Cricket 1907

194 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J unk 13, 1907. to Eton, my brother Fred was in the Eleven. He made some very good scores, although hundreds were not so plentiful in those days as they have been since, o w i n g to the great difference in the wicketB: perhaps also to the prevalence of shooters due to the low delivery then in force. He was in the Eton Eleven four years, and that of Cambridge three, b e iD g Cap­ tain of each his last season. An elder brother, Charles Loyd Norman, had also b e e n Captain of the Eton Eleven and played for Cambridge, and in the Winchester match of 1849 had hit out of Lord’s. My turn came in 1859, when I received my colours just b e fo r e completing my seventeenth year. I was in the Eleven two seasons, playing with some who afterwards did very well in more important cricket. Among them were R. A. H. Mitchell, C. G. Lyttel­ ton (now Lord Cobham), the Hon. T. de Grey (who became Lord Walsingham) and J. Round. The last-named became a very flue wicket-keeper, and appeared a few times for the Gentlemen, but did not obtain his Blue at Oxford. When he was in residence at the Uni­ versity, Mitchell, who was captain, possibly over-anxious not to lavour an old school-fellow, selected J. W. Haygarth, of Winchester. In those days at Eton we were somewhat am­ phibious. I was in the boats for a couple of years, and it is a curious circumstance that two boys who were iu the Eton Eleven with me afterwards stroked the Oxford boat against Cambridge, Walter Hoare doing so three times and D. Pocklington once. More curious still, Oxford won on each occasion, never by less than 26 seconds and once by 43. In 1859 Caffyn was eDgaged for our benefit by some of the old boys, but he only stayed for a week or so. P. W. Bell, of Cambridge, coached us in 1860. Mr. M. M. Ainslie, who had been in the Eleven from 1839 to 1842, used to go down to Eton a good deal and give advice on cricketing matters which was not always accepted, but that was rather before my time. When I was at Eton the hand in bowling was not allowed to be above the shoulder at time of delivery. I bowled sometimes in practice but never could keep my hand down ; Bell used to say that I took them ‘ off the top shelf.’ It was not until 1864 that all restriction as to the height of the hand was abolished. Very tew bowlers, however, fully availed them­ selves of the change for some time. 1 believe that I was the first to do so, and I was sometimes rather success­ ful, though I never took seriously to bowling. There was a queer character, named Picky Powell, hanging about the College when I was at Eton, so old that as a semi-profeseional he had bowled to my father; you will find a sketch of him in ‘ Eton in the Forties’ by Arthur Duke Coleridge. He and Billy Warner, a man who had a somewhat similar relationship to Harrow, used to indulge in wordy warfare at Lord’s during the Eton and Harrow match, much to the joy of some of the boys. Report said they once had a stand-up fight there, and it was rumoured every year that fisticuffs were to be renewed when next they met at Lord’s. But nothing very exciting happened, I fancy.” “ Did you keep up your cricket after lerving Eton ? ” “ I played occisi mally, though not so often as I should have liked. In 1863 and 1864 I only got two days’ cricket, aud later, business keptr me in Spain a good deal for several years, so to some extent I dropped out of the game. Once when a lad, but this was before I left Eton, I was asked to assist the Perambulators, they being a man short, and, happening to do well, was after­ wards elected a member, beiDg the first non-Harrovian so honoured. I appeared a few ti.nes for the Gentlemen of Kent and was asked to play for the County, but did not do so. I have enj oyed cricket, of a kind, in Spain, in India, and in the Highlands of Scotland, where, playiDg for Mar Lodge against Castletown of Braemar, I was not out and beat our opponents easily off my own bat. That was in 1867, and tbe present Duke of Fife, then Lord Macduff, took part iu the game.” “ Doubtless you played with several well-known cricketers in addition to those whom you have mentioned ? ” “ Herbert Jenner, my uncle, I often played with. When at his best he must have been an admirable cricketer, for, although his fame rests chiefly upon his skill as a wicket-keeper, he was a very fine batsman and bowler and a perfect judge of the game. After he retired from first-class cricket, which of course was long before my time, his chief doings were on behalf of West