Cricket 1906

A u g 16, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 345 were dismissed in twelve overs for three runs, none of which came from the bat. The failure of the whole side to get a run between them was the work of the two Burwarton bowlers, F. F. Blather- wick and J. Peirson. The former took eight wickets for none, the latter two for none. On the other hand E. Pates clean bowled four of the Burwarton eleven with successive balls. A n o t h e r feat out of the common has been sent us by a correspondent. This occurred in a match between Maidenhead and the Beading Biscuit Factory at Beading on Saturday week. The all­ round cricket of S. L. Mills for the latter was the outstanding feature of the game. In addition to a useful score of 21, he took all ten Maidenhead wickets for 50. None the less his Bide were beaten by two runs. C o m in g events were casting their shadows before in respect of the Australian difficulty when I alluded to the subject last week in “ Gossip.” Since then the matter has practically reached the solution which, if belated, is none the less welcome. The agreement was come to at a conference held on July 31, between the representatives of the Oricket Association and the League. After discussion, an arrangement was come to that the Association and League are to play together as one body. The Melbourne Club will send a representative to the Board of Control; the South Australian Association is to come in. The New South Wales Associa­ tion agrees. During the week an invitation will be sent to the Marylebone Club to send an English team, and to include, if possible, Jackson, Brearley, and Spooner. The New South Wales Association subse­ quently agreed to withdraw the disqualifica­ tions, and the M.C.C. will tear up the agreements made by the players. The Victorian Association will cable to Marylebone, and the M.C.C. will send a cable confirming the settlement. All’s well that ends well, and it is to be hoped that all parties will now work heartily with one accord for the best interests of Australian cricket. If the result should be to defer the visit of a representative English side to Australia until the winter of 1907-8, one can only say, regretfully, that such a possibility should have occurred to the contending parties in Australia and matters been adjusted long since. In this connection the latest news is that the Committee of the Marylebone Club yesterday definitely decided that it could not undertake to send out an English team this coming winter. F o b two bowlers to keep their ends up without a change throughout a match is an incident of the rarest possible occur­ rence. It had been done only once of late years in Surrey cricket up to last week-end. That was at Cheltenham in 1904, when H. C. McDonell and J. N. Crawford, unassisted, got Gloucestershire out for 79 and 99. The performance of Nice and Meads v. Glamorganshire, at the Oval, on Friday and Saturday was, I believe, a record for Surrey’s second eleven. In the two innings Nice took twelve wickets for 70 and Meads the other eight for 42 runs. They were the only Surrey bowlers.in the match. C u r io u s l y enough for the second time this season a team representing the Surrey Club and Ground has taken part in a tie match, or what has been accepted as a tie. A few weeks ago at Streatham S.C. and G. had a peculiar finish, running out the last Streatham batsman after a no-ball had been called. On Monday last after getting Guildford out at Guild­ ford for 115, S.C. and G. went in to be dismissed for the same total. Here again the question of the result was complicated by the discovery that a hit which appeared to send the ball out of the ground, and for which the umpires allowed Surrey six, landed on the top of the fence and bounded over, which only entitled the in-side to four runs. “ The lo D g arm of coincidence ” with a vengeance. T h e Gentlemen of Holland, who reached London via the Hook and Har­ wich on Friday morning, are spending the week-end at Bamsgate, where they are sure to have a warm reception, I mean in respect of hospitality, at the hands of Mr. L. Wtigall’s Eleven. On Monday and Tuesday next they have to meet the Gentlemen of Surrey, who will be captained by J. E. Bapbael. M. C. Bird, who showed such excellent all­ round cricket for Harrow against Eton at Lord’s a month ago, will also be repre­ senting Surrey. He is a son of the old Middlesex amateur, G. Bird, who was equally well-known in Liverpool and Lancashire cricket later on. As far as I could see, the score of the Dutchmen’s first match, which was against the Gentlemen of Worcestershire, at Worcester, was conspicuous only by its absence from the sporting papers. From information I have received, how­ ever, I am able to give the result, which was a drawn game, rain stopping play on the Tuesday afternoon. So far, the Dutch cricketers have certainly no reason to be dissatisfied with the cricket they have shown. Their fifth match is at Haslemere on Wednesday and Thursday next v. Mr. Howe’s team. Then their too brief tour is at an end. S everal good old Gloucestershire cricket names were conspicuous on the score sheets of the match between Ciren­ cester and East Gloucestershire, played on Saturday last. Unfortunately, the latter club was only poorly represented, and what honours there were all rested with Cirencester. One of their batsmen —C. Allen—scored 202, which was 47 more than all East Gloucester could claim between them, of a total of 367 for six wickets. How ‘ hot he made the pace may be judged when I state that he scored 26 (two 6’s, three 4’s and a 2) from one over of W. B. Haworth, and, alto­ gether, five6’s and thirty-one 4’s in his 202. C. J. B. W o o d , the Leicestershire batsman, has been in such striking form during the last few weeks that a failure on his part would come as a positive surprise at the moment. Of his many notable achievements of late, how­ ever, I am not certain that his 105 not out at Southend, on Monday, was not the best. He was in while the innings lasted, which was a matter of just under three hours and a-half, and there was hardly a bad stroke, much less a chance, to detract from the high merit of an exceptionally fine performance. D r . H. C. P r e t t y whose introduction to Northamptonshire cricket I fore­ shadowed a fortnight or so ago, has speedily shown that the four or five years which have passed since he was seen in the Surrey eleven have not impaired his ability as a batsman in the smallest degree. Considering the limited amount of match practice ha must have had during the last few years, his successful return to first-class cricket is as note­ worthy as it will be generally welcome. His score of 200 out of 280 while he was in for Northamptonshire v. Derbyshire at Chesterfield, on Tuesday, will give the greatest satisfaction to hundreds of Oricket readers who still vividly remem­ ber the brilliant innings of 124 he played at the Oval, on August Bank Holiday in 1899, on his first appearance in Surrey cricket. As a park, Southchurch Hall Park, at Southend, where the match between Essex and Leicestershire began on Mon­ day, leaves something to be desired at present, but the cricket ground has possibilities. The surface is not yet level, and the wicket was a little patchy and fiery, although it wore pretty well. On the first two days the crowd was dis­ tinctly good for a first county match, and the general effect was pleasing. Tents were dotted about here and there, ladies added lightness to the scene by really pretty dresses, and to many cricketers the neighbouring gasworks must have had a home-like appearance. A s t u r d y youngster of about eleven years of age was a decidedly new line in card boys. He wore a new dark blue velvet suit with white trimmings, and his appearance was so satisfactory, and his appeal to the spectators to buy a card so ingenuous, that he was a great success. A WORD must be said in favour of the deck chairs which were provided on the Southend ground for the benefit of members and their friends. It was absolutely a luxury to watch the cricket from so comfortable a seat as they pro­ vided, and counties which cannot attract members to their pavilions might do worse than copy the example of the sea­ side committee. The chairs do not take up much more room than ordinary seats, and [.they must be of considerable less expense.