Cricket 1906

J an . 25, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 7 Charles Gregory is one of the most finished and accomplished batsmen in the world (in the writer’s opinion). He is a replica of A. C. Maclaren, and for variety of strokes and beauty of style is certainly without a superior, and I have seen all the great English and Australian batsmen for the past twenty years. Much has been written about the deteriora­ tion of Australian bowlers, but most writers, in my opinion, overlook the chief factor in the said decadence, and that is the “ shirt- front” pitches which are row prepared in these parts. If less care were bestowed on the wicket, after the s'yle of some of the English grounds, one feels pretty certain that a new crop of bowlers would sprout up very quickly. What chance has a young bowhr of succeeding on our “ billiard tables ” against such batsmen as Trumper, Armstrong, Noble, Hill, Duff, etc. ? So far as Sydney is con­ cerned no star has arisen. J. O’Connor, a fast-medium bowler, who howls round the wicket, and really breaks from leg, G. L. Garnsey, B. Grounds, and F. W. Hill are the best of the bunch. On a hard wicket O’Connor is unplayable and he comes across fully six inches. He is as deadly as a left­ hander. He is rather old—over thirty. Grounds is a fast-medium. The ball flies from the pitch somewhat like C. T. B. Turner’s- Garnsey’s style does not impress one ; all the same he gets a lot of wickets in local cricket. His best ball is one which is delivered from about two feet behind the crease. He baflles the best of o ir batsmen with this particular ball. F. W. Hill is a left-hander of undoubted promise. Of splendid physique, and with a beautiful style, he bowls fairly fast. Two Sydney papers say that Hill “ breaks both ways at will,” but the/«s£bowlerhas notbeen bornwho can break both ways at will on the Sydney Cricket Ground, and that is where Hill “ broke both ways.” Peter McAlister is a batsman of the Tom Hayward type. Prior to last season he had bright prospects of being picked to go to England, but he had a bad season, and was lost sight of. McAlister at slip is in a class by himself in Australia. The finest fielding ever seen in the slips in Sydney was when Maclaren, A. 0. Jones and L. C. Braund were seen together in 1901-2. A. B. S. White, a fair-haired young cricketer, learned his cricket at Sydney University, and distinguished himself. After leaving the ’Varsity he went to reside at North Sydney, but could not gain a place in the fircit eleven. However, be distinguished himself in the second grade, scoring 278 against Manly. When prior to the start of the season North Sydney was trisected, as it were, it was thought that last season’s premiers would fare badly, as most of her prominent players were absorbed by the olive branches, “ MiddleHarbour” and“ Gordon.” However, such has not proved the case, as White, Redgrave, N. Y. Deane and McMahon have scored very conuistently. White scored 3 run out and 151 in the trial match, First XI. and Second XI. He is a very solid bat. He was also the best “ half­ back ” seen out for years; he played for ’ Varsity three seasons ago, but met with an unfortunate accident, which ended his career as a Ruggerite. C RICKET Report Sheets, lOd. per dozen, post free Order of Going-in Cards, 7d. per dozen, post free; Cricket Score Books, 6d. and Is. each; postage 2d. extra.—To be obtained at the Offices of “ Cricket,” 168, Upper Thames Street, London, E.C. W IS D E N * This famous almanack made its forty-third appearance a fortnight ago. The editor, Mr. Sydney H. Pardon, has perhaps wisely let well alone, and has made no innovations, unless the very useful way in which the “ cricket records ” are now divided may be considered an innovation. At the same time we cannot help regretting that the cxxxviii.’s and lxxxiv.’s, which have now stretched as far as page clviii., are still re­ tained. To a busy man who turns to the “ Contents ” in order to look up some record, it is disheartening to find that he is directed to page cxxxvi., for, even if he has not for­ gotten his classical education, he is pretty sure to have a long hunt before he reaches the exact letters which he requires. There must be many readers of “ Wisden ” who do not even know what c.’s and x.’s mean at all. There is absolutely nothing else in the almanack to which any exception w'hatever can be taken. Mr. Pardon, as usual, makes a few interesting and sensible commtnts in his “ Notes by the Editor,” and the great majority of cricketers will agree with him when he says, ‘ ‘ I still hold strongly to the opinion that the toss, as an essential feature of cricket, should not be tampered with. Apart from all other considerations.............. the