Cricket 1906

404 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . 13, 1906. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. B y F. S. A s h lb y -C o o fb b . Hirst’s wonderful all-round cricket has been so prominent a feature of the campaign of .1906 that I find it impossible, as Mr. Dick found it impossible to leave K ing Charles’ Head out of his memorial, to avoid reference to it once more now that the season has reached its close. His record for the year is a tribute to his stamina no less than to his skill, for only a person possessed of an iron constitution could have got through the amount of work that he has done. There is such keen competition nowadays in first class cricket, and the leading counties have such heavy programmes, that, to establish a fresh individual record a player must accom­ plish something altogether remarkable. No cricketer has ever before got through so much work in first-class matches during a season as Hirst has done this year, and, therefore, no apology need be made for setting out all his performances of 1906 in detail: — M atch . G round . D ate . S cores . A nalysis . O. M. R. W Yorkshire v. M.O.O. & Ground........... Lord’s ........................ . May 7,8, 9 .......................... c Tarrant, b Buckenham .................. lbw, b Mead (W.) .................................. ... 61 ... ... 34 ... ... 13 ... 18 3 5 47 52 2 2 Yorkshire v. Hampshire ................... Southampton ... . . May 10,11,12.......................... c Sprot, b Mead (O. P.) .......................... not ou t......................................................... ... 41 ... ... 4 ... ... 27 ... 26 5 8 87 62 6 3 Yorkshire v. Cambridge University C am bridge................ . May 14,15,16.......................... b Napier ........................................ . ... c Eyre, b Napier .................................. c Seymour (Jas.), b Blythe ................... st Huish, b Blythe .................................. ... 30 ... .. 0 ... ... 18.1 ... 18 4 3 54 51 2 4 Yorkshire v. K ent................... ........... O atford........................ . May 17,18,19.......................... ...101 ... ... 4 ... ... 193 ... 18.4 7 7 46 33 4 7 Yorkshire v. Leicestershire .......... Leeds ........................ . May 21,22.................................. c Whiteside, b C o e .......................... ... ... 3 ... ... 8.1 ... 16 3 3 18 48 7 5 Yorkshire v. Warwickshire ........... E d g baston ................ . May 24, 25, 26 .......................... c George, b Hargreave .......................... ...104 !'.! ... 18 ... 16 4 5 38 18 2 1 Yorkshire v. Worcestershire ........... Stourbridge................ .. May 28,29, 30 .......................... c W. E. O. Hutchings, b Cuffe ........... • ... 4 ” ! ... 28.5 ... 25 7 7 70 59 6 3 Yorkshire v. Oxford University O x ford ........................ . May 31, June 1, 2 ................... c and b Branston .................................. ...169 ... 9 ... 11 5 6 12 15 1 2 Yorkshire v. Lancashire ................... Bradford ................ . June 4 , 5 ................................... c Sharp, b Brearley.................................. not o u t ......................................................... ... 58 ... 5 ... ... 21 ... 21.1 11 8 20 44 6 2 SToTkshire v. Derbyshire ................... Chesterfield ... .. June 7,8, 9 ................... ... c and b Bestwick .................................. c Humphries, b Bestwick ................... ... 1 ... ... 53 ... ... 27 ... 27 5 4 80 63 5 4 Yorkshire v. Hampshire ................... Sheffield ................ . June 11,12,13... ................ c Badcock, b G re ig .................................. b Mornement .......................................... ... 67 ... ... 15 ... ... 15 ... 20 2 4 41 59 2 2 Yorkshire v. Middlesex ................... Lord’s ........................ . June 14,15,16................... ... c Bosanquet, b M ignon.......................... b Mignon ... .......................................... ... 41 ... ... 16 ... ... 16 ... 17 6 7 29 1G 0 0 Yorkshire v. Essex ........................... Bradford ................ . June 18,19 ................... ... b Buckenham .......................................... ... 33 ... ... 12.2 ... 19 3 4 32 (if; 4 5 Yorkshire v. Nottinghamshire........... Nottingham ... .. June 21,22,23.......................... ic Iremonger (J.), b Gunn (J.) ........... Ilbw, b Iremonger (J.) .......................... ... 24 ... 76 ... ... 29 ... 10 4 1 95 27 2 1 Yorkshire v. Kent ........................... Sheffield ................ . June 25, 26, 27........................... 1b Woolley ......................................... v . !lbw, b Fairservice .................................. ... 4 ... ... 93 ... ... 34 ... 21 5 4 94 61 5 3 Yorkshire v. Essex ........................... L e y to n ........................ . June 28, 29,30 .. ;......... ... c Gillingham, b J. W . H. T. Douglas not out .................................. ........... ... 15 ... ... 57 ... ... 28 ... 31 3 6 75 78 2 4 Yorkshire v. Gloucestershire ........... Leeds ........................ . July 2, 3, 4 ........................ c O. Barnett, b Dennett.......................... st Board, b Huggins .......................... ... 6 ... ... 10 ... ... 10 ... 14 3 3 23 27 0 3 Yorkshire v. Nottinghamshire.......... Dewsbury ............... . July 5,6 ........................... ... b Gunn (J.).................................................. c Oates, b Hallam .................................. ... 14 ... ... 4 ... ... 12 ... 