Cricket 1906

A p r i l 19, 1906 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 67 B U S SE Y ’S . S GEO. G. BDSSEY & CO, 36 & 38, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET , L O N D O N . Manufactory—PECKHAM, S.E. TIMBER MILLS— E L K S T E L L , S U F F O L K . AGENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD AT THE SIGN OF THE W ICKET By F. S. A s h l e y -C o o p b r . CRICKET BATS. (Continued from page 52). Whether, however, old “ Shock ” White did, or did not, manufacture his historic bat, the fact remains that ‘ ‘ the sceptre of delight,” as Felix termed it, wherewith the mighty Beldham gained his numerous triumphs, resulted from his own efforts. The Rev. John Mitford, in describing a visit he paid the illustrous batsman some years after he had ceased to charm the cognocenti of Ham- bledon and Lord’s, referred to his bat in the following passage:—“ Beldam still survives. He lives near Farnham, and in his kitchen, black with age, but, like himself, still un­ touched with worms, hangs the trophy of his victories, the delight of his youth, the exer­ cise of his manhood, and the glory of his age —his BAT. Reader, believe me when I tell you I trembled when I touched it; it seemed an act of profaneness, of violation. I pressed it to my lips, and returned it to its sanctu­ ary.” What became of the bat, from which Mitford received such inspiration, cannot, unfortunately, be said. It is sad to think that what would, had it been preserved, have been regarded as an almost priceless relic, may have been destroyed in lighting a copper fire, or have been put to even baser uses. With but very few exceptions, the bats of famous early players have all perished. At Lord’s, however, is an interesting collection, containing amongst others, a dozen bats of the eighteenth century, which belonged to the 4th Duke of Buccleugh, and the curious bat which was specially made for Robinson (born 1765), a great Surrey player, in order to fit his stunted fingers, which had been seriously damaged by fire when he was a child. There is also one on which is written “ Ring, Little Joey, in 1792-1793 (died of cricket, lbw.).” What this inscription bignifies cannot now be stated with certainty, though it is known that the bat was once the property of John Ring, the Kent “ crack,” whose nick-name, it is believed, was “ Little Joey.” It was this player (so Pycroft states) that Beldham declared to be the cause of the introduction of leg-before-wicket, he being “ shabby enough t.o get his legs in the wa}’-, and take advantage of the bowlers.” A s, how­ ever, leg-before-wicket is found mentioned in the Laws drawn up in February, 1774, when Ring, who was born in 1758, could have been but fifteen or sixteen years of age, one must conclude either that Mr. Pycroft mis­ interpreted the old player’ s remarks—which is the more probable ; for Beldham, to the last, possessed a splendid memory, whilst the reverend gentleman was far from reliable so far as dates were concerned—or that he pressed too freely upon the old man that punch which would “ put the souls of three weavers into one butcher.” That John Ring “ died of cricket ” was, to a very great extent, true, for in 1800 his brother, George Ring, was bowling to him, when the ball suddenly got up and broke his nose. John was, in consequence, laid up for several weeks, and, a fever supervening, he died in October of the same year at the early age of 42. Amongst the other old bats to be seen at Lord’s is one with “ Walker 95, 86 ” written upon it, it presumably being the one u^ed by Tom Walker in the match at Canterbury in 1786 betwesn the White Conduit Club (with six given men) and Kent, wherein he scored 95 not out and 102 for the former, For some years after the break-up [circ. 1791) of the true old Hamble- don Club, an old-fashioned bat, once the property of a great player, was preserved at the “ Bat and Ball” at Hambledon as an interesting relic of the past, but one day in 1819, after dinner, a man—the name of the vandal is unknown—took it down from its resting-place upon the wall to have “ just one hit,” and, before anybody could stay his hand, rashly did so, and with disastrous con­ sequences, for the wood, decayed and worm- eaten, was smashed into splinters. Careful enquiries have elicited the fact that many of the early bat makers—the men who made a living out of the business—were originally basket-makers. Almost the first of them was Thompson, of Eton, who flourished about 1820. The instruments made by these old manufacturers were some­ what ponderous weapons, and devoid of balance. They had, however, the great advantage over modern bats of lasting almost a life-time; thus, the bat with which Mr. William Ward made his historic score of 278 at Lord’s in 1820 he used for fifty years, whilst when the late Mr. Herbert Jenner- Fust played for Hill against Rockhampton in 1880, the bat he wielded was one which had been made in 1829, and presented to him by Mr. Benjamin Aislabie in 1831. Mr. Philip Norman, writing in 1897, said of the latter : “ It now weighs just under 2 1b. 7 oz., has never been spliced, and though sprung from time immemorial, the thickness of the handle is such that it may last for centuries.” The oldest established firm of bit manufacturers in existence is that of Messrs. E. J. Page and Co., of Kennington Park Road, London, S.E. Their business, which dates back to 1815, was originally located near Penton Place—within about a quarter of a mile of their present premises. The founders were two brothers, Edward John and William Page. At a com­ paratively early period in the history of the firm the latter re'ired, after which the busi­ ness was carried on by Mr. E. J. Page until his death, at a ripe old age, in 1878. Com­ pared with modern bats, the old-time ones, even those straight in the pod, appear very primitive and unwieldly contrivances. How the early players succeeded in scoring as heavily as they did with them seems an entire mystery when one comes across a more crude specimen thin usual. What an enor­ mous effect the balance of a bat can have upon a man’s play can be known only to those who have wielded one of the primitive kind as well as one of the best of modern- day production. Some of the latter are so perfect in this respect as to appear, when one makes a few imaginary strokes with them, almost capable of playing by them­ selves. It was about sixty years ago that whalebone was first inserted in the handles of bat8 in order to increase their driving powers. Many years ago a story used to be told of a Kent amateur, who one day dis­ covered, after playing a long innings, that one of his opponents had thoughtfully written the word “ Jehu ” in large letters on his bat, because it “ drove furiously.” But this by the way. Despite the fact that modern bats drive more than the old ones, we cannot now boast any great hitters to compare with such giants of the past as Messrs C. I. Thornton, (jr. J. Bonnor and W. J. Ford : Mr. Jessop must be regarded more as a fast scorer than as a long hitter. (To be continuedJ C RICKET Report Sheets, lOd. per dozen, post free. Order of Going-in Cards, 7d. per dozen, post free; Cricket Score Books, 6d. and Is. each; postage 2d. extra.—To be obtained at the Offices of “ Cricket,” 168, Upper Thames Street London, E.Q.