toss for innings affords the best guarantee that wickets will in all cases be fairly and properly prepared. I would not for a moment suggest that in the case of out and home matches the knowledge that the oppos­ ing team were going in first would, in the ordinary way, lead to any wrong-doing on part of the ground-keepers. All the same, there would be a danger which the law in its present state prevents. Very little extra water, or the difference of a few hours in the last time for watering, might make all the difference in the wrorld to the side that had first innings, and even the suspicion of any malpractices of this kind would cause great ill-feeling, and might lead to an old-estab­ lished county match being left out of the following season’s programme.” In this connection it may be pointed out that there have been several matches within the last few years inwhich the visiting teams, batting first, have been disposed of for a small score, and have roundly abused the wicket as over­ watered, whereas the umpires have been per­ fectly satisfied that it was in excellent order. If these things happen when there can be no possible grounds for suspicion, it is only reasonable to conclude that there would be much unpleasantness if it were known before­ hand which side would bat first. For the re;t, “ Wisden” of 1906 contains an enthusiastic appreciation of the late Mr. R. A. II. Mitchell by Lord Harris, and some notes about him by Mr. R. D. Walker. The notices of Births andDeaths have been largely extended. The usual photographs of five cricketers of the year are given with short notes on their careers- J. Vice, L. G. Wright, D. Denton, W. Lees, and G. J. Thompson. Captain W. J. Seton, for the second time, undertakes the review of the Public Schools, and the complete scores of the first-class season are printed, as always, with great clearness and accuracy. “ Wisden ” is even more than ever a book which is indispensable to the cricketer. *John Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack for 1906. Edited by Sydney II. Pardon. London: John Wisden and Co., 21, Cranboum Street. Is CR ICKETER S7 GOLFING SOCIETY. The Cricketers’ Golfing Society is open to past and present members of first and second- class county cricket teams and University Blues. This year the society has inaugurated a county championship, and the following matches have been played. Twenty-six counties have entered for the competition :— FIRST ROUND. MIDDLESEX v. KENT.—January 9, at Richmond K ent . M iddlesex . Pts. Pts. J. R. Mason ( 6 ) ......... 0 H.B. Hayman (plus 2) 1 C. J. Burnup (13) ... 1 G. W. Beldam (1) ... 0 S. H. Day (16) ......... 1 D. G. Spiro (4) .......... 0 Total................. 2 Total................ 1 SURREY v. ESSEX.—January 10, at Woking. S urrey . E ssex . Pts. Pts. N. A. Knox (5) ............ 1 H. W. de Zoete............. 0 II. C. McDonell (level) 1 A. S. Johnston ............ 0 J. E. Raphael (11) ... 0 A. H. R ea d .................... 1 Total................. 2 Total.................. 1* SUFFOLK v. NORFOLK.—January 15, at Wood- bridge. S uffolk . N orfolk . Pts. Pts. F. F,. R. Frver (plus 1) 1 A. K. Watson (scr.) ... 0 H. F. Fox (6) . ... 1 B. K. Wilson (2) ... 0 F. A. H. Henley (23)... 1 A. Finch (6)... .*. ... 0 T otal................. 3 Total.................. 0 SOMERSET v. GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—January 18, at Maidenhead. S omerset . G loucestershire . Pts. Pts. W. II. Fowler (plus 2) 1 G. L. Jessop (6) ... 0 W . N. Roe (1) .......... 1 R. W. Rice (12)........... 0 W. Trask (scr.).......... i Dr. W. G. Grace (16) Total................. 2J Total .......................* LANCASHIRE v. YORKSHIRE.-January 20, at Ganton. Y orkshire . L ancashire . Pts. Pts. E. Smith (plus 1) ... 1 E. G. Steel (7) ........... 0 T. L. Taylor (5)......... 1 II. B. Steel (9) ........... 0 Hon. F. S. Jackson (4) 0 E. Rowley (20) ........... 1 Total................. 2 Total.................. 1 CORNWALL scratched to DEVONSHIRE. HERTFORDSHIRE scratched to CAMBRIDGE­ SHIRE. WARWICKSHIRE v. LEICESTERSHIRE— January 18, at Coventry. W arw ickshire . L eicestershire . Pts. Pts: H. W. Bainbridge ... 1 — Butler ................. 0 H. Rotherham ........ 1 B. Lorrimer................. 0 J. E. Ilill (absent) ... 0 G.W.Hillyard (absent) 0 Total................. 2 Total.................. 0 SHROPSHIRE v. STAFFORDSHIRE.-January 22, at Milford. S taffordshire . S hropshire . R. J. Brownlield ... 1 C. L. Winser ........... 0 R. J. D u n n ................. 1 K. H. Sitwell ........... 0 H. W. Gardner.......... 1 A. M. Suthery ........... 0 T otal................. 3 Total ................. 0 R ICHARD DAFT’S “ Nottinghamshire Marl.” - Particulara apply, Radcliffe on-Trent, Notts. [A d v t .)