24 4 4 27 70 7 7 Yorkshire v. Sussex ........................... Brighton ................ .. July 12,13,14.......................... c Seymour (John), b L ea ch .................. c O. L. A. Smith, b Relf (A. E.) ........... ...122 ... ... 15 ... ... 261 ... 12 5 3 70 26 3 1 Yorkshire v. Derbyshire ................... Sheffield ................ . July 16,17,18.......................... not o u t ......................................................... ... 89 ... ... 9 ... 10 0 2 33 28 1 1 Yorkshire v. Somerset........................... Huddersfield ... . . July 19,20, 21................... ... st Martyn, b B ailey.................................. ... 3 "! ... 13 ... 285 3 K 38 1 5 Yorkshire ▼. Sussex .......................... Bradford ................ . July 23, 24, 25... ................... c Relf (R. R.), b Relf (A. E .).................. b Dwyer .................................................. ... 14 ... 42 ... ... 29 ... 13 0 115 4 21 2 4 Yorkshire v. Surrey ........... ........... Oval ........................ . July 26,27, 28.......................... c Goatly, b Lees.......................................... b L e e s .......................................................... ... 0 ... ... 87 ... ... 26 ... 5 8 1 5;> 10 2 0 Yorkshire v. Worcestershire ........... Hull ........................ . July 30, 31 ...........................- c G. N. Foster, b Arnold .................. ... 37 ... ... 9.2 ... 16 2 1 15 45 5 3 Yorkshire v. Lancashire ................... M anchester................ . August 6, 7, 8 ........... ........... c Poidevin, b K erm od e.......................... c MacLaren, b Dean.................................. ... 4 ... 85 ... ... 26.3 ... 12 5 2 67 29 5 2 Yorkshire v. Leicestershire ........... Leicester ................. August 9,10,11 ........... ... b R. T. Crawford .................................. ... 23 ... ... 36 ... 6 5 0 76 19 2 0 Yorkshire v. Middlesex ................... Leeds ........................ . August 13,14,15 ...................■ b Tarrant .................................................. ...29 ... 27 ... 5 7 0 64 8 3 3 Yorkshire ▼. Warwickshire .......... Harrogate ................ . August 16,17,18 .................. - c Fishwick, b Moorhouse ................... ... 68 ... 18.4 ... 8 5 1 30 18 6 0 Yorkshire v. Surrey ........................... Sheffield ................ . August 20, 21, 22 .................. j b Rushby .................................................. c Rushby, b H a y e s.................................. ... 47 ... 0 ... ... 21.5 ... 22 6 4 69 50 3 4 Yorkshire v. Gloucestershire ........... B ris to l........................ . August 23, 24, 25 ...................; c Board, b D ennett.................................. c Jessop, b Dennett.................................. ... 13 ... ... 12 ... ... 17 ... 32 5 4 36 74 2 5 Yorkshire v. Som erset......................... Bath ........................ . August 27, 28, 29 ........... ...« c and b Mordaunt ................................. n otou t... .......................................... ...Ill ... ...117 ... ... 26 ... 15 3 2 70 45 6 5 Yorkshire v. M.O.O. & Ground Scarborough ... . . August 30, 31, September 1.. c and b N ap ier.......................................... not out .................................................. ... 23 ... ... 76 ... ... 33 ... 9 5 124 1 33 5 1 North v. South .................................. Scarborough ......... September 3, 4, 5 ................... b Relf (A.E.) .......................................... ... 84 ... ... 13 ... 13 0 1 59 37 0 0 Players v. Gentlem en........................... Scarborough ... . September 6, 7 , 8 .................. c E. Smith, b K n o x .................................. c J. W . H. T. Douglas, b Napier........... ... 6 ... 53 .. ... 14 ... 7 1 0 48 49 1 0 England v. K e n t ................................... Oval ........................ . September 10,11,12 ........... b K. L. Hutchings .................................. c Humphreys, b Fielder.......................... ... 61 ... ... 17 ... ... 29 6 79 2 B a t t in g :- 58 innings : 6 times not o u t: 169 highest score ; 2,385 total; average, 45.86. B ow lin g 1,287.1 o v e rs ; 270 m a iden s ; 3,361 runs 204 w ickets; average, 16.4/. Prophecy in connection with cricket is a risky matter, but one can safely say that it would come as no surprise to find the above record unequalled for a great many years to come, unless, of course, the feat should he repeated hy Hirst himself, of whom, at the present time, it may be truly said that none but himself can be his parallel. The position occupied hy Hirst in the cricket world makes one regret that single­ wicket matches are altogether out of fashion, for he would have proved a terrible opponent for any man to have met single-handed. Perhaps, of recent years, only Trott at his hest would have had any chance of defeating him. So out-of-date have such matches become that it may well be doubted whether one person in a thousand of all those who flock to the county grounds have ever seen such a contest. The rules that govern single wicket are still in the Laws, and are published regularly in Wisden, hut how many followers of the game could accurately summarise them? Seven years ago, when W . M. Bradley played Bland, at Brighton, Ranjitsinhji, who stood umpire, caused much amusement by his obvious ignorance of the Laws. In earlier times single-wicket matches created as much interest as did inter­ county meetings, and for well over a hundred years games were invested with the greatest importance. But such fixtures can never again become either popular or possible, for