Kent. As illustrating how useful an all-round man he was, it may be mentioned that when playing against the Royal Artillery in 1839 he took all ten wickets, nine being bowled down and the other hit-wicket, and that in the corresponding match of the following year he scored 173. Several of the Lubbocki were identified with the Club, and Alfred had the pleasant experience of playing an innings of over two hundred both for and against it. What a fine bat he was, especially about 1867! Business prevented him from playing very much in first-class matches, and I believe he appeared for Kent only four times. He, R. A. H. Mitchell, Frank Penn and the present Lorr* Cobham, who excelled in bowling,batting, and wicket-keeping, owed their success to natural ability to a greater extent than any other players I have seen. Penn was never at a public school, and it was owing to the success which he met with for the West Kent Club that he was tried for the County. Fortunately, he did well from the first, and for some years, until, in fact, ill-health compelled his retirement, was one of the finest batsmen in England. In the very last innings he played for Kent he scored 102. Another tine batsman the County lost was John Shuter, who was tried once but not per­ severed with. Although born in Surrey, he would probably never have played for his native county had he made his posi­ tion in the Kent side secure, for his home was at Bexley and he was practically a Kent man in everything but birth. Among thosa of an earlier generation I have played with mtny famous cricketeri, for instance, W. Nicholson,‘ -Bull” Picker­ ing, and Harvey Fellows, the only bowler I recollect (except a yokel) who made the ball hum.” “ Your book on the West Kent C.C. must have involved much labour and research.” “ I took infinite pains, and was fort­ unate in being able to consult Herbert Jenner-Fust a great deal about early cricket. I had also a few manuscript notes on the subject by my father, and Spencer Ponsonby-Fane was most oblig­ ing. For early R.A. cricket, which produced several County players, I got the help of General Denno, who died very soon afterwards. Siy Edward Leigh Pemberton and Lord Harris kindly gave me information about the B.B.’s, of which Club, by the way, I have been a member for considerably over 40 years. Another useful friend was James Christie Traill. These, however, were only a smll pro­ portion of the people I consulted, as from first to last I must have exchanged letters with fifty or sixty.” SOUTHGATE v. UPPER TOOTING.—Played at Southgate on June 8. S outhgate . F. S. Lewis, e Connor ; H. L. Nicholas, e Con- b Harvey ... ... ...136 j nor, b Parez ......... 17 R. B. Heygate, e Har- |R. S. Dickson, not out 24 vey, b Smith ... ... 28 R. E. Paige, not out... .17 H. V. Bevington, b B 11, lb 2, nb3... 16 Fabel........................ 4 L. K. Lewis, b Smith 1 | Total (5 wkts)*243 J. C. Bevington, W. T. Ricketts, H. C. Isner, and W. H. Myers did not bat. * flinings declared closed. U pper T ooting . R. M. Harvey, e Hey- gate, b Nicholas ... 89 S. F. .Johnson, c Dick­ son, b F. S. Lewis... 2 C. Fabel, st J. Beving­ ton, b F. S. Lewis... 22 S. J. Connor, c Hey- gate, b Nicholas ... 11 M. R. Seymour, not out 16 A. H. Parez, c J. Bev* ington, b Ricketts 2S I. Strode, c Heygate, b Paige ................. 8 C.E.Johnson, c Myers, b Ricketts ......... 1 B 1, lb 1 ......... 2 Total (7 wkts) 179 R. Curtis-Hayward, F. N. Smith, and I. A. Lyon did not bat. LUDGROVE v. FREE FORESTERS.—Played at Ludgrove on June 8. L udgrove. b Mor- W. P. Blore, daunt........ W. S. Bird, c Thomp­ son, b Mordaunt ... 22 W. H. J. Curwen, c Lewis, b Torrens ... 0 J.W.S.Malden,cLewis, b Morris .................68 F. Marchant, b Morris 18 G. O. Smith, c Morris, b Baiss .................72 W. H. Leese, lbw, b Morris ................. 0 A. R. Severn, b Mc­ Pherson ................. 0 F. A. H. Henley, b Torrens .................12 W. F. H.Stanborough, c Baiss, b Torrens... 10 W. J. Oakley, not out 12 B 12, lb 1, nb 1... 14 Total ..255 I R. H. Marriot, Curwen ................17 G. J. Mordaunt, b Henley ................ 5 R. S. H. Baiss, b Henley ... ... ... 1 A.A.Torrens,c Severn, b Henley................. 9 E. C. Mordaunt, b Henley ... ... ... 36 A.C.McPhergon,eMar- chant, b finrwon ... 11 F ree F oresters. b G. F. Morris, c sub., b Henley .................11 R. P. Lewis, b Henley 0 E. R. Thompson, b Henley .......... ...17 Capt.E. H. Collen, not out ........................ 1 K. Christopherson, c and b Curwen ... 1 B 8, lb 6, nb 1 ... 15 Total ...124