Cricket 1906

M ar . 29, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 41 proposed, -which has reference to the declara­ tion in a two-day match, and which must be carried by a majority of two-thirds of those present: Law 54. That in a two-day match the captain of the batting side has power to declare his innings at a close at any time after three hours’ play, but such declaration must be made not later than 4.50 p.m. on a ground where stumps are drawn at 6.30 p.m., or 5.20 p.m. when play ceases at 7 p.m. The time limit is, of course, inserted with a view to preventing the batting side from securing an unfair advantage in a failing light. As far as I am aware, no further refer­ ence has been made in the Sportsman to the above announcement, which also seems to have escaped general notice. Bat it is evident that if the M.C.O. intend to propose an alteration to law 54 at the general meeting, it will not be worded as above, since this would pre­ vent a side from declaring on the second day after 4.50 (or 5.20 if the match was to end at 7 o’clock) as well as on the first day. Thus a captain who, having lost on the first innings, had a lead of about 80 at 5 o’clock on the second day, with a fair chance of disposing of the other side on a bad wicket befoie 6.S0, could not declare in order to try to win the match. This is a position which would be some­ what absurd. At present the law enables a captain to declare on the second day at any time in a two-day match. T he complete list of scores made by J. R. M. Mackay in fir«t-class cricket, including N.S.W. v. Queensland, in Australia during the season which is now over is as follows :— 203—N.SAV. v. Queensland, at Brisbane, Nov., 1905. 90—N.S.W. v. S.A., at Adelaide, December, 1905. 194_N.S.W. v. Victoria, at Melbourne, Dec., 1905. 105—N.S.W. v. S.A., at Sydney, January, 1906. 102*—N.S.W. v. S.A., at Sydney, January, 1906. 4—N.S.W. v. Australian Eleven, Sydney, Jan., 1906. 136—N.S.W. v. Australian Eleven, Sydney, Jan., 1906. I t is sad to have to state that the end of Mackay’s innings of 102 not out, which gave him his second hundred in the match at Sydney between N.S.W. and South Australia, was more or less of a "fakement.” It seems that he could not have brought his score to a hundred in the second innings if Noble had not declined to run for his own hits, besides helping Mackay in various other ways, to which Darling rightly objected as “ not cricket.” Further reference to this innings will be found on another page. AFTER an interval of eight years cricket has been revived at Bangkok. Mr. A. C. E. Elborough is the honorary secretary of the cricket committee of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. In a match entitled the World v. London and South of England C. Roberts made 121 for the World, the third hundred which has been made at Bangkok since the game was first played there. T he annual ball which is held in aid of the funds of the Northamptonshire County C.C. produced this year a profit of £105 2j. 4J. Up to the present time I the county club has received nearly a thousand pounds from these balls, which were originated in 1893. F o r Ballarat (Victoria) W. Morgan has this season made the following scores: 35 not out, 57, 53 not out, 21. 65, 1, 82 not out, 89 not out, 8, 0, 179 not out, 115 not out, 48 not out, 85 not out, giving an aggregate of 838 for six times out, average 139'6 runs per innings. I t was pointed out at the annual meeting of the Bucks County C.C. that there has been a large decrease in the number of subscribers in recent years. On the other hand, the club began last year with a deficit of about £170, while this has now been reduced to £108. Mr. P. J. de Paravicini was again elected captain and Mr. H. E. Bull honorary secretary. The new president is Colonel Finlay. A t the annual meeting of the War­ wickshire County C.C. the chairman, Mr. G. H. Cartland, said that, with the most attractive programme ever put forward by the county, the results, both as regarded attendances and subscriptions, had been disappointing. They won more matches than they lost, and maintained their position in the championship, but unfortunately there were too many drawn games. The team seemed to have got a bad name for slow scoring, but figures showed that on the Edgbaston Ground Warwickshire scored seven runs per hour more than their opponents. Warwick­ shire has to deplore an adverse balance and a decrease in the number of members, while the matches against the two Uni­ versities and Essex have been abandoned for financial reasons. T h e scene at the first match between the Bombay Presidency and the Hindus is thus described in the Bombay Gazette: To witness the opening of the new fixture thousands of people flocked to the maidan yesterday morning. The northern, southern and western boundaries were lined with tents and shamianas, which, as the game advanced, became crowded to their utmost capacity, while the eastern side of the square was thronged with a surging crowd repre­ sentative of every community. At an early hour the younger and more enthusiastic of the people were to be seen taking up the best positions from which to view the progress of the game, and there they remained steadfast and enthusiastic as long as play continued. The Waudby Boad was lined with carriages, the tops of which, besides the inteiiors, were rendered available for enthusiastic witnesses of the game ; while the trees on both sides of the maidan afforded seats for those who ventured to climb. F o r Bombay Gymkhana against the B.B. and C.I. Railway Captain Greig, the Hampshire cricketer, made 100 not out on February 3rd. The Bombay ionings was declared closed when nine wickets were down for 200, and Captain Greig had gone in first. F ro m the Natal Mercury: — An amusing incident occurred j ust as the mailboat (which carried the M.C.C. team) was leaving the wharf. The cricketing visitors seemed to be suddenly seized with a consuming desire for pineapples, and a Kafir boy present, with a basketful of the fruit, did a roaring trade. Some of the cricketers’ friends were evidently determined that they should not let their “ fielding” get slack, and pineapples flew fast and furious, the whole team joining in the game, and smart “ catches” were brought off by Warner, Crawford, Lees, and Board, whilst Mrs. Warner’s fielding was loudly cheered. I t is pointed out by the Sydney Referee, in connection with the two separate hundreds made by Mackay that three other performances of the kind have been accomplished on the Association Cricket Ground at Sydney, viz. : 111 and 104 not out by A. C. Bannermau for Carlton v. Albert, for the Holds worth-Gardyne Cup, in 18S2 ; 142 and 100, by A. C. MacL iren for Stoddart’s Team v. New South WnlfH, in 1897; and 195 and 104, by Miss Rosalie Dean, for the Probable Inter­ colonial Ladies’ Team v. the Sydney Ladies’ Club. A t a dinner given at Dnrban on January 24th to the M.C.C. team the Governor of Natal, Sir H. E. McCallum, said: — At Singapore, of which club he was for nine years president, he made it a sine qua non that all the officials under him should be cricketers. He had charge of a large depart­ ment, and he found that if he had cricketers he could rely upon them. He knew of men in his department who had risen as early as 3 a.m., in order to get their work through to take part in cricket matches. With a cricketing staff there were always the kindliest relations between him and the men under him, and they always did the best to support him in the work for which he was responsible. T h k Natal captain, Mr. G. C. Collins, speaking at the same dinner said :— They, in Natal, were perhaps not as strong as the Hand cricketers, but the fact might be accounted for that as soon as any Natal cricketer showed signs of being a first-class cricketer he had an excellent billet offered him in the Transvaal. He (Mr. Collins) had been expecting the offer of a very decent billet—(laughter)—but it had not yet come. (Renewed laughter). F ro m the Sydney Referee :— Interest in any other than international cricket in Melbourne has become less and less in recent years, until it has well-nigh dwindled to bed rock. Club cricket, so far as attendances at Pennant matches are concerned, is almost dead, and the number of spectators at the recent inter-State games was not satisfactory. It is evident that some change in existing arrangements is impera­ tive to reawaken public interest in the game, not that such is to be gauged by cricket attendances, as many thousands of youths are active participants in the sport. This is good for the game, certainly, for it is better that a youth should be a player than looking at others over the pickets; but those who govern the game in Victoria are feeling the conviction forced on them that what has