Cricket 1907

M a y 9, 1907. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF 1HE GAME. 117 Full details of the construction of the Demon=Drivers and other information of interest to GricKeters, w ill be found in the booklet entitled The Evolution of a Cricket Bat, which may be obtained upon application, and from which the following extracts are taKen : — D OUBTLESS buyers frequently wonder why it is that some hats are sold as low as 5o., while others cannot be bought for less than 27s. 6d., both being made of similar material. The reason is very simple. The higher-priced bats, which must relatively be few in number, have to provide for the loss incurred in manufacturing the lower- priced bats, which are necessarily numerous. The figures here given approximately show the proportions of the various grades for 1,000 bats. They are based upon the average results produced in the ordinary course of manufacture. First or Best Division. 1st grade 2nd grade 3rd grade 4th grade 20 50 100 150 Second or Common Division. 5th grade Lower grades 250 430 1,000. It will thus be seen that the manufacturer who intends to meet the ever-increasing demand for really good cricket bats must carry an enormous stock of timber. The stock held by Geo. G. Bussey & Co., Ltd., represents 100,000 bats. The question is sometimes asked why the “ Demon Drivers” are not more associated with the names of leading cricketers. It may be said, without presumption, that the answer involves a question of ethics which it is not intended to enter into beyond mentioning the fact that Geo. G. Bussey & Co., Ltd. (or their predecessors, Geo. G. Bussey & Co.) have never published a testi­ monial relating to a cricket bat not purchased and paid for in the ordinary way of business. Cricketers all over the world are informed that orders for Bussey’ s goods should be placed with Dealers on the spot. Their manufactures are graded according to a properly devised system, which provides for cricketers purchasing from the dealers in the provinces or colonies receiving the same selection as if sent direct from the Factory, which is the largest and most up-to-date for the manufacture of Requisites for Sports and Games. GEO. G. BUSSEY & CO., LTD., 36 & 38, Queen Victoria St., LONDON. Manufactory : Timber Mills : PEOKHAM, S.E. ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK. AT TH E SIGN OF THE W ICKE T . By F. S. A shlby -C oofbr . As was generally anticipated,! Lord Alverstone, at the Annual General Meet­ ing of the Surrey County C.C., at the Oval on Thursday last, assured the mem­ bers that there was no foundation what­ ever for the remarks which had recently been made to the fffect that Surrey had “ gone out of their way ” to secure the services of Alan Marshal, the young Queensland cricketer. It will, perhaps, be best to briefly narrate the real facts of the case. Marshal came over to Eng­ land entirely on bis own responsibility, bringing with him a letter to “ W.G.” from Dr. Macdonald, who has played for Leicestershire, and who had known him in Australia. Upon his arrival he called upon “ W.G.,” who before long saw that there was much cricket in him, and, learning that he was living in Surrey, drew the attention of the Surrey authori­ ties to him. Until that time the Oval Committee knew nothing whatever of Marshal, and it was not until the latter had the fact pointed out to him that he was aware that he was living in Surrey. In the circumstances, as Lord Alverstone remarked, the Committee would have been wanting in judgment had they allowed him to go elsewhere. His ser­ vices would doubtless have been secured before very long for some other county, for there are few Committees, apart from that of Yorkshire, who would object to including a Colonial-born player in their side: thus, of recent years Middlesex have had P. F. Warner, Trott, Tarrant, Eoche, and Ahsan-ul-Hak in their Eleven, whilst Essex have played A. J. and W. M. Turner, the Eev. F. H. Gillingham, E. H. D. Sewell, who com­ menced his qualification when he was the recognized best all-round player in India, and D. Eeese, the well-known New Zealand cricketer. Whether the time will ever arrive when a player born abroad will be debarred from partici­ pating in first-class county cricket in this country may well be doubted. The game in England has been all the better for the participation in it of such men as Eanjitsinhji and Lord Harris. Mention of the latter makes one wonder whether the family-home qualification is not generally a dead-letter so far as Colonial- born men who play as professionals are concerned. Lord Harris’ father was born at Belmont, and the son, from the moment of his birth, would have a family-home qualification for Kent as the seat always remained in the pos­ session of the family. Alan Marshal’s father was also born in England but, when he settled in Australia, could not have maintained a home over here as well even had he wished to do so. This matter apart, however, the fact remains that Marshal came over here practically an unknown man, and that it was not until he had been some little time in the country that he learnt that he was re­ siding in Surrey. Furthermore, the County Committee did not know even of the existence of such a man until he pre­ sented himself at the Oval. So it will be seen that those who have stated that Surrey “ went out of their way to secure his services, ” were speaking or writing without any knowledge of their subject. It is, perhaps, somewhat early yet to speak of the prospects of any of the counties, for to do so, one must j udge by their doings during the last few days. But the work done by Nottinghamshire in their dreary match at Lord’s with the M.C.C. gives one cause for hoping that the side will have a successful season. It is always pleasing to hear of any of the great cricketing counties of history doing well, and Nottinghamshire is in quite the fore-front of the shires in that respect. The batting of the side should be almost as strong as that of the best of the other counties, whilst the bowling is also reliable. Wass’s attack at Lord’s last Friday was irresistible. Swinging with his arm, he was very effective on the soft ground, and got on a lot of work from the leg-side. His analysis of six wickets for three runs recalls the Notts, v. Lancashire match at Liverpool last year, when he took sixteen wickets for 69 runs. Should he be found in his best form this season, and able to take his place in every match, Notting­ hamshire should take a leading place among the counties. Is any present- day bowler more destructive than Wass at his best? As Jessop can, with the bat, change the aspect of a match more quickly than any other batsman, so can Wass with the ball. George Gunn, it is stated, will in all probability be again included in the side. Let us hope that his health will remain good, and that he will prove equal to playing regularly if required. All last year’s players will again be available, and N. C. Y. Turner, the Rsptonian, who did well at Lord’s last week, will be able to play more often than he did last season. Fresh young players, however, do not come along so fast as one could wish. It is not so many years ago sinceSutton-in-A8hfield alone sent out about two hundred young professionals at the beginning of every season. Times have changed considerably since then, and an old resident of the county recently informed me that the change may be said to date from the time when machinery in the lace and other factories took the place of hand labour. In the old days men were frequently allowed to do their work in their own home, the consequence being that many of them would play cricket during the day and make up for lost time in the evening. If this really is so, it may be taken for granted that the county will never again produce so many fine young professionals as it has in the past. “ ’Tis true, ’tis pity; and pity ’tis, ’tis true.” E. T. H. Mackenzie, who played an innings of 69 in the Freshmen’s match at Cambridge on Monday, was one of the best Public School batsmen of 1906. He was educated at Cheltenham, where he was in the Eleven for four years.