Cricket 1905

466 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. D ec . 21, 1905. my last year at school than I ever was afterwards ” “ You still play the game ? ” “ For some years I Lave played half­ day cricket for Oxted, where we some­ times have a very good side. I seldom have the opportunity of playing in other matches, but I remember that once when I was playing for a scratch team against Shrewsbury School I did the hat trick, three men being stumped off successive balls. I should think that no other wicket-keeper has ever performed a similar feat.” in my opinion, it is largely a bowler’s run that imparts spin and peculiarity of flight to the ball. It is not every fast bowler who, like Mold, has the strength to bowl at a great pace with a run no longer than that of a slow bowler. I hope that N. A. will be able to play regularly next season, but it is not certain yet whether he will be able to do so. We used to try to teach him how to bat right handed, but it proved to be useless to try to make him alter his style. W. A. B e tte sw o b th . Of ciicket as played at Dulwich College, Mr. Knox said, “ There were over six hundred boys at the school, and all, except about eighty, were day-boys. I believe that as a rule it is difficult to get day-boys to practise regularly, but this wf,s certainly not the case at Dulwich. Practice was not exactly compulsory, but it was very seldom that a boy shirked it. On half-holidays there were plenty of matches, the younger boys sometimes playing sixteen a Bide, and on whole schooldays the nets were put up for the first, second, and third elevens, and for any other boys who seemed promising. I don’ t think I ever saw a larger number of boys playing together at a school—there are so many grounds at Dulwich. We were fortunate in our masters, many of whom took the very keenest interest in the games. I was largely indebted to Mr. Doulton, a very good cricketer indead, who gave me much useful advice. Mr. Gilkes, the head-master, also took a great interest in the game, and was once a very good wicket-keeper. He would have the eleven out twice a week and hit up catches to them. As a rule, when a man does this the ball does not go naturally off the bat, and the catches are really of very little use. But Mr. Gilkes had learned the secret of hitting in such a way that when the ball dropped into your hands you felt as if you were catching in a match. Jimmy Douglas was also a master at the school when I was there.” Four of Mr. Knox’s brothers were at school at Dulwich, and N. A. was in the eleven. The other brothers were E. M., R. G., and H. O. It is more than likely that E. M. would have developed into a fine cricketer, for as a small boy he showed uncommon skill. But he unfortunately met with an acci­ dent to his knee while he was still a schoolboy, and had to give up the game. N. A., as everybody knows, is the young fast bowler who met with so much success for Surrey last year that many good judges of the game thought him worthy of a place in the England team. Of N. A., Mr. Knox said, “ We always thought he would bi. good. At school he always took a great many wickets, often as many as (seven or eight in an inniogs. I don’t say that he was a great bowler then, but he showed very great promise. Critics have asked why he takes so long a run, and have suggested that he would take less out of himself if he shortened it considerably. But he makes use of every inch of his run, and, TH E N EW SOUTH W A L E S REPORT . It is worth noting that New South Wales has won the Shield four years in succession— only one match having been lost in that period. Only 14 players represented the State in these matches this season, and no fewer than 10 of them averaged 22 runs or more per innings. Special mentionmust be made of the hatting of E. F. Waddy. who averaged 70-20 runs per innings; M. A. Noble, 62-16; W. P. Howell, 55-50; V. Trumper, 49-50 ; R. A. Duff, 36-14; J. J. Kelly, 35-20; and S. E. Gregory, 29-83. Mr. Waddy had the honour of scoring 129 not out against South Australia on his first appearance in Sheffield Shield matches, and otherwise had a brilliant season. W . P. Howell’s hatting was a feature of the matches, a series of successes being headed by a brilliant innings for 128 against South Australia. As affording someindication of the number of players in this State whe are capable of performing with distinction in first-class