Cricket 1906

308 CHICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A ug , 2, 1906. BUSSEY’S “DEMON DRIVERS.” TRADE (< g - g -&<'-) MARK GEO. G. BUSSEY & CO., LTD,, B e g t o i n fo r m C r ic k e t e r s a ll o v e r t h e w o r ld t h a t t h e i r n e w P e c k h a m F a c t o r y , t h e la r g e s t a n d b e s t e q u ip p e d o f its k i n d , is n o w c o m p le t e d . P r o v is io n h a s b e e n m a d e f o r a s t ill f u r t h e r in c r e a s e in o u t p u t a n d t h e c a r r y in g o f a fin is h e d s t o c k o f T W E N T Y T H O U S A N D B A T S . G e o . G . B u s s e y & C o ., L im it e d , m u c h r e g r e t t h a t f o r s o m e t im e p a s t t h e s u p p ly o f t h e F A M O U S “ D E M O N D R I V E R S ” h a s b e e n q u it e in a d e q u a t e t o m e e t t h e d e m a n d , b u t d u r in g t h e p e r io d o f r e -b u ild in g , w h e n t h e o u t p u t w a s n e c e s s a r ily r e s t r ic t e d , t h e fin e s t s t o c k o f W I L L O W T I M B E R h a s b e e n a c c u m u la t in g , a n d n o w r e p r e ­ s e n t s a b o u t 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 B A T S . C r ic k e t e r s m a y t h e r e fo r e r e ly u p o n B U S S E Y ’ S “ D E M O N D R I V E R S ” b e i n g t h e c h o ic e s t s e le c t io n f r o m t h is e n o r m o u s s t o c k a n d T H O R O U G H L Y S E A S O N E D . T h e f le x i b i li t y o f t h e H a n d le s is ju s t w h a t B a t s m e n d e s ir e , a n d t h e s p e c ia l f o r m o f h a n d le c o v e r in g is t h e a d m ir ­ a t i o n o f a ll p la y e r s w h o u s e “ B U S S E Y ’ S D E M O N D R I V E R S . ” Catalogue on application to — GEO. G. BUSSEY & GO., L I M I T E D , 36 & 38, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, LONDON , Or Provincial and Colonial Dealers. FACTORY— TIMBER MILLS— PECKHAM, S.E. ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK. AT THE SIGN OF THE W ICKET. B y F . S. A sh lby -C oopbr . It is no exaggeration to state that last week’s match at the Oval will be spoken of for years to come, and that many youths who witnessed the game will recall the features of the play when in the evening of their days. So great a match in the County Champion­ ship Competition had not been seen since the historic game at the Oval between Surrey and Nottinghamshire fourteen years ago. That, under the conditions, the better side won can scarcely be questioned, the absence of a fast bowler to support Hirst being sadly felt. Yorkshire practically lost the match in the first half-hour, five wickets going down for 49 runs and nobody facing Knox’s fast bowling with any confidence. In a few quarters it has been stated that the amateur’s deliveries were dangerous, and that if his success begets a race of bowlers of tre­ mendous speed, wickets will again be so carefully prepared as to render such attack harmless. Some of the Yorkshiremen certainly received painful blows, but, like good sportsmen, recognised them as being part of the luck of the game. An old couplet says that No game was ever yet worth a rap for a rational man to play, Into which no danger, no mishap, could possibly find its way. Cricketers of past generations were always prepared for an occasional hard knock, and, if players of the present time differ in this respect, the billiard-table wickets of recent years must be held chiefly responsible. But all bowlers whose pace has been abnormally fast have, at one time or another, been con­ demned as dangerous, and, in this connection it must be borne in mind that Knox is pro­ bably the fastest bowler we have had since Kortright was at his best. If Knox were erratic at times in lastweek’smatch, it should be remembered that he was often in pain, and that his accuracy probably suffered somewhat on that account. But to suggest, as has been done in gome quarters, that the injuries received by a few players in that one match are likely to lead to a revival of billiard-table wickets is absurd. The interest centred in the game probably caused more importance to be attached to the blows received fromKnox’s bowling thanwould have been done otherwise. In any case, Hirst, who, had good cause to speak most feelingly of all on the matter, was well enough to take the field in Yorkshire’s very next match—against Worcestershire, at Hull—and to prove the chief factor in the defeat of his opponents. Not