Cricket 1906

J u n e 21, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME T h e r e is a delightful touch of humour in the following extract from an article which appeared in the Daily Graphic under the name of W. G. Quaife, one of the most famous of the cautious school of batsmen. He is referring to an innings by G. L. Jessop, the equally famous hitter, and he says: — Yes ! Even these staid gentlemen, some of whom had no doubt watched the cricket on that historic ground for years, were carried away hy the excitement. This is good at the hoys wherever our race congregate—we shall have a trial of brute strength. Cricket as it should be played will be a thing of the past. This is the line down which we may deteriorate unless our batsmen stop their ears to the cry for faster play at any cost. W e have a great deal to thank our hitters for. After a spell of good bowling and consequently slow scoring, it is refreshing to players and onlookers to see some good hitting. It brightens up things. Where, however, would these re­ freshing times come in if we had no method­ ical players ? W ould it not be all hitting, ally have to wait a long time between the fall of the wickets when they are in the fbld (unless, indeed, Englishmen are shamed into imitating them), our visitors will still continue this pleasing practice. They may at least be assured that if they do so they will have the sympathy of the long-suffering spectators with them. I n one or two respects the West Indians will doubtless improva after they become more familiar with each other. At THE WEST ilNDIANS IN ENGLAND, 1906. R. A. OLLIVIBRRE, O. S. M0BRIS0N. L. CONSTANTINE. G. CHALLENOR. J. E. PARKER. W. J. BURTON. 0. H. LAYNE. 0. B. CCMBBBBATOH. A.-B. HARRAGIN. H. B. G. AUSTIN. P. A. GOODMAN. o . O. LBARMOND. 0. K. BANCROFT. S. o. SMITE. [Photo by C. F. Hands, 133, Clapham Road , London . time, but when the appetite for hitting is so whetted that the onlooker expects and wishes each player could and would do the same, thinking little of the man who drives the ball along the carpet with easy and correctly- timed stroke, or talks to his neighbour of the slowness of the play while the ball is being placed to the on-side or cut crisply behind point, then this hitting fever becomes un­ healthy, and if pandered to will assuredly bring the finest of games into disrepute. In place of a game of skill that the rising genera­ tion can copy and improve upon—which has been a physical and mental training for our monotonous hitting f Each in its own time is best. Yes ! believe me, the poor, “ much- cussed ” stonewaller has his useful time. T h e West Indians set an example whioh might be followed with advantage by other first class teams. When a wicket falls the next man does not wait until the spectators havebegun to wonder whether the law allows two minutes or five; he comes out as soon as the retiring batsman has entered the pavilion. Let ub hope that, although they will gener- present they are a long time in arranging their field when a change of bowling has *o be made. Some of them are very slow in crossing over, and they must not think that because this is not unfashionable, it is considered characteristic of a good fieldsman. It is only the bid fields who are slow. Above all, they must, if they wish to succeed, pick up the ball clean. That they can do so is evident from the way in which their fielding gradually improved in this way when Mead and