Cricket 1906

O ct . 25, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, 443 simplest andmost intelligible form inwhich the championship can he worked out. It involves no alteration in the order of merit. No deductions for losses or ‘ minus ’ quan­ tities are required, while thepresentexcessive penalty attaching to a defeat, to which more than one prominent cricketer has taken ex­ ception, is very largely reduced. In aword, it affords themost natural test of excellence, viz., the ability or otherwiseof a side to win suchmatches as are fought to a conclusion.” A lth ou gh E. H. D. Sewell has not had very many opportunities of playing oricket thisyear he has managed to score 1,584 runs in 32 innings. Of these runs 764 were made in 7 innings in the course of two^separate “ Weeks” at the end of the season. Sincehe returnedtoEngland, in April, 1900, he has scored 10,028 runs in 265 innings, while in India he scored 7,828 for 161 innings, so that since he left school in 1891 his record is 17,856 runs for 426 innings. Last year he had only 3 innings for 42 runs, but between 1900 and 1906 (inclusive) his aggregates were 1,048, 2,193, 1,194, 1,411, 1,956, 42 and 1,584. C. P. BUCKENHAM. As a youngster, although he had done nothing phenomenal, Buckenham’s all round cricket was promising enough to make Kent and Surrey both desirous of his services. He had played for the Second Eleven of Kent by residence before the authorities at the Oval became cognisant of the fact that he was born in Surrey. Representations weremade to the then Kent captain that Surrey were prepared to take him on, but nothing further was done owing to the fact that his cricket had favourably impressed the Kent management. Meanwhile Bucken­ ham had got into touch with Leyton as a member of the local football club, with the result that before long he secured an engagement on the bowling staff at the County Cricket Ground, Leyton. A for­ tunate engagement it has proved, too, to both parties concerned. His first trial for Essex was in 1899, but his cricket was that season limited to four innings, and with small success. Though he got con­ siderably more chances in 1900, it was not until 1902 that he really suggested any great possibilities for Essex cricket. That year, too, his best performance was fcr the SecondEleven. Howhe punished Surrey’s Second Eleven bowlers at4he- ' O tw I that season may be gathered from thefact thatwiththeRev.F. H.Gillingham he helped to put on no less than 292 runs for the third wicket. Since then he has been one of the most useful all round members of the Essex side. His first big score for the County was his 100 v. Notts, at Leyton, in 1904. The following season he made himself conspicuous by a batting feat of quite a different sort. He showed that he could keep his wicket up in the Australian match of 1905, as he was the la9t man, and successfully with­ stood the Australian bowling for the twenty-five minutes left of time with 215 still wanting to win. Among many good bowling per­ formances for Essex, one of his very best was accomplished in the Surrey match of 1903. After lunch on that occasion he sent down thirty-four balls for 8 runs and 6 wickets. The Australian match of 1905 brought him bowling honours as well. His record on that occasion was indeed remarkable, as he took 12 Australian wickets at an average cost of 11J runs. Last season as an all-round cricketer he made a great advance. In batting and bowling he was alike successful, and his selection to play for the Rest of England against the Champion County at the Oval in the closing match was fully justified by his useful innings of 49 not out and 20 iu addition to nine wickets for 148 runs. The following list will represent some of his best all-round performances during the last four years :— ALL-ROUND ORICKET. 8 tor 53 and 2 lor 45 I r io ,™ Scores of 19 and 40* f v- Surrey, Leyton, 1903. 4 for 43and 2 for 83 ) „ ______1M Scores of 41* and 22* } v- Kent’ at Lejton, 1906- 5 for 79 and 2 for 26) v. Gloucestershire, at Leyton, Score of 66 ..........) 1906. 