Cricket 1906

CR ICKE T: a weekly record of th e game . MAY 17, 1906. l a S 8 e 9 — M—«- DS@ 9 CZ < i § tn y/ HUD H&fc/ iXr H 3 N f X l " j J Ti l e IA r Ota* m rnwm )?«?(' ' jej— h j MIK -*“H rfr -1 • “ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.” — Byron. n o . 7 i 8 . v o l . x x v . THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1906. p r i c e 2d. LORD DALMENY. The acceptance of the captaincy of the County eleven by Lord Dalmeny for last season, it is not too much to say, marked a new era in the history of Surrej cricket. Fur some few years before, the authorities at the Oral had been unable to secure an amateur cricketer able to give the requisite time to the responsible task of managing the eleven; at least, one who could be regarded as available for any lengthened period. It was the misfortune of the executive that there was no one for a time who could fill the important position of captaining a side with such a particularly heavy programme. It was certainly not their fault, and the difficulties under which they laboured for somo years,one would have thought, would have earned them the sympathy of all genuine cricketers, certainly of that section of the Press which professes to represent cricket opinion. Happily the iidiculous misrepresentationswhich saw the light in papers which ought to have been better in­ formed, were ignored by those in whom was vested the administra­ tion of Surrey cricket. And as everything comes to him that waits, it was not long before their patience was rewarded. The hour came, and the man. It was dis­ tinctly a piece of good fortune for Surrey that a cricketer of the keenness of Lord Dalmeny should have appeared on the scene ready and willing to come to the rescue of Surrey cricket just at a time when the eleven were a bit down from a brief period of comparative failure, and were really in great need of a strong control. In ap­ proaching Lord Dalmeny the Surrey committee we e confident that there was to hand a cricketer with all the requisite qualifications for the position, if only he could be induced to accept the responsibility. As it happened, the overtures were favourably received, and early last year Lord Dalmeny became the captain of the Surrey eleven. How successful he has been, the marked increase of vitality in the cricket of the side la9t season and this would be sufficient of itself to prove. There were people, and well-informed people, misled by the silly rumours about the interference of the committee with the special duties of the captain, venturesome enough to suggest that iu offering the captaincy to so young a player the executive had deep designs of influencing, or rather of exercising a control of some sort, over the action of the captain. That their estimate was hopelessly wrong in both cases, of Lord Dalmeny on the one hand, and of the Surrey Committee on the other, it is fair to say has been fully shown by subsequent events. Lord Dalmeny, indeed, has proved himself to be a leader of men, on the cricket field at all events. He has all the essentials necessary to the proper fulfilment of a position requiring a masterful mind, as well as a considerable amount of tact and good temper. His personality soon made its effect conspicuous in the great im­ provement of the general play last summer. The out cricket in particular showed, as it was bound to show, with such an excellent example as he set the side, a life which had been un­ doubtedly conspicuous only by its absence for some few years. Surrey fielding, which had been something of a byword in the way of reproach, became the subject of favorable comment. How much of the change was due directly to the young captain’s personal influence and example can of course be hardly estimated. A very great deal of it one might reply, and with conviction. Con­ sidering that he played practically no important cricket since he knocked the Harrow bowlers about so freely in the Eton and Harrow match of 1900 at Lord’s till he came into the Surrey eleven as an occasional member in 1904, it would not have been a surprise if his cricket had been unsuccessful. As a matter of fact he had up to 1904 played in only four county matches, one for Bucks in 1901, two for Middlesex in 1902, and one for Surrey (against the Gentlemen of Philadelphia) at the Oval in 1903. His all-round crioket for Surrey last season came, even to those who knew him best, as something of a revelation. At Eton he had shown himself to be a free bat, as well as a smart and reliable field. But the season of 1905 marked him out as a really first-class bat with a variety of strokes which betokens the master. Putting aside his in­ valuable services in the captaincy, his individual record was one of the very best on the side. In all, he scored 1,114 runs for Surrey in forty-five completed innings, a fine performance of itself. His highest score was his 138 v. Leicestershire at the Oval at the end of the season. For intrinsic merit even this, perhaps, could hardly bear comparison with his 116 against Warwickshire, also at the Oval. This sketch is meant to deal with the Surrey captain mostly in his capacity as a leader. At the same time it is interest-