 1863 .. 1864 .. 1865 .. 1866 .. 1867 .. 1868 .. 1869 .. 1870 .. 1871 .. 1872 .. 1873 .. 1874 .. 1875 .. 1876 .. 1877 .. 1 8 7 8 .. Total Total Total Total wkts. rns. Year. wkts. rns. 22 ... .. 256 1879 .... .. 239 ..... 2048 26 ... .. 370 1880 .... . 250 ..... 1384 35 ... .. 431 1881 .... . 253 ..... 2770 89 ... .. 446 1882 .... . 201 ..... 2725 73 ... .. 563 1883 .... . 250 ..... 3166 82 ... .. 577 1884 .... . 231 ..... 2556 76 ... .. 628 1886 .... . 175 ..... 1179 69 ... .. 870 1887 .... . 214 ..... 1122 173 ... .. 1121 1888 .... . 224 ..... 2016 189 ... .. 1372 1889 .... . 223 ..... 1139 286 ... .. 1747 18110 .... . 278 ..... 1221 312 ... .. 2190 1891 .... . 203 ..... 1173 339 ... .. 3074 1892 .... . 232 ..... 1281 370 .... .. 2054 1893 .... . 217 ..... 1464 245 ... .. 1626 1891 .... . 223 ..... 1320 196 ... .. 1738 1895 .... . 240 ..... 973 166 ... .. 1218 1896 .... . 205 ..... 864 123 ... .. 1300 1897 .... . 227 ..... 990 163 ... .. 1979 1898 .... . 211 ..... 8.31 194 ... .. 1100 1899 .... . 252 ..... 672 186 .... .. 1538 1900 .... . 186 ..... 823 219 .. 2628 1901 .... . 217 ..... 714 298 ... .. 249.‘5 1902 .... . 193 ..... 586 312 .... .. 2052 1903 .... . 213 ..... 612 3fi9 .... .. 2426 1904 .... . 277 ..... 408 262 .... . 2020 1905 .... . 303 ..... 473 268 .... . 1351 ___ ------ 260 ... . 2114 Ttlswks 11,395 ms 76,098 CRICKET IN AMERICA. PORTLAND v. WASHINGTON (OREGON). Played at Portland (Oregon) on September 15. See note in G o s sip . A local newspaper states that C. W. Lawrence, who made 50, ‘ ‘ batted the sphere about at will, and never was in better form.” W ashington . First innings. L. G. Pattullo, b Warren... 0 Nelson, b Mallett... .......... 1 Wingate, lbw, b Warren... 0 Saulez, b Fenwick ..........22 Bell, c Smitb, b Lawrence 8 W. Pattullo, b Atkinson ... 5 Jackson,b Lawrence.......... 1 Lyon, c Smith, b Atkinson 2 Cameron, not out .......... 8 Wilcox, c and b Fenwick... 4 Astbury, c Fenwick, b Lawrence........................ 0 Second innings, b Mallett ... b Mallett ... b Mallett ... b Warren ... b Mallett ... b Warren ... b Warren ... c Lawrence, Warren ... b Warren ... run out 3 1 0 . 22 0 0 0 1 2 12 Extras... ... 13 Anderson,not out 4 Extras.......... 4 Total ..........64 PORTLANO. Total 49 Sisley,b L. G-.Pattullo Fenwick, b Cameron Lawrence, c and b Nelson ................. Warren, c Bell, b Pattullo ................. W. Ct. Smith, c and b Cameron................. Mallett, c Nelson, b BeU ........................ and Atkinson, Saulez ................ Henderson, c Lyon, t Saulez ................ Hodges, b Saulez ... A. Smith, c Nelson, b Saulez................ Rylance, not out Extras ................ Total 13 7 0 0 4 . 14 ..111 THE HALIFAX CUP FINAL. BELMONT v. MERION. Played at Elmwood on September 16. The two clubs had previously tied, and in this deciding match Belmont won with great M erion . H. H. Morris, c Leech, b Cregar................. S.W.Mifflin, c W. Gra­ ham, b K in g ........ J. H. Scattergood, not out ........................ B 4, lb 8 .......... Total R. H. Patton, b King.. 0 J. L. Evans, b King... 16 H. A. Haines, run out 2 O. O. Morris, c Cregar, b King ................. 6 J. A. Lester,b King... 0 A. G. Hare, c King, b Cregar ................. 0 D. H. Adams, b King 0 W. N. Morice, c Coates, b C regar................. 8 B elmont . J. B. King,c Mifflin,b IA. M. Wood, not out... Lester .................24 Byes ................. C. M. Graham, not out 20 | Total (twkt)... E. M. Cregar, W. F. Keenan, jun., W. Graham, D. Graham, C. Coates, jun., E. IC. Leech, W. A, Allison, and E. L. Townsend did not bat. M erion . B. M. R. W. ... 68 0 30 6 |Oregar B elm on t. B. M. R. W. ... 24 0 16 1 IAdams ... 17 0 27 0 IPatton King ... Lester Morice 59 B. M. R. W. 66 3 14 3 B. M. R. W 12 0 9 0 6 0 3 0 PHILADELPHIA v. NEW YORK. Played at Staten Island on September 23. Philadelphia won by 143 runs on the first innings. This is the first time the two citics have met since 1902. P hiladelphia . Sportsman . J. B. Iving.b Worm ... 11 C.M.CJraham.b Clarke 25 C. C. Morris, c Clarke, b K illick................. 8 A. M. Wood, c Clarke, b Cobb .................23 F.H. Bohlen, b Worm 10 D. H. Adams, c and b Worm ................. 3 T.C. Jordan, b Killick 17 P. H. Clark, c Poyer, b Cobb .................21 W.N.Morice, b Killick 12 II. W. Middleton, c Cobb, b Poyer ... 16 F. A. Greene, not out 11 B 5, lb 7 ..........12 Total ...171