Cricket 1905

M ar . 30, 1905. CRICKET: A"WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME 41 H . GRAD IDGE & SONS, Manufacturers of all Requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Football, and all British Sports. PATENTEES teOLK MAKElite OF THE Price Lists Free on Application. Of all First=Class Outfitters and Dealers. Factory, ABTi LL EBY PLACE. WOOLWICH, C r i c k e t : A WEEKLY RECORD OF TEE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.G. THURSDAY, MAR. 30 th , 1905. $a\u lto tt G o s s ip * The abstract and brief chronicle of the time.— Hamlet,. A t a meeting of the Advisory Com­ mittee last week it was decided to support the proposed addition to the last sentence of Law 1 : “ The choice of innings shall be decided by tossing,” of the words “ unless otherwise arranged.” On the other hand, the committee opposed the proposal by Mr. G. W. Ricketts to add to Law 4 the words: “ The fielding side may at any time, on giving notice to the batsmen, provide a new ball.” But with regard to this question, the opinion of the counties is to be asked. Both of these suggested alterations in the Laws will be brought before the annual meet­ ing of the M.C.C. on May 3rd. T h e Australian team, after concluding the tour in New Zealand, sailed from Auckland on March 23rd for Fiji on the way to England. The Australians won four of their six matches with great ease, while the other two were drawn in their favour. L a s t week the Rt. Hon. SirjSpencer Ponsonby-Fane was presented with a portrait of himself from the brush of Mr. S. Johnstone Douglas. It will be re­ membered that a testimonial was given last year to Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane by the members of I Zingari, and as many subscriptions arrived after the fund had been closed, the committee arranged to have the picture painted. It has been sent to the Royal Academy. I n the Evening Standard and St. James's Gazette, E. H. D. Sewell says, with refer­ ence to the bowling strength of the Australian team :— In many quarters the lack of the slow left- hand howler in the visiting team is held to be a serious deficiency, and one in which we shall beat them—all ends up—to judge by some of the criticisms passed on the Austra­ lians. It does not in the least follow. One need not possess a very vast experience of first-class cricket to know that there is much truth in the popular belief among first-class cricketers to-day that “ any stuff will get ’em out nowadays.” Fir it is an undoubted fact that, except on the gluepot wickets, the best bowlers serve to play the dangerous batsmen in for the worst bowlers to get them out. Australia may not, therefore, much miss a slow left-hand artist. Moreover, if Cotter is a success, he may very easily “ go through ” most teams, though not our test match ones. I have a pretty good account of him from a reliable source; and, as for his erratic length, it has surely not been forgotten, even by a public possessing a notoriously shortmemory, how J. J. Kotze kept many English crack batsmen quiet last year, and nobody could accuse him of being a good length bowler.” W il l ia m O s c b o it , the old Notts cricketer, who played with great success for the county iu the sixties and seventies, is now in the Nottingham General Hos­ pital. It was thought that an operation would be necessary, but since he has been under treatment in the hospital he has so greatly improved that it is hoped he will recover without an operation. He is in his sixty-third year, and played his last match for Notts in 1882, when he made 62 against Sussex at Brighton. Ms. C. E. G r e e n , the old Cambridge Blue, has engaged Peel and Lockwood to bowl to Essex players on the county ground for three weeks begining on April 12th. It will be remembered that for some years Mr. Green engaged Alfred Shaw and Peel, but Alfred is not as young as he was, and has not had the best of health of late, although at the present time he is well. T h e r e seems to be considerable doubt in Australia about the captaincy of the Australian team. The Sydney Referee says:— A cable message from Auckland states that the Australians having held a meeting on the trip across the Tasman See, have deferred the appointment of captain until they arrive in England. In view of the absence of J. Darling and P. M. Newland, the decision is, in the circumstances, fair and wise. 0. Hill is to captain the team in New Zealand, and according to the cable message, is also to be vice-captain on the tour. The election of the vice-captain at this stage is difficult to follow, unless it be that the members of the team, having definitely agreed to appoint either J. Darling or M. A. Noble, prefer Clem Hill for the post of vice-captain to either of the candidates for the captaincy. Never­ theless the position is a peculiar one. But it may be noted that Noble has been acting as captain during the New Zealand tour. H. D o n n a n , the old Australian player, who came with the team to England in 1896, made 116 for Burwood against Sydney. Another old Australian player, Alec Bannerman, the famous “ stone- waller,” has not played for his club, Paddington, for some time, objecting strongly always to be sent in very low down on the list. S om e fast scoring was done by J. B. Mackay, the New South Wales player, in an electorate match for Burwood against Redfern on February 4th. He and A. Johnston, for the first wicket, made 50 in eighteen minutes, and 100 in thirty-two minutes, Mackay’s share of the hundred being 84. Mackay reached his hundred in fifty-two minutes out of 150. His total was 111, and he hit twenty-two 4’s and a 5. It was thought at the begin­ ning of the season that he stood a very good chance of being chosen for the Australian team. A t the beginning of February a match was played on the ground of the Mel­ bourne C.C. between the Club and the Colts trained by Carpenter, the Essex player. The Club scored 428, and the Colts replied with 377 for six wickets, Carpenter himself playing a fine innings of 117. T h e annual meeting of the Essex County C.C. will be held at the County ground at Leyton, on Thursday, April 13th. An Association football match will take place on the ground, before the meeting, in the afternoon, between teams of cricketers who have played for Essex and Kent. The teams are announced as follows: E ssex : R. P. Keigwin (goal), Rev. F. H. Gillingham and Buckenham (backs), F. L. Fane (capt.), Inns, and Freeman (E .) (half­ backs), C. H. McGahey, C. D. Mclver, Russell (E .), J. W . H. T. Douglas, and Major A. J. Turner or Reeves (forwards). K ent : Huish or Seymour (goal), J. R. Mason and Fairservice (backs), Humphreys, Hardinge and E. W. Dillon (half-backs), C. H. B. Marsham, S. H. Day, R. N. R. Blaker, Hubble aud C. J. Burnup (or E. W. Mann) (forwards).