Cricket 1906

M a y 10, 1906. CRICKET: A. WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME 121 but should practise throwing-in.” In the match at Lord’ s against Eton he scored 36 and 17, making top score in the first innings with F. L. Shand (36 not out). I t was generally admitted during the match between Surrey and Hampshire, at the end of last week, that the Oval had never looked better. The long drought and the keen winds in March and April were very trying to all who had to do with the preparing of lawns and cricket grounds, but Apted has managed to rise superior to circumstances. Heisdecidedly to be congratulated. V e r y seldom in the course of a match are there more noticeable catches than were to be seen iu Surrey v. Hampshire. The most brilliant was undoubtedly that by which Hayes disposed of Captain Wynyard with one hand at short slip in the second innings, but it was hardly more brilliant than Crawford’s catch at square leg a few minutes later, dismissing Stone. Bowell made four catches at cover-point in the Surrey first innings, one of them very clever indeed. Strud- wick’s three catches at the wicket in the first innings of Hampshire were all good, and Hobbs and Hill also distinguished themselves. M a n y people who, for the first time, saw E. M. C. Ede bowling last week, were reminded by his style and small stature of the never-to-be-forgotten John Briggs. Ede is slow, almost too slow, but has a deceptive flight, and the ball sometimes drops very quickly. Most of the Surrey men who had to play him on the Thursday afternoon, failed to time him, but in the Surrey second innings he was so inaccurate that he was severely punished. At present he has not a fast ball which can be compared with that of Briggs, nor does he apparently ever bowl from behind the crease, a manoeuvre which Briggs often found effective. Ede has much to learn, but it will be his own fault if he does not succeed. D . H . P e e l , who took six wickets for 34 in the first innings and two for 10 in the second in the Oxford Freshmen’s match, is an old Bedford Grammar School boy. Last year he had thirty-eight wickets for about 14 runs apiece. He is fairly fast, right hand, and seems to have a good idea of varying his pace. I n the same match J. H. Gordon, an old Wykehamist, very narrowly missed the distinction of scoring two separate hundreds. He made 97 in the first innings and 103 not out in the second. Last year he was second to A. C. L. Clarke in the school batting averages with 32-12 and a highest scare of 80, while in the previous year he was fourth with 43'33 and a highest score of 106 not out. T be announcement made last week by Mr. C. E. Green at the annual meeting of the M.C.C. that the club would cor­ dially welcome a visit from a South African team next year, was the natural outcome of the tour of the M.C.C. team. Mr. Green added that it was hoped that three test matches would be played. I t is, perhaps, just as well, and is certainly according to precedent, that the M.C.C. do not seem to have any idea of suggesting five test matches with the South Africans. The Australians, begin­ ning with a single test match, were pro­ moted to three, and it is only of recent years that five have been played. It is also just as well to remember that after the return of the M.C.C. team from Australia some of its members told mar­ vellous tales about the extraordinary strength of Australian bowling, and it is just possible that the strength of South African bowling may have been uncon­ sciously exaggerated by some of those who did not succeed in mastering it. It is, moreover, always a very difficult thing for batsmen who have been accus­ tomed to matting wickets to become thoroughly at home on turf, much more difficult than for batsmen used to turf to settle down comfortably on matting wickets. T h e other day in looking through a book of Games and Sports, published in 1856, I came across the following naive description of the wicketkeeper’s duties at the game of cricket. “ A batman stands at each wicket; the wicket­ keepers (of the opposite party) stand close behind the batmen to put them out if possible, by knocking down the wickets with the ball if they attempt to run, while the others are scattered over the field to return the ball promptly.” M a n y years ago there was a well- known captain who, in answer to the question, “ Where shall I go ? ” used to say, “ Oh hang it,—scatter,” and poss­ ibly he may have received his training from this entertaining book. But one can imagine the youthful cricketer or wicketkeeper of the period wondering how many wicketkeepers there are, and whether each of them must put down the wickets before a “ batman ” is out. B tjt the advice given in the book as to running between the wickets mast surely be as original as it is ungrammatical. Thus: “ If the batman strikes the ball well, he exchanges places with the other batman, running as fast as he can, be­ cause, if the ball is returned quickly to the wicket-keepars, he knocks down the wicket with it, thus putting him out, and another takes his place, and so on till they are all put out, then the other side goes in. If the batman succeeds in the run, they count one.” Sad to say, there is no reference iu the book to the bowlers, who would seem to be of extremely little importance in the opinion of the compiler. “ A WELL-KNOWN team of amateurs was playing against a public school eleven,” says the Times, “ and one of them pro­ ceeded to indulge in a number of success­ ful strokes, the force of which was as obvious as the heterodoxy. The school professional, who was umpiring, was much perturbed, and at the end of the over he requested in a whisper that the batsman (who was known to be greatly interested in the school) would forego this method of batting. ‘ The cricket master and I, sir,’ he said, ‘ have got enough trouble as it is in getting that young gentleman there out of those strokes; and when he sees you at it he’ll be doing them all the more.’ ‘ Can he do them P’ asked the batsman. ‘ Yes, sir. Three times out of four.’ ‘ Then let him alone,’ was the reply, ‘ he’ll soon learn to do them the fourth.’ ” “ I f at the public school and after­ wards at the University the batting train­ ing is insufficiently elastic,” continues the Times, “ such is by no means the case where the fielding is concerned. The system there could with advantage be far more uncompromising than it is. Much is rightly forgiven to the fine fieldsman, and his prowess invariably disarms other criticism. Possibly we should not of recent years have noticed the tameness of University batting or the mediocrity of University bowling bad our enthusiasm been roused and our attention diverted by the crispness and dash of the elevens in the field. Certainly the stan­ dard of fielding peculiar to the University match has been lowered, and only last year we had instances of error in catching and stopping the ball which were really deplorable.” A l t h o u g h it is nearly thirty years since he began to astonish English cricketers by his remarkable bowling, F. B. Spofforth, the famous old Austra­ lian, still keeps well to the front in club cricket. He began the present season well by taking five wickets of the London Scottish for Hampstead on Saturday last for 53 runs. T he queer idea that spectators care nothing about cricket, but are simply dying to see a finish, does not seem to be making much headway. The prospect of a finish on Saturday at the Oval was as certain as anything can be in this world of woe—for Hampshire had the whole day before them, but only two wiokets in hand, and a matter of 358 runs to make. There was not the least sign of rain. Yet, sad to say, spectators were chiefly conspicuous by their absence. Nor did they turn up in their thousands, or even tens,.yesterday at the Oval when a finish was morally certain. A sc h em e has been originated by the Somerset Committee to raise funds for the purpose of providing a testi­ monial to Mr. S. M. J. Woods, whose services as an all-round cricketer have, for so many years, been of inestimable value to the county. It is proposed not to confine the movement to Somerset. Mr. W. Morgan is the honorary sec­ retary in charge of the arrangements.