the least satisfactory feature of the present season has been the few drawn games which have been played, and the fact is the more remarkable as the summer has been a very dry one. On only one or two occasions —such as in the Worcestershire v. Leicester­ shire match, at Worcester, and when Surrey met Warwickshire, at Edgbaston—have batsmen had things all their own way, and then the cricket has suffered in consequence. Wickets, fortunately for the welfare of the game, are now considerably less “ perfect” than they were a few seasons ago, and to this cause, more than to any other, must be attributed the decrease in the number of games drawn on account of heavy scoring. Fielding, too, appears to be more reliable than during some recent years, and these circumstances combine to encourage the bowlers—a most important matter, for without good bowling it is impos­ sible for batting ever to be of a high standard. During the past week two bowlers of excep­ tionable promise made their debut in first- class cricket, and each, curiously enough, performed the hat-trick on Tuesday last. Many examples could be given, if necessary, of players having met with success with the ball upon their introduction to first-class matches without ever doing much afterwards. In the best interests of the game it is to be hoped that neither Sedgwick nor Gregson will prove such a disappointment. Their future doings will be followed with much interest, for each has been fortunate enough to meet with surprising success upon his entry into first-class cricket. Sedgwick’s performance against Worcestershire makes one wonder what he would have done had he played in the great match at the Oval last week. LUDGROVE v NORTHAW .—Played at Ludgrove on July 25. T. Lindsell, c and b Eastwood...................13 F. J. M. Thorne, b Eastwood.................. 1 E. A. Jenkinson, b Eastwood................... 1 J. S. Miller, b Carne­ gie .......................... 0 R. S. Troysden, c Gwynne, b Carnegie 0 T. R. O. Harrison, c Eastwood, b Carne­ gie ..........................16 J. E. B. Hable, b East­ wood .......................... 5 G. G. Nanson, c Hen­ derson, b Eastwood 11 L. L. Miller, b East­ wood .......................... 0 F. C. Harrison, run out .......................... 1 C. 0. Hanri, not o u t ... 0 B 7, lb 2 ........... 5) Total L udgrove . G. S. Bailey, b Hann 57 J. Forster, b Hann .. 54 R. T. S. Gwynne, not out ..........................15 F. M. Eastwood, c Lindsell, b Hann ... 36 O. W. Cornwallis, b Hann......................... 11 B 17,1b 1, w 2 ... 20 Total (4 wkts)193 J. H. M Dann, C. A. Carnegie, G. G. B. Nugent, R. H. W. Henderson, W. H. Beaumont-Nesbitt ancl E. R. 1). Hoare did not bat. J. O. LO V E LI/S XI. v. HONOURABLE A R TILLER Y COMPANY.—Played at Finsbury on July 28. J. C. L o v e ll’s XI. P. P. Tyacke, c'Watts, b Leggatt.................. 22 C. H. Mountain, c Watts, b Wells ... 29 J. A. Lovell, c and b Bonser .................. 1 A. 8 . Banks, lbw, b Leggatt ...................19 G. H. Marples, st Col­ lins, b Wells ........... 7 L Lovell, c Walshe, b Bonser .................. 44 R. Harrison, lbw, b W ells.......................... 0 C. L. Ring, c and b Wells... ................ 0 D. V. Christmas, c Wells, b Bonser ... 11 J. Sp. Lovell, not out 4 8 . H. Flindt, c and b Bonser .................. 3 B 8 , lb 2 ...........10 Total ...150 H. A. C. J. Collins, c J. A. Lovell, b Marples ... 17 L. S. Wells, c Marples, b J. S. Lovell............ 109 J. B. Caldwell, ran out ... .................... 5 L. M. Leggatt, c J. A. Lovell, b Marples ... 0 J. D. H. Watts, not out 50 B 4,1b 4, nb 3 ... 11 Total (4 wkts)192 M. T. Engmann, H. J. Bonser, H A. Terry, Dr. B. Abrahams, C. A. J. Whyte and H. H. Walshe did not bat. F OR SALE.—Valuable Cricket B ooks—Set of Scores and Biographies, 14 Vols., 1744 to 1878, price £ 10 ; W isden’s Cricketer’s Almanack, complete set, 1864 to 1906, price £10; Fred Lillywhite’s Guide, complete set, 1849 to 1866, price £9; set of Crick t, Vols. 1 to 24, price, £9; Duplicates of W isden’s Cricketers’ Almanack for 1865, ’67, ’ 68 , ’69, ’70, ’71, ’72 [73, ’76,1879 to 1906 cheap; also many rare books, including Love’s Poem, 1770, Lillywhite’s ‘•Illustrated Hand-Book of Cricket,” 1844,1st Edition (4 Copies), “ Felix on the B at” (1st Edition), Lord Charles Russell’s “ Recollections of Cricket,” etc., etc.— Address, Mr. A. J. Gaston, Preston, Brighton.