Cricket 1907

338 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A ug . 15, 1907. on 306 together for the third wicket. He had then only recently completed his nineteenth year, and it became apparent to all that a new star had arisen in Surrey cricket. Wisden, in referring to his doings that season, said:—“ It is scarcely too much to say that since William Oscroft astonished the cricket world in the season of 1864 no pro­ fessional batsman has more quickly made a reputation in first-class company than Holland. . . . For the first few weeks in 1895 he could do no wrong, making extraordinary scores in match after match, and batting on all occasions in tuperb style. Unfortunately, however, a sprained arm kept him out of the eleven for some little time, and when he came back to his place he could not repeat his previous success.” Still, as it was, he scored 832 runs for the County ip., twenty-five completed innings with an average of 33-28, his fine batting contributing ia no small degree to Surrey’s buccsss iu obtaining the Championship that season. In the field he has generally been in the slips. His long reach enables him to take many a ball wbich would be impossible to a smaller man, and many a fine catch has he made off Richardson and Lockwood, and, in more recent times, Mr. Knox. On several occasions, in Club and Ground and Second Eleven matches, he has hit out of the Oval, and the writer was once alone on the roof of the old pavilion when he saw a ball, hit over the boundary fence, just clear the carriage in which the King—he was then Prince of Wales—chanced to be driving fast the ground. Three years ago Messrs. Bell and Sons, of London, published his little book, entitled “ Cricket,” at a shilling, and it is pleasing to hear tfcat it eiijoyed a very fair sale. Asked whether he had ever felt nervous upon going in to bat, Holland replied :— “ I suppose I ought to have done, but truth compels me to say that I never have. My early successes gave me a certain amount of confidence, so that many pecple set my lack of nervousness down to natural impudence. Sometimes at the ccmmencement of an innings I have been rather slow to get going, and a prominent member of the Su:rey Club used to say that “ Holland ought always to have a table-spoonful of brandy when going in to bat. As he is a total abstainer it would give him a greater fillip.” The intention appeared to be excellent, but the logic was hardly so commendable.” “ You went out to South Africa to fulfil an engagement some years ago, I believe ? ” “ Yes ; at the end of the season of 1898. I went out to the Union Club of Port Eliz tbeth, and had a most enjoyable time. The only ui pleasantnets occurred during a trip to Kimberley, where we went for a week’s cricket. It took us two and a-half days to get there, and everything would probably have been as pleasant as one could have wished had not the heat been exce sive. On the third day I was down with malaria, on the next we could put only five men into the field, and on the last two days the matches had to be abandoned. The Kimberley people were accustomed to the heat, and did not notice it much. Even at Port Elizabeth the weather was very hot at times, and especially when there was a south-east wind.” “ Did you see anything during your visit to foreshadow the recent South African successes ? ” “ The players were always very anxious to learn and keen to do well. Whilst I was out there their cricket was develop­ ing, but had reached nothing like the standard of excellence it has since at­ tained. They were then considerably less proficient than the Philadelphians who had toured England in 1897, but, having seen how enthusiastic cricketers are out there, I must say that their great improvement during the last few years has not come altogether as a surprise to me. Their successes over the M.C.C.’s team must have given a tremendous im­ petus to the game out there.” It was during Holland’s engagement in South Africa that he took part in an exciting adventure, which caused him to be publicly proclaimed from the Bench as “ a public benefactor.” Whilst walk­ ing along one of the streets in Port Elizabeth he chanced to observe a native named James Kia committing a theft in a private house. Holland at once seizad the man, who, according to a newspaper report, “ was taken aback, and apologised profusely, offering two shillings for his release.” Tbe lady of the house then appeared, and some of her property was found on the native, who was sentenced to receive fifteen lashes with the “ cat ” and undergo six months imprisonment. Asked whether he thought Surrey cricket was as strong now as when he tirst played regularly for the side, in 1895, Holland said :— “ Oar batting is stronger now