Cricket 1907

CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. MAY 2, 1907. J) T J) =4-... ©jm i l d l | m I f / I i © k — )§©sc_-_c£=Hi@Sa=B^- D m c . . 3 3 3 ^ : “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. No. 7 4 6 . VOX,. X X V I. THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1907. p r i c e 2d. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. THE REV. R. S. HOLMES. To every subscriber of Cricket the name of the Rev. R. S. Holmes will be very familiar. For four years (1892-’95), as he himself pointed out three weeks ago in our twenty-fifth anniversary number, he was a regular contributor to this journal. So popular did his Notches prove that they brought him correspondence from all parts of the world; indeed, hardly a Colonial or Foreign mail came in without pro­ viding him with some knotty problem to solve. The many letters he received made a great demand upon his time and energies, but, except when more important duties prevented, he never spared himself if he con­ sidered he might be the means of assisting a fellow- enthusiast who, more likely than not, would be an abso­ lute stranger to him, even in name. Few, indeed, if any, were those who would not have condescended to turn to him for advice or inform­ ation, for his opinions and decisions were justly valued at the highest, and he al­ ways dispensedhis knowledge with the utmost geniality. When, owing to duties in a more important walk of life, he found it necessary to discontinue his Notches, there cannot have been a reader of this journal to whom his departure did not seem a personal loss. There have been many collectors of cricket litera­ ture during the last few decades, but Mr. Holmes has probably been the most successful of all. Mr. Taylor, when gathering material for his “ Catalogue of Cricket Literature,” was in communi­ cation with all the best-known bibliophiles, and, as a result, was able to obtain a very good idea of the extent of the possessions of each. When his labours were concluded, he wrote to Mr. Holmes, stating “ I have no hesitation in declaring that you have the most com­ plete cricket library in existence.” And suoh an opinion, coming from so great an authority, may, in the circumstances, be considered in accordance with the facts of the case. “ What first induced you to take an interest in the game ? ” “ I really cannot say at this distance. All the members of my family had an innate love for cricket. Fortunately for us we were born within just a mile of Lord’s and some three miles from the Oral, and my father was constantly singing the praises of the cricketers he had seen—old Lillywhite, Mynn, Felix, Pilch and many others. My first visit to the Whitsuntide match at Lord’s, All England ▼. United, was the event of my early childhood. When I was seven years old, a friend gave me a bat, ball and stumps, of dimensions suitable to my age, and I have never since received any present that gave me so much delight. I had just recovered from a sharp attack of scarlatina. My eldest brother was then at school at Totteridge, near Barnet, and when he came home for the holidays he used to tell us of their school coach, ‘ Tiny ’ Wells, the Sussex professional, and he showed us how to put a break on the ball and how to play with a straight bat. When at school we used to practise three nights a week on the old Eton and Middle­ sex ground at the foot of Primrose Hill, the lessees of which were Thoms and Payne. Thoms I never saw there, for he was always away umpiring all through the season. I little thought that in after years I should number him among my cricket intimates. My first meeting with him was me­ morable. My brother and I were,with boy-like curiosity, examining the wicket at the Oval in 1865 when Thoms, who was umpiring, asked us to go and find him half- a-dozen stones. Not know­ ing what they were wanted for, we chose from Harley- ford Street, which was then under repair, six flints weigh­ ing abouthalf-a-poundapiece and brought them with no little satisfaction. As may be imagined, Thom’s face was a study as he said, “ Young gents., when you want stones to count the balls of an over with you won’t pick them quite that size.” It was not for 30 years that Thoms got to know that I was one of the lads; he wrote me a delightful letter when he made the discovery, in which he informed me that he had told the story of the