Cricket 1905

A pril 27, 1905. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME; 89 H. GRAD IDGE & SONS, Manufacturers o f all Requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Football, an d all British Sports. PATENTElil- AND fcOU MAhEK OF T ill Price Lists Free on Application. Of all First=Class Outfitters and Dealers. Factory, ARTILLERY PLACE. WOOLWICH, C r i c k e t : A WEEKLY RECORD OF TEE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. THURSDAY, APRIL 27 th , 1905. ^a fo titon The abstract and brief chronicle of the time.— Hamlet. T h e annual meeting of the M.G.C. will be held at Lord’s on Wednesday next, May 3rd. The following proposals will come before the meeting:— To add the words “ unless otherwise arranged” to the last sentence of Law 3, which now reads, “ The choice of innings shall he decided by tossing.” To add to Law 4 the words “ the fielding side may at any time, on giving notice to the batsmen, provide a new hall.” I t will be remembered that the first of these two proposals was the outcome of the resolution by Lord Harris at the meeting of the Board of Control, viz. :— “ That in the first Test match the choice of innings be decided by tossing; in the second the side that loss the toss in the first match have the option of going in first; in the third the side that won the toss have the option, and in the fourth the side that lost. In the fifth the choice shall he decided by tossing.” T h e second proposal, by Mr. G. W. Ricketts, was discussed at the meeting of the Advisory Committee at the end of March. The Committee then declined to accept the proposal. T h e members of the Australian Team left New York on Wednesday last week by the ss. Majestic. They arrived at Queenstown on Tuesday evening, and reached London yesterday. The Inns of Court Hotel will be their head-quarters. T h e list of benefit matches for this season is as follows :— B urton (G.), Middlesex v. Somerset, June 12, Lord’s. H uish (F. H .), Kent v. Lancs,, Aug. 10, Canterbury. K n igh t (A. E.), Leicester v. Hants,Aug. 10, Leicester. R obson (E.), Somerset v. Kent, Aug. 17, Taunton. R ussell (T. M.), Essex v. Middlesex, Aug. 3, Leyton. S mart , Wilts v. Surrey (2), Aug. 30, Chippenham. W rathall (H .), Gloucester v. Lancs., Aug. 14, Bristol. Lees Whitehead will receive a grant from Yorkshire instead of a benefit match. W ith the exception of T. G. O. Cole and G. H. Simpson-Hayward, who re­ mained at Barbados, the members of Lord Brackley’sWest Indian team arrived at Plymouth on Wednesday afternoon last week, proceeding thence to Padding­ ton, where they arrived at about half­ past five. I n the final of the Amateur Rackets Doubles Championship, H. K. Foster and Captain W. L. Foster beat C. H. Leaf and H. M. Leaf at Queen’s Club by four games to one—15-7, 15-7, 8-15, 15-2, 16-7. In the championship round they were beaten by Eustace Miles and E. M. Baerlein. Playing for Casino District (N.S.W.) against Lismore on Anniversary Day, E. D. Russell took the whole ten wickets for 61 runs, out of a total of 185. Russell had previously taken 53 wickets for the club for 123 runs, averaging 2'32 runs per wicket. From the Sydney Referee :— If the leading Australian players had been aware of the actual quality of J. O’Connor, the Burwood C.C. bowler, they would pro­ bably not have hesitated about taking him to England. But leading players do not have many opportunities of seeing match cricket, other than the highest class, and with one or two exceptions they never trouble to make opportunities, and never trouble much about the game in the lower grades of matches, apart from their own play. M. A. Noble is a noteworthy exception. From the Adelaide Observer: Particulars have been forwarded to me of this season’s performances with the bat by A. E. Hewett, of Coromandel Valley. He has scored 1,053 runs in the following order : 110 retired, 5, 15, 17, 21, 44, 102 retired, 25 not out, 11, 18, 54 retired, 115 retired, 0, 47, 7, 77, 88, 52, 70, 43, 54, 28 not out—twenty completed innings, average 52’65. Hewett bats left hand, is tall, and uses his reach well, and is 19 years of age. An experienced judge of cricket, whose opinion I regard with deepest respect, sawthe young fellow play on the Adelaide Oval recently, and says he has the makings of a first-class batsman. He is also a splendid fieldsman, keen on the game. T h e team which Dr. Grace has chosen to represent the Gentlemen of England against the Australians on Thursday next at the Crystal Palace in the first match of their tour is as follows :— W. G. Grace (London County). A. O. Maclaren (Lancashire). O. B. Fry (Sussex). P. F. Warner (Middlesex). G. L. Jessop (Gloucestershire). G. W. Beldam (Middlesex). L. O. S. Poidevin (Lancashire). C. Robson (Hampshire). W. W, Odell (Leicestershire). W. Brearley (Lancashire). A. N. Other. T h e May number of “ C. B. Fry’s Magazine” contains several things which will be of interest to cricketers. They include portraits of the cricket captains of 1905, some comments on the counties, a good picture by Tom Browne of a typical village umpire, a characteristic portrait of C. J. Burnup, an illustrated article describing how a cricket ball is made, some notes which accompany a picture of Dr. E. M. Grace on his hunter, and some comments on club cricket. C. B. Fry himself writes on “ The Knack of Jumping,” and on various subjects under the heading of “ Straight Talk.” G. W . Beldam collaborates with J. H. Taylor in an illustrated article entitled “ Golf Faults Illustrated.” W it h reference to Dr. E. M. Grace our contemporary says:— In December last, on an introduction to “ E. M.,” I wrote asking him if he would permit me to send a photographer to take his picture for Fry's. The veteran cricketer kindly acquiesced, but wrote: “ I hope you don’t expect me to write anything for the magazine.” A reply went back that a few words would be particularly welcome, if the doctor would be good enough to seize one of those doubly gracious moments, which, at least occasionally, come to all of us. But apparently the doubly gracious moment did not arrive, for two months elapsed and no answer came. With the utmost possible trepidation I despatched a polite and pressing note. This brought forth a characteristic reply, for the letter commenced : “ I once heard Lyons, of the Australians, make a speech. He said: 1Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—I am a doer, and not a talker, ’ and sat down. Now I am just the same.” In “ Baily’s Magazine” Mr. Arthur F. Meyrick says, with reference to “ Sporting Epitaphs” of the end of the eighteenth century, “ At such an early period of which I write, although cricket matches were played at Lord’s and other places for £1,000 a side, and one also found plenty of gambling on coursing, such outdoor pursuits appear never to have fallen to epitaph pen.” I have an