Cricket 1906

M ay 31, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, 169 of an hour and fifty minutes’ play, 225 runs were put on for the first wicket. Beldam, who contributed 128, was out some ten minutes after Sewell (124) who, though caught out eight yards outside the boundary, did not appeal, leaving to others the chance of a little batting. Sewell, I may add, in two successive overs hit T. Stacey, the Bucks bowler, for 20 and 14 respectively. In these 34 runs were two smites for six. Me, J. M. Framjeb P a te l, who, as I stated a fortnight ago, is over here from India in search of health, tells a good story, not the only one by any means be it added, in his “ Stray Thoughts on Indian Cricket.” The central figure in it was Ahsan-ul-Hak, the Afridi, who played for Middlesex some years ago. One evening during his stay in England, after the finish of a match, he was making his way to the railway station when a youngster offered to carry his cricket bag. Ahsan-ul-Hak readily agreed to the offer, and on reaching the station put his hand into his pocket to get something wherewith to pay the lad for his trouble. The little chap refused to accept any money, but quickly produced a small book requesting the Indian crick­ eter to append his autograph. As the boy saw the signa­ ture a cry involuntarily broke fromhim, “ Not Ranji ?” His disappointment can be better imagined than des­ cribed. I certain ly hope pre­ sently to return to a detailed notice of Mr. Patel’s book, which deserves a much more copious notice than can be provided in the columns of “ Gossip.” Mr. Patel tells of a big hit made by Mr. N. Saklatwala while practising on the Parsee Gymkhana Ground. He drove a ball right into the second-elass carriage of a train just passing. A Parsee lady was evidently equal to the occasion, for she threw the leather out of the window, and it was duly restored to the game. That reminds me of an incident of a similar kind which occurred recently at Thames Ditton. The local club was playing the Magdalen Wanderers, and a ball hit by C. Hall of the Wanderers was sent into the Portsmouth Road. With the perversity of a cricket ball when it gets loose, it bounded up into a passing cycle, and it was only the shouts of the players that made the cyclist realise, after going several yards, that he was carrying away the munitions of war. This latter story, I may say, was told me by W. T. Gra- bum, Surrey’s whilom cricket teacher. I have always found him most reliable in such cases, and therefore narrate the story unreservedly. In any case, I tell it as it was told to me. A pleasant little function, arranged by the committee of the Epsom Cricket Club in commemoration of the match between the second elevens of Surrey and Yorkshire in the Minor Counties’ Com­ petition, played on its ground on Thurs­ day and Friday last, added considerably to the enjoyment of the two elevens. It was a kindly thought of the Epsom executive to extend their hospitality to the two teams, and the dinner, which took placa at the King’s Head Hotel, Epsom, on Thursday night provided the opportunity of a warm welcome to the Yorkshire captain, the genial R. W. Frank, and his cim n dai, in which the other guests, the Surrey piiyers, heartily joined. The match was an exceedingly pleasant one in every way and was admirably staga-managed from first to last by A. G. Parsons, the captain, on behalf of the Epsom Club. I inadvertently omitted last week to state, as I meant to have done, from information received, that it is possible arrangements may be come to by which the three test matches to ba played with the South African team next year are to be continued to a definite finish. There is an official suggestion, I understand, to that effect, but whether it will meet with general approval remains to be seen. The Yorkshire and Notts Committees, I see, have given their opinion in favour of a limitation to three days, as has hitherto been the case. The objections to playing to a finish are too obvious, and of themselves too important to recall. Personally, I am not sure that the “ deefeeculties ” do not outweigh any small advantages. S u f f ic ie n t evidence was given at the O ral the other day when Mead went in the field for Eisex against Surrey that his reappearance for hig county was heartily welcome to Essex men. When he went in to bat at Leyton last week, for the first time for two years, the applause was loud and sustained. It was quite in accordance with the vanity of human wishes that he was bowled neck and crop first ball. W hen Essex were batting on the first day against Kent at Layton, a ball was drivea perfectly straight to a fieldsman and at no great pace. By moving a step forward he could have taken it on the first dash, but he preferred to remain where he was, with the result that he had to take a yorker and was bowled out—in other words (sad to say) he allowed the ball to go through his legs to the boundary. A sym­ pathetic crowd said “ Hard lines.” T hree times, and very nearly four, were two Kent men to be seen at the same wicket owing to a misunder­ standing about a run. Unfortunately for Essex, in only one of the four cases was there a complete under­ standing among the fields­ men, and the result was that three times a couple of batsmen were made happy, and twice the Kent score was increased by a four. A s Kent will be able to put very nearly, if not quite, its best available side into the field next week, its two matches with Sussex and Lancashire are sure to furnish some interesting all­ round cricket. With J. R. Mason, C. J. Burnup, E. W. Dillon and R. N. R. Blaker, all of whom I understand will play, to strengthen the side, the Kent eleven should take a lot of beating. Their cricket in any case will hardly need much brightening—I had almost written Brightoning. T he Committee of the Marylebone Club, I gather, have decided, in conse­ quence of play being so frequently sus­ pended on appeals against the light, to consider alterations in the instructions to umpires under Law 43. Rumour has it that the alteration will take the form of putting the responsibility of deciding on the light primarily on the captains, with a referendum, to the umpires in case of their disagreement. But at present the Instructions to Umpires contain the fol FAR FROM THE OLD FOLKS AT HOMIi. {Reproduced from the Sussex County Cricket A n n u a l by kin d permission o f the publisher, M r. W . E. Nash.)