Cricket 1906

314 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A ug . 2, 1906. Silly idiots to miss a chance like that. No ! No I N O ! Stay at home. Well I am blowed! I knew thatidiot would run himself out soon.Some of these cricketers have got no more judgment in running than a sheep.” As the cricket doctors seem to differ very considerably about the attendances at the Oval at the end of last week on the occasion of Lees’ benefit, it will be well to give the cffioial returns showing the numbers paying at the gate on each day. They were: — First day ...21,917 Second day ...19,908 Third day ........ 19,962 Total ... 61,817 In addition to the above, tickets which were sold for Is. for the three days were presented:— First day ... Second day Third day 1,706 1,598 1,802 These 5,106 tickets bring the aggregate actually paying for the match to 66,923. When the big membership of the Surrey County C.C.—some 3,500—and the cipa- cious free list is taken into consideration, there could hardly have been less than 80,000 present during the three days. The aggregate of 66,923 paying easily beats the best previous at the Oval, which was in the August Bank Holiday match between Surrey and Notts in 1892. On that occasion 30,760 paid at the gate on the first day, but the outcome of the three days was only 63,763. Wieden’s Alman­ ack says that 78,792 people watched the play in Hirst’s benefit match at Leeds in August, 1904, but whether this means the paying public only or the entire crowd I don’ t know. In any case, if the numbers paying at Leeds on August Bank Holiday, 1904, 31,826, constitute a record for a first day in England, the 19,962 at the Oval last Saturday outdistances anything for a third day. A good deal of wild speculation has been indulged in with regard to the possible financial result for Lee3, and sums varying from £2,000 to £4,000 have been glibly given as the pro­ bable outcome. O ne must take all these irresponsible announcements with a good deal of salt. How reliable the cricket editions of the halfpenny evening papers are may be judged from the fact that in one of last Saturday the King was stated to be the landlord of the Oval, while in another column Gooder was assured of a trial in the Middlesex eleven this season. The Prince of Wales, it may be as well to say, as Duke of Cornwall, is the landlord of the Surrey County C.C. Furthermore Gooder cannot play for Middlesex this season as he has already represented Surrey’s 2nd X I. in the County Champion­ ship of the Second Division. L ees ’ benefit match will be memorable for the loyal folk of Surrey for another important incident. Friday was the first occasion on which the Princess of Wales had visited the Oral. With the young Princes too, came their sister, Princess Victoria of Wales, who seemed to enjoy the game as much as her two brothers. Lord Crichton and Sir William Carrington, the comptroller and treasurer of the Prince’s household, were in attendance, and among others present—to mention a few—were the Earl of Rosebery, General the Hon. Sir N. G. Lyttelton, Mr. Aequith, and the Pay­ master-General. To win with the last ball of the day is about the perfection of timing a finish. This is what the Wanderers did in their match with the Epsom Club at Epsom on Saturday, getting rid of the last Epsom wicket as the clock was striking L ord D almeny , the Surrey captain, brought off a good double event on Friday in winning the Newbury Cup with his horse Ramrod and in getting on top of Yorkshire in the great match with Surrey. Altogether it must have been a memorable day for him. I t is, of course, very sad to read that Mr. A. J. L. Hill was obliged to stop the game at Southampton last Friday evening becausethe spectatorsjeered atThompson. At the same time, there is no reason to jump to the conclusion that because some of them express their opinions pretty freely when they are well worked up, spectators have suddenly become brutes. An Englishman naturally ex­ pects value for his money, whether he goes to a cricket match or buys an ounce of cough-drops, and, long-suffering as he is, there is a limit to his endurance. Crowds have been demonstrative at times, ever since the game was played, and it may possibly be remembered that when the Australians were batting at Lord’s in one of the Test matches the crowd chanted the “ Dead March in Saul,” and yet English cricket did not go to the dogs. T he dates of the three great annual matches at Lord’s are as follows for 1 9 0 7 :- July 4th, 5th and 6th.—Oxford v. Cam­ bridge. July 8th, 9th and 10th.—Gentlemen v. Players. July 12th and 13th.—Eton v. Harrow. L ast week A. J. Webbe, the famous old Oxford and Middlesex cricketer, scored 110 not out for Mr. R. W. Awdry’s X I. v. Royal Artillery, at Melksham. W e are told that it is only human to err, and therefore it is with the more pleasure that we are able to correct the statement made in our last issue to the effect that F. H . Guttridge, the old Nottinghamshire and Sussex cricketer, recently departed this life. All who can recall him will be pleased to learn that he is still above the turf instead of under it. The player who met with a sudden death the week before last at Leicester was, as a journalist once said of Homer, another gentleman of the same name. As an interesting fact it may be recalled that, amongst others who have had the doubtful pleasure of reading their own obituary notices, have been Tom Lockyer, Edward Pooley, Mr. M. P. Bowden, George Hay, and Mr. F. S. Ashley- Cooper. The annual match between Rugby and Marlborough now in progress at Lord’s, some Cricket readers at least may be concerned to know, is the forty-eighth game between the schools. So far the advantage is all with the Rugbeians, who have won twenty-four of those brought to a definite issue to fifteen of Marl­ borough. The first match was played at Lord’s in 1855, and excepting the years 1857, 1863, 1864, 1867, 1868 and 1870 the ground of the Marylebone Club has always been the venue. The contests of 1857, 1863 and 1867 were decided at the Oval, that of 1864 at the Middlesex County Ground, Islington, and thos9 of 1868 and 1870 at Rugby and Marl­ borough respectively. The highest inn­ ings in the series has been Marlborough’s 432 in 1892, and the best individual score P. R. Creed’s 211 in that same innings. The match of 1888 was an actual blank, rain preventing the delivery of a ball during the two days at Lord’s. NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK v. LLOYDS BANK. - Played at Lower Sydendam on July 24, 25 and 2G. L loyds B a n k . O. E. Melville, c Ann- strong, b Jones ... 6 G. D. Gold, b Harrison 19 E. J. Thomas, b Harri­ son .......................... 7 O. L. Penman, b Jones 7 J. H. Downward, b H arrison................... 4 E. J. Hudson, b Jones 13 S. Bristow, c Price, b H arrison.................. 24 W . F. Smith, c Price, b Jones ................... 6 W . A. Smith, c Arm­ strong, b Jones ... 0 O. G. Osborn, b Jones 0 A. H. W ilson, not out 8 B 9, lb 13 ...........22 Total ...116 N. P. B. A. Harrison,c Hudson, b W . A. Smith ... 14 J. Price, b G old........... 2 C. G. E. Jones, c Hud­ son, b W. A. Smith 39 E. W . Armstrong, c Penman, b W. A. Smith ................... 3 W. B. Palamountain, c W . A. Smith, b Gold 21 A. B. H. Read, run out .......................... 10 E. J. Innocent, b Os­ born ........................... 10 W . H. Fear, b W. A. Smith .................. 5 G. R. Gardner, c W .A . Smith, b Osborn ... 0 E. O. Troughton.c and b W. F. Smith ... 0 A. F. Aylen, not out... 3 B 5, lb 1 ........... 6 Total ..113 SOUTHEASTERN&CHATHAMRAILWAY. CANTERBURY CRICKET WEEK . AUGUST 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th, CHEAP RETURN TICKETS {1st, 2nd & 3rd Class) W ILL BE ISSUED TO C a n t e r b u r y . Charing C r o s s ............... dep. 8,30 a.m. Cannon Street ............... „ 8.40 „ London B rid g e ............... „ 8.45 „ Available to return by any train the same day YINCENT W . HILL, General M anager. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. H. B l an n .— We are quite unable to trace the name you mention.