than it was then, especially on hard wickets, but we have no bowler of such prominence as we then possessed in Richardson. I have never seen any bowler of Buch great pace break back to such an extent as he did. In 1895, when we won the Championship, playing a long series of matches, he took considerably over 200 wickets for us, and more than all the other members of the side put together. We relied upon him to a tremendous extent, and never seemed really happy unless he was bowling. His presence would probably have turned any ordinary side into a match-winLing one, as for a few years he was almost irresistible. Mr. Knox hss tremendous pace and often assists us greatly by firing out some good men at the beginning of an innings, but, unfortunately, he does not possess such a fine physique as R :chardson’s. I should like to add that in Lord Dalmeny we have a captain who is extremely popular with us a ll: he is so keen that it is always a pleasure to serve under him. His innings at Southampton this year was one of the most extraordinary dis­ plays of hitting I have ever since. Like Mr. Jessop, he is a player able to change the whole course of a match in a very short space of time.” It may be news to some that Holland possesses a good baritone voice. “ For some fourteen or fifteen years,” he says, “ I sang gratuitously at cricket con­ certs, &c., but last winter had a chance, which I accepted, of going on the music- hall stage, to which I intend returning after the cricket season is over.” It may be added that Holland has met with more than average success as a vocalist, and that in some of his descriptive songs he appears on the Btage in his cricketing costume. Last September, owing to a misprint, a plac ird was posted over London announcing the appearance at one of the Halls of “ Fred Holland, the Celebrated S»ucy Cricketer.” In con­ sequence of the unfortunate error the engagement was at once cancelled. LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK (3) v. AFRICAN BANKS.—Played at Catford on August 7 and 8 . L. & W. Bank (3). W. Horncastle, not out 28 B 16, lb 1, w 8 ... 20 G. O. Anson, b Millard 46 W.E. Smith,b Millard 11 S. A. Ellerm, c sub, b Parker .................43 Total (3 wkts) *195 A. Anson, not out ... 47 j* Innings declared closed. L. E. Hunt, F. L. Sharpin, H. H. Keeping, J. T. Merry, T. C. Sampson, and J. L. Challis did not bat. A fric a n Banks. N. W. Matthews, b A. Anson ................. 66 A. W. Millard, b Smith 0 S. E. Parker, run out 33 F.H Buck, c&b Smith 14 E. Crouch, b Smith ... 1 J. Smith, not out ... 13 E.G. Smith did not bat. S. V. Mott, b A. Anson — Constable, lbw, b Smith ................. —Bateman b A.Anson — James, not out B 12, lb 2 .......... Total (8 wkts)...160 LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK (2) PURLEY —Played at Norbury on August 10. L. & W. Bank (2). L. G. Black, c Marshall, b Pooles .................35 E. W. Bennett, lbw, b, Birmingham ..........20 G. Logan, c Pooles, b Birmingham .......... 7 S. Bennett, c Birming­ ham, b Houghton ... S 6 E. A. Willson, lbw, b Pooles................. 3 A. W. Stevenson, b Birmingham......... 35 H. E. Coomber, not out ........................ 0 B 14, lb 3 ..........17 Total (6 wkts)’ 203 E. Hdlme, C. F. G. Wellborne, F. Hulls, and A. Podmore did not bat. * Innings declared closed. P u rle y . H. Fitch, b Coomber... 21 A. E. Birmingham, b Coomber ... . ... 0 M. Pooles, run out ... 1 T. Houghton, run out 13 A. E. D. Lewis, c S. Bennett, b VVell- borne........................16 T. W. Moore, b Hulme 6 T. D. Marshall, c Hulme, b Podmorc 32 R.S.Mc.Minn,bWillson 3 T. B. Townsen,b Well­ born© ................. 2 D.Travers,bWellborne 0 F. S. Bouquet, not out 0 B 10, lb 3, w 1, nb 1 15 Total ..118 LONDON AND WESTMINSTER BANK (3) v. SPENCER (3).—Played at Norbury on August 10. L. & W. Bank (3). J. T. Merry, b Ruddy 7 M. G. Dunlop, b Pettit 12 II. II. Keeping,b John­ son ....................... 10 G. O. Anson, c Brodie, b Barnard.................37 S. A. Ellerm, b Pettit 56 W. E. Smith, cVickery, b Johnson ..........13 W. Horncastle, not out ........................36 F. L. Sharpin, not out 52 B 8 , lb 2, w 2 ... 12 Total (6 wkts)*235 ♦Innings declared closed L. E. Hunt, T. C. Sampson, and J. L. Challis did not bat. S pencf . r (3). M. R.Vickery, b Smith 4 R. E. Howell, b Shar­ C. F. C. Brodie, lbw, b pin ........................ 15 H unt........................ 0 J. W. J. Reid, c and b D. 11. Langridge, c Smith ............... 6 Horncastle, b Hunt 10 J. Ruddy, b Smith ... W. R. T. Creaghe, not 2 W.E. Johnson, b Smith 6 S. J. Pettit, bSmith... 3 out ........................ 0 P. E. Barnard, b Smith 5 Byes ................. 3 W. Lipscombe,cEllerm, — b Smith ... ... 0 Total .......... 54