Cricket 1906

CR IC K E T : a w eek ly r e c o r d o f t h e g a m e . NOV. 29, 1906. “ T o g e th e r jo in ed in C r ick e t ’ s m a n ly t o i l . ” — Byron. no. 738 . v o l . xxv. THUESDAY, NOV. 29, 1906. p r i c e 2 a. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. LORD HARRIS. By everyone at all acquainted with the history of Kent cricket it will readily be acknowledged that, during the past fifty years at least, nobody has been so prominently identified with the County as Lord Harris. He was only nineteen years of age when, in 1870, he played his first match for Kent, and from that time his interest in everything concerning cricket in general, and that of his own County in par­ ticular, has been of the greatest. As recently as last July he played for Kent against the West Indians at Catford, his career from first to last thus covering a period of thirty- six years, but he did not play between 1889 and 1896 nor between 1897 and 1906. In the 155 matches in which he assisted the County he scored 7,806 runs (average 30 02) and took 63 wickets (average 23'63). He was President of theKent County C.C. in 1875, Honorary Secretary from 1875 to 1880, and Captain from 1875 to 1889. Scores andBiographies sums him up admirably by describing him as “ A fine, free, and stylish batsman, combining excellent defence with great power of hitting. He is also a capital field, generally at point, and a fast round-armed bowler.” He was a splendid captain, always alert and fully alive to every turn in the game, and very anxious that the fielding of his side should be of a high standard. His political career interfered some­ what with his cricket, but his interest in the game never waned in the least. In 1885-86 he was Under-Secretary of State for India, from 1886 to 1889 Under­ secretary of State for War, and from 1890 to 1895 Governor of Bombay. His appointment to high office in India rendered the record of his family a notable one, for his great-grandfather, great-uncle and father had all previously held the position of Governor of Madras. It would be difficult to over-estimate the amount of good Lord Harris has done for Kent cricket. Mr. Haygarth truly remarked that “ No cricketer, LORD HARRIS. (Photo by G. Erdmann Co., Johannesburg. perhaps, ever did mere for a county, if his Lordship’s merits and performances as a batsman are considered in con­ junction with his ability as a general manager of the Kent Eleven.”jr: 'He worked hard in the best interests of cricket because he recognised that it was more than a game. “ Cricket has^done more to consolidate the Empire than any other influence, and it is certainly the means of consolidating agreeable friend­ ships andoriginatingpleasant re-unions ” he once said in a speech ; and again, “ Cricket is not only a game, but a school of the greatest social importance.” In the politics of the game, as is but natural, he has always been most keenly interested. His stand against unfair bowling two decades ago did much to check a growing evil, and he did not hesitate to dispense with two mem­ bers of his own side when good judges told him that they did not consider their action to be altogether above suspicion. Having befn so actively associatedwith Kent cricket for almost four decades, it is but natural that the success of the team during the past seasonshould have caused himmuch satis­ faction. He attributes the great advance made by the side to various causes, but especially to the fine work accomplished by the LTon- bridge “ Nursery,” the improvedformof Hutchings, and Fielder’s fast bowling. Asked whether it was very early in life that he took to the game, he' replied— “ Yes, for my father wai greatly interested in cricket and encouraged me to prac­ tise. He presided at the meeting held at Rochester in December, 1870, at which thepresentKent CountyC.C. was formed by the amalga­ mation^of the old Kent County t Club and the Beverley (Kent) Club, and was its first|President. In 1862,; when [eleven years of age, I used to go up to Lord’sfor practice, and the consequence was that when I was sent to Eton I already possessed a very fair knowledge of the game. [In those times there was only one]*; game arranged for lower boys, and, if one were not chosen for it, it meant having no cricket. I happened to be chosen, and, being long- stop, played regularly, and so got into