5 for 78 and 4 for 41) v. West Indians, at Leyton, Scores of 7* and 45J 1906. “ fT8d 5“ } - Sussex, at Leyton, 1906. Now that his powers have developed, there is every reason to believe that a permanent position in the forefront of first-class cricket is assured. He bowls very fast with a high delivery. He takes a long run, and, as he gets a lot of fire on to the ball, and keeps a good length without tiring, he alwaysrequires watching. As a batsman he has plenty of nerve, and, with no lack of defence, can hit if required. In the field he is always reliable. The following table will show his averages in all first-class matches in England:— ' Year. Inns. Runs. Aver. Runs. Wkts. Aver. 1899... 4 ... 53 ... 1325 ... 146 .. . 3 ... 44 66 19(H)... 15 ... 237 ... 1580 .... 502 .. . 9 ... 55-77 1901.. . 6 ... 67 ... 11-16 ... 127 ... 2 ... 63 50 1902... 20 ... 245 ... 1225 .... 660 ... 18 ... 36 66 1903.. . 27 ... 344 ... 12-74 .... 1,023 ... 45 ... 22 73 1904... 24 ... 312 ... 13-00 .. ... 2,032 ... 66 .. . 30-78 1905.. . 30 ... 328 ... 10-93 ... ... 2,884 ... 90 .. . 32-04 1906.. . 31 ..., 788 ... 25 41 ... ... 3,258 ... 135 .. . 2413 Totalsl57 2,374 1512 10,632 368 28-89 ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Ignoram us.— Tour best plan would be to send a list of your performances during the past few years to the Secretary of the County Club—Mr. A. J. Lan­ caster, 46, St. George’s Place, Canterbury. Your views on the other points are correct. BANQUET TO THE KENT TEAM. At the Hotel Cecil on Thursday, the 11th inst., the Kent Eleven were enter­ tained at dinner in recognition of their success in securing the Championship. Lord Harris presided, and among the 550 assembled to honour the victorious team were Lord Camden (Lord-Lieutenant of Kent), Viscount Hardinge, the Earl and Countess of Darnley, Lady Harris, the Earl of Dartmouth, Viscount Lewisham, Right Hon. Sir W. Hart Dyke, Major- General C. E. Luard, Rev. C. D., Mrs. and Miss Marsham, Messrs. G. Marsham, P. W. Deacon and C. Fitch-Kemp (De- puty-Lieutenants of Kent), Colonel G. Baker, Major Spens, Mr. C. S. Hardy, Mr. Lawrence Hardy, M.P., and Mrs. Hardy, Captain Hatfield, Mr. S. Hope Morley, Colonel Streatfeild, Mr. Alan Mackinnon, Major Neve, Major Mercer, Major Isacke, Captain H. D. Hirst, Lieut.-Colonel Warde, Major Chapman, Messrs. K. McAlpine, F. S. Ashley- Cooper (Cricket), P. C. Baker, H. Z. Baker, W. M. Bradley, C. Stewart Caine, S. Castle, S. Cbristophersor, R. H. Fox, W. Fiord-Kelcey, Dr. Hutchings, C. W. M. Kemp, F. B. Leney, CaptainR. O’H. Livesay, E. Malden, F. A. Mackinnon, F. Marchant, Captain W. McCanlis, F. H. Norman, W. South Norton, W. B. Pattison, T. E. Pawley, W. Phillips,W. H. Patterson, L. A. Shuter, J. Shuter, E. B. Shine, H. V. L. Stanton (The Sportsman), W. Hugh Spottiswoode, C. I. Thornton, C. F. Tufnell, E. F. S. Tylecote, W. H. Wathen, Colonel White, H. O. Whitby, G. J. Y. Weigall, and Rev. H. B. Biron. Kent cricketwasrepresentedbyMessrs. R. N. R. Blaker, C. J. Burnup, A. P. and S. H. Day, E. W. Dillon, K. L. Hutch­ ings, A. J. Lancaster (secretary) and J. R. Mason, and Blythe, Fairservice, Fielder, Hardinge, Alec Hearne, Walter Hearne (scorer), Hubble, Huish, Hum­ phreys, Seymour and Woolley. The loyal toasts having been duly honoured, the Earl of Darnley was called upon by Lord Harris, who referred in flattering terms to Lord Darnley’s per­ formances upon the cricket-field, recall­ ing that he had captained one of the best University sides, the County, and a team which had played successfully in Aus­ tralia. The Earl of Darnley, in proposing “ The Eleven,” said that, in congratulat­ ing them upon being first among the counties after a lapse of about 50 years, he wished to mention two things—that they had won the Championship by cricket of the brightest and best descrip­ tion, and that there was unanimity that the best Eleven had proved successful. Mr. Marsham had captained the side with sound judgment, and had set a splendid example in fielding. They could, he thought, boast of having half- a-dozen of the best batsmen in the country, and in Mr. K. L. Hutchings the most brilliant young one seen in England for some years, whilst to the lot of Arthur Fielder had fallen the dis­ tinction of taking all ten wickets in an innings in the Centenarymatch between