Cricket 1906

CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. AUG. 16, 1906. “ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.”— Byron. N o . 731 . V O L . X X V . THURSDAY, AUG. 16, 1906. m . SU R R E Y IN 1906. Will Surrey “ arrive'’ ? The County Championship, it must be admitted, is full of the most varied possibilities even now. At the moment, Surrey is at the top with a mere fractional advantage which might under certain circumstances be of great value. In any case, whatever may be the ultimate verdict, Surrey’s supporters have good reason to be pleased with the strenuous fight the Eleven have made to regain the County Championship in the face of a more than usually heavy and exhaustive programme. The prevail­ ing hard wickets may have enabled them to show to advantage by comparison as run-getters. But all round there has been a vitality and a cohesion which has done as much as anything to make them successful. The influence of such a keen captain as Lord Dalmeny has produced, as was only to be expected, the esprit de corps which is so essential to the attainment of the best results where combination is requisite. Con­ fidence is a very important factor on the cricket field, whether it be individual or collective, and, with a captain in whom everyone has the most absolute trust, a side has always in it the material for the higher developments. That Surrey cricket has been full of interest this year, one has only to point to the following the eleven have had in all their matches. What need to brighten the cricket with batsmen of the order of Hayward, Hayes, Holland, Mr. Crawford, Hobbs, Goatly, Lord Dalmeny and Lees—any and all of them capable oF a big score? And what more useful trio of bowlers than Mr. Knox, Lees and Mr. Crawford are there to be found in the maj ority of county teams ? It would be impossible, of course, to overestimate the value of Tom Hayward’s phenomenal batting throughout the sea­ son. To say that he has been the main­ stay of the side would be to quite in­ adequately represent the extent of the assistance he has given the latter batsmeu in taking off the edge of the bowling. Still, apart from Hayward, there have been always possibilities, and the side generally has on many important occasions shown an ability to play up at a crisis, which was certainly not charac­ teristic of it a year or two ago. Alto­ gether it may be said, without exaggera­ tion ,that the prospects of Surrey have of late years rarely been of a more hopeful character. Even at the moment the out­ look is particularly favourable, as in point of age the County Eleven will bear comparison with most of its rivals. Taken altogether, indeed, it is open to question whether in the aggregate of years the Surrey team cannot claim a con­ siderable advantage even over Kent, who THE S U R R E Y E L E V E N OF 1906. MARLOW STRUDWICK. HOLLAND. LEES. GOATLY. HOBBS. P. BOYINGTON (Scorer). RICHARDSON (Umpire). (Umpire). h a yw a rd . n . a . k n o x . lord d a l m e n y , j . n . craw fo rd * p . r . m a y hayes . Photo bv J [ //. Tear , Clapham Road.