Cricket 1905

CRICKET, A W E E KLY RECORD OF T H E GAME- JAN. 26, 1905. P - ) $ © 8 C = 3 = H © e — l i t ' 1 i: ) j w 8 c z 3 - H 9 8 — ^ ____ 3 - H * “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. Tsto. 6 8 0 . VOL. x x i v . THURSDAY, JAN. 26, 1 9 0 5 . p b i c e ad CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. C. I. THORNTON. There were many famous hitters in Mr. Thornton’s time, but he was a king among them all. There is no one like him to-da y; there never was anybody like him. The remark made in “ Lilly- white ” of J874, that he was “ the grandest hitter ever seen ” is as true now as it was then. One of the chief differences between his hit­ ting and that of other men was that whereas he never played a long innings with­ outmaking several wonderful hits, they would sometimes soore a hundred runs with­ out making any hit which attracted especial attention. In 1898 a record of the longest hits appeared in James Lillywhite’s Cricket­ ers’ Annual. It is headed by a hit of 175 yards by Mr. W. Fellowes on the Christchurch ground at Oxford, in 1856, but it is not on record that the dis­ tance was arrived at by anything but guesswork. The longest authenticated hit is vaiiously given as 168 and 162 yards. This was by Mr. Thornton during prac­ tice at Brighton, and the distance was there and then measured by the Rev. James Pycroft, the well-known author of the “ Cricket Field.” Most of Mr. Thorn­ ton’s other famous hits were measured immediately after they were made, and the distance ranges from 152 yards to 140. It is notice­ able that in the list given in Lillywhite’ s Mr.Thornton’s name appears sit times, and Bonnor’s name three times. Bonnor’s longest authenticated hit was 147 yards at Mitcham. This was measured by Mr. Fred Gale and others. Mr. Thornton was not able to play first-class cricket regularly after he left the University, for he went into business. He has for some years been chairman of a large timber firm in the City. He was perhaps at his best as a cricketer between 1873 and 1880, although he seldom had an opportunity of playing in first-class cricket during that period; but at intervals be found time to play and also to make good scores until about 1888. His connection with the Scarborough Festival was commemorated in 1894 by the presentation of a splendid silver cup which he highly values. For some years he represented Kent as often as he could, and he also assisted the Gentlemen against the Players. An idea of the way in which Mr. Thornton used to hit may be gained from the following extracts from the Ceylon Mail of March 7th, 1891. They refer to two hits made by him during a match at Colombo in which he played (a) “ The ball flew far out of bounds, pitched half­ way to the Galle Face Cottage, and was stopped by the wall of the compound— six and much enthusiasm.” (6) “ The batsman lifted the ball right into the compound of the house adjoining the church, amid great cheering, for six.” Mr. Thornton went to Eton in 1861, but it was not until 1866 that he was chosen for the eleven. “ I think I should have been in the eleven in 1865,” he said, “ but I knocked the bowling of the professional about, and he did not like it at all. The usual way of coming to the front at Eton, at any rate in my time, was to keep on getting runs in the lower games until you attracted the attention of someone in authority who would place you in the Upper Club, where you could get some practice. If you happened to come off in one of the first-class games you might be put into the eleven. I remember that I made 40 or 50 the first time I played for Eton ; it was in a match against Christchurch Col­ lege, Oxford.” “ You made a good score in your first match against Harrow ? ” “ I think it was 46 not out. It was Cobden’s first year for Harrow, and ha bowled most of us o u t; we were very badly beaten. He and F. L. Shand, fast left band, were the two best boy bowlers I ever met. I saw Cobden only a few weeks ago, and we were talking about the Oxford and Cambridge match of 1870, in which he took the last three Oxford wickets in the second innings with successive balls, when only three runs were required to tie. It has always been a subject of controversy as to the exact history of the last over bowled by Cobden, the reason for this being that everybody was so excited that when the