cricket, and incidentally an indication of the high standard of batting, it may be stated that no fewer than eight batsmen each made a century in inter-state matches, and those eight did not include Messrs. V. Trumper and R. A. Duff. Another fact pointing the same way is that no fewer than 18 of those who played for the State averaged 22 runs per innings, and nine of them over 40 runs per innings. The crying need in Australian first-class cricket is said to he bowling talent, hut the future, so far as New South Wales is con­ cerned, is promising, for J. O’Connor, A. P. Penman, l'\ B. Johnson, G. L. Garnsey and A. Single all exhibited good form in repre­ sentative matches. B o a rd o f C o n t r o l. —At the request of the Victoria! Cricket Association, a confer­ ence of representatives from the Associations of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales was held during the season, with the object of establishing an Australian Board of Control for International Cricket, the result being that a Constitution was framed for submission to the Associations, which, after being amended in several respects, was finally adopted by your Association and that of Victoria; also in part by South Australia, aud certain amendments of a vital nature proposed by the latter State were not accept­ able to either New South Wales or Victoria, and as those amendments were persisted in, it was finally determined to constitute the Board without South Australia. Messrs. W. P. McElhone and A. W. Green were appointed to represent your Association on the Board, which has elected Mr. McElhone, hon. secretary, and Mr. Green, hon. trea­ surer. Queensland has since joined the Board, leaving South Australia the only cricketing State not represented thereon. One of the most important reasons which actuated your Association in desiring to bring about the formation of the Board was that in consequence of the divided authority, the management and control of the game, so far as the visits of Australian teams to England, was fast drifting away from the governing cricket authorities and becoming vested in those having practically only a pecuniary interest in the game, and without being responsible to those in authority for their action. Your Association regrets the decision of South Australia not to join the Board unless the constitution is amended by eliminating the power to control and finance the visits of Australian teams to England and by giving the players direct representation on the Board, which amendments your Association could not, in the interest of pure sport and, consequently, of the game, agree to. P e rcy K . B ow den , Secretary. STATEMENT OP INCOME AND EXPENDI­ TURE FOR YEAR ENDiNG 30th JUNE, 1905. Dr. £ s. d. £ s. d. July 1st, 1904. To Balance forward— ,, Cash in Bank, N.S.W ... £1294 1 2 Less Cheque outstanding 16 13 0 ---------------1277 8 2 „ Office Furniture .............. 17 0 0 — 1291 8 2 ,, Gate Receipts for Matches at Sydney— XI. v. XHI....................... 123 8 0 Queensland v. N.S.W.... 147 1 0 S. Australia v. N.S.W.... 645 9 0 Victoria v. N.S.W 831 0 3 „ (2nd XI.) 102 1 6 - 1818 19 9 „ Refund Legal Expenses ... ... 195 16 10 £3339 4 9 Cr. .£ s. d. £ s. d. June 30th, 1905. By Inter-State Tour— Victoriaand S. Australia 429 3 1 Queensland ............. 196 8 11 Tasmania........................ 28 17 0 Inter-State Matches at Sydney— v. Queensland ............. 122 0 9 v. South Australia 233 8 7 v. Victoria ............. 335 16 2 „ Victoria v. N.S.W. (2nd XI.) 174 18 1 „ XI. v. XIII............................ 43 0 2 „ Marylebone C.C. Team ... 3 5 6 „ Country Cricket ............. 107 8 7 „ Ground Fees ............. 191 13 6 „ Umpires ........................ 116 9 11 „ Grants to Schools............. 25 0 0 „ „ Grounds 25 0 0 „ Sheffield Shield Account.. 15 16 9 „ Uniforms Account............. 42 18 6 „ Board of C on trol............. 20 5 6 „ Legal Expenses Account... 1 6 0 „ Petty C a s h ........................ 35 0 0 „ Furniture Depreciation Ac. 1 13 9 „ General Expenses Account 289 13 3 — 2139 4 0 Balances Forward— Cash in B’k, N.S.W ... £691 6 11 Cheque not deposited 195 16 10 £887 3 9 Less Cheque outstand’g 3 3 0 --------------- 884 0 9 „ Office Furniture ............. 16 0 0 ------ — 900 0 9 £3339 4 9 R ich a rd S h u te, H on. 7 reasurer. Sydney, July 1st, 1905. Audited and found correct, h ! a H e w lett 1 Uon' Audi,ora’ Sydney, July 21st, 1905.