Cricket 1907

Feb. 28, 1907. CRICKET : A iWEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 25 will, in the natural order of things, fill the various positions he occupied, but it will be found impossible to replace him. Had he been the greatest of cricketers he could scarcely have done more for the welfare of Surrey cricket than he accomplished: he could certainly not have endeared himself more to those whose good fortune it was to have dealings with him, and who will always cherish his memory as that of a true English gentleman. The funeral will take place at Norwood Cemetery on Saturday afternoon. C. J. E a d y , who visited us as a member of the Australian team of 1896, has been showing capital form during the present season. In the North v. South match at Hobart, at the end of December, he took eight wickets for 54 runs in the first innings of the North and six for 82 in the second, and, in addition, proved the highest scorer with a capital innings of 74. In the circumstances it is not surprising that the South won by ten wickets. From a cricket point of view it is to be regretted that Eady is not identified with one of the leading States of Australia, so that he would have oppor­ tunities of displaying his un­ doubted ability against some of the leading exponents of the game. T h e opening of the mem­ bers’ new pavilion on the first day of the North and South match was an important function. His Excellency the Governor and the Lady Edeline Strickland, and His Excel­ lency the Naval Commander- in-Chief, Admiral Fawkes, were present. The opening ceremony was performed by Sir John Dodds, President of the T.C.A. The old pavilion has been moved back to allow of the new addition, which is substantially built in brick. The extension gives three large dressing-rooms, besides lavatories and Secretary’s room, with vestibule, large public bar, 26 feet by 18, and dressing-room same size. Spacious stairs lead to the upper floor, for members only. This floor con­ tains dining-hall, 45 feet by 18, private bar, 18 feet by 15, and kitchen accommo­ dation. The open portion of the stand is in two tiers, the lower for the general public, and the upper for members only. These are fitted with comfortable seats, and will hold about 200 people. T he cricket painting by Richard Wilson, R.A., to which I alluded in last month’s “ Gossip,” was a representation of boys playing at Feltham School, Middlesex. It is now offered for sale at forty guineas. O n e of the features of the present Australian season has been the bitting of A. J . Hopkins, who made the follow­ ing scores in succession for New South Wales:— 171, v. Queensland, at Sydney. 120*, v. South Australia, at Adelaide. 5 ^ j- v. Victoria, at Melbourne. * Signifies not out. M r . G eorge L e on ard G a r n s e y , one of the best all-round players of present- day Australian cricket, has been probably the most successful collector of cricket literature in the Colonies. Quite recently the New South Wales Cricket Association purchased his collection, which embraced practically all the rare Australian guides and annuals. It seems probable that Mr. Garnsey will be a candidate for the next team for England, as during the last few seasons he has been one of the best bowlers in the Commonwealth. T h e Transvaal, as was generally an­ ticipated, won the Currie Cup, but Natal were a good second. The Natal Mercury points out that the Tournament has been played this year on a different system, and one that is more satisfactory to the teams, as it gives them the opportunity of measuring their strength against the whole of the entrants, and is a more thorough test of the cricketing ability of the players. Although not successful in winning the Cup, the Natal team made more than a good fight for it. They put up some remarkably fine scores, and in the match with the Transvaal started so brilliantly that it looked as if they would take the trophy down to Natal. Un­ fortunately, in their second innings, they failed to maintain their position, and succumbed to the strong bowling of the Transvaal men. Nourse’s performances, not only with the bat, but with the ball and in the field, have added to his high reputation as a cricketer, and have served to establish more firmly than ever his right to be regarded as the finest all­ round cricketer in the country. The complete averages and other particulars of interest concerning the Tournament will be found on page 21. I n connection with the Currie Cup matches three interesting points arose. Re­ ference was made to the first in “ Gostip ” last month. In the second case the umpires (presumably when the captains disagreed) were asked to decide whemer the light was good enough for play, the fieldsmen being in the pavilion at the time. They declined to give a decision until the t'eld went out and the batsmen took their places at the wicket. The committee could not decide whether the umpires had any right to demand this, and an appeal is to be made to the M.C.C. Toere seems to be nothing bearing on the question in tne laws. T h e third point arose out of the second. The field and batsmen did as the umpires ordered, and the umpires then decided that the light was not good enough for play. Now, as the decision was made very shortly before “ time,” two of the tail had been sent to the wickets. Accordingly on the next morning the captain of the batting side wanted to know whether, as neither of the batsmen had received a ball, he was entitled to send in two other men in their places. The committee decided that as the inn­ ings had not been commenced the captain was at liberty to alter the order of batting. L ord W e n lo c x , the Governor of Madras, made the following interesting remarks in the course of an address to the students of theMahomedan Madrasa- I-A zim on January 23rd: — I am glad to see that while the cultivation of the mind is being thoroughly looked after and taken care of, that those who are responsible for the running of this institution have not lost sight of the fact that it is not all work within here, hut that you shall be able to indulge in games, such as are indulged in by a very large number of the other members of the Indian co m m u n ity in and MR, G. L. GARNSEY. [O 'A ny, Sydney, Australia •