Cricket 1907

452 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 28, 1907. of merit the stand of 90 by A. E. Yogler (48) and R. 0. Schwarz (39 not out) at the end of the South Africans’ second innings against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge has seldom been surpassed in the whole history of first- class cricket. To date, C. B. Fry and Vine (J.) have indulged in thirty-two three-figure stands for the first wicket of Sussex, A. 0. Jones and Iremonger in twenty-three for that of Notts., and Hayward (T.) and Hobbs (J. B.) in eighteen—all during the last three seasons—for that of Surrey. (Tunnieliffe (J ) and Brown (J. T.) performed the feat on nineteen occasions for Yorkshire.) In one week in June last Hayward and Hobbs made over 100 together on four occasions—an occurrence unparalleled in the annals erf important cricket— scoring 106 and 125 against Cambridge University at the Oval, and 147 and 105 in the match with Middlesex at Lord’s : M. W. Payne had the curious experience of being on the fielding side during all four partnerships. One of the most remarkable stands of the year was that in which, in a low - scoring match at Worcester, between Lancashire and Worcestershire, Bowley, F. L. (95*) and H. K. Foster (73*) made 170 together with­ out loss in the fourth innings, winning the match for their side by ten wickets. The cricket of 1907 furnished no less than nineteen instances of a player carrying his bat through a completed innings, a number which easily constitutes a record for a single season. Braund (L. C.) performed the feat three times, and Hayward (T ), Kinneir (S. P.), Vine (J.), and P. F. Warner each twice. The two instances by Kinneir occurred in the snme match—for Leicestershire v. Warwickshire, at Leicebter, where his scores were 70 and 69. Of the 126 individual scores of 100 or more obtained during the season, Hayward (T.) claimed asmany as seven,Tyldesley (J.T.) five, and C. B. Fry, Hobbs (J.B.), and K.L. Hutch­ ings four each. B. L. Bisgood (82 and 116*) and J. G. C. Scott (137) each had the dis­ tinction of playing a three-figure innings on his debut for a first-class county—the former for Somerset, and the latter for Sussex, whilst to K. L. Hutchings and P. F. Warner fell the personal satisfaction of obtaining two separate hundreds in a match. This latter feat, as well asmaking three separate centuries in succession, C. B. Fry missed accomplishing by a single run. For the first time since 1894 a season’s cricket failed to furnish an instance of as many as three individual scores of a hundred or more being made in an innings, but the number of cases in which a player was dismissed twice in a match without scor­ ing was quite up to the average, being 55, as against 54 last year and 56 in 1905 King, (J. H.), of Leicestershire, had the unhappy experience of being sent back four times in one week without a run, the first match being against Yorkshire at Hull, and the second with Northamptonshire at Leicester. Only Hayward, T. (2353), Hobbs, J. B. (2135), and Tyldesley, J. T. (2132) made more than 2,000 runs in 1907, but P. F. Warner scored 1,891, Hayes (E. G.) 1,857, and G. L. Jessop 1,754. ( To be continued.J The AMERICAN CRICKETER. F o u n d e d 1877. Published by H. H. Cornish on behalf of The Associated Cricket Clubs of Philadelphia. An Illustrated Journal of Cricket, Association, Football, Tennis, Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 632, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa., U.8.A pbiok:— 10/- per annum, post paid anywhere. Specimen copies mailed on request. AUSTRALIAN CRICKETERS I OF TO-DAY. 1 THE MEN THE M.C.C. WILL MEET. B y J. N. P e n t e l o w . II. In my last article I dealt with the cricketers of SSouth Australia, Victoria and West Australia. In this I propose to s ly something of the men who represent New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania. For years past New South Wales has be*n quite exceptionally powerful. In the opinion of many people the state is fully a mttch fur the combined strength of the Rest of Australia. It is certain that a New South Wales eleven which should include no man who ha* ever been to England with an Australian team could be put into the field, and would be quite likely to defeat any on-: of the other states on even terms. To those who know something of Australian cricket the mention of the names of A Diamond, Charles Gregory, C. G. MacCirtney, G. L. Garnsey, E. F. and E. L. Waddy, R. N. Hickson, M. H. Blaxland, Warren Bardsley, S. J. Redgrave*, E. R. Bubb, J. C. Barnes, A. J. Bowden, F. B. Johnson and VV. McIntyre will be sufficient to bear out this contention. And there areminy other young players of high excellence besides the fifteen named. Tten the state has recently lost J. R. M. Mackay, who went to Johannesburg, and is now stationed in Melbourne, a man who, if early performances go for anything, should be among the best Australian batsmen of the next decade, and J. A. O’Connor and A. McBeath, the two bowlers who migrated to Adelaide. There is another side to the shield, though. Even New South Wales, the busiest of the six Australian states in the cricket field, plays very few matches in an ordinary season, and the pressure of young and aspiring cricketers towards the front has been the cause of many a good man who was by no means a back number being early relegated into obscurity. Frank Iredale left the arena all too soon. Alec Mackenzie never had full justice done him. Harry Donnan might still have been playing big cricket had he belonged to one of the weaker states. Leslie Pye has retired, it is said in disgust, at the treatment meted out to him; and Pye was tilked of at one time as a second Victor Trumper. Syd. Gregory began the present club season with a magnificently-played 219 ; yet he was not included in the selectionfor the match against the M.C.C. team, and may not be seen in the ranks of the state again. His brother Charles, thought by many ,good judges one of the very best bats down under, was not chosen either. Mackay was omitted in my account of the Victorian players last month. He did not play against the M.C.C. team at Melbourne; but if he is really fit again he ought to be representing Australia before the season ends. He began his cricket career by the making of many centuries in up-country matches at Uralla, as has already been told in the pages of Cricket . Then the city drewhim—to the aspiring Australian cricketer city-cricket is an irresistible magnetic force—and he went to Sydney. He played * Since writing the above I learn that Redgrave has left Sydney and settled in Brisbane. He may, therefore, perhaps be chosen to play for Queens­ land against the Englishmen.—J.N.P. his first match for the state against Queens­ land at Sydney in the season 1902-3, scoring only 8 and 1. In the following seison he had a modest record in big matches—156 runs in 8 completed innings—his best scores being 56 v. S.A. at Adelaide and 56 v. Victoria at Sydney. In 1904-5 his club cricket form was so brilliant that many regarded him as some­ thing like a certainty for the Twelfth Aus­ tralian Team. But failure in the Adelaide and Melbourne matches cooked his chance; he did not play in either of the return games, and though his form against Tasmania at Hobart (67 and 15) and Queensland at Bris­ bane (131) after the team had sailed for New Zealand may have been some consolation to himself and his many admirers, it made no difference—the team had gone without him. In 1905-6 he justified the best things that had been said of him. Perh ips nothing could be more eloquent of the cricket he played than his bare figures for N.S.W. Here they are :— v. Queensland, Brisbane.................... 202 v. S.A., Adelaide............................................90 v. Victoria, Melbourne .................... 194 v. S.A., Sydney ........................105 & 102* v. Australian Team, Sydney ... 4 & 136 v. Victoria, Sydney ................. 18 & 50 A total of 901 runs in eight completed inn­ ings ! Noble, in the same season, scored 631 in seven. Armstrong last season made 343 in four. Duff, in 1902-3, had a record of 786 in nine. Clem Hill, in 190J-1, totalled 620 in six. Trumper, in 1899-1900, aggregated 721 in ten, and Noble, in the same campaign, 691 in ten. Clem Hill’s 1897-8 aggregate of 1,196 (average 66.44) i9 a record in point of total. George Giffen made 902 in eighteen innings in 1894-5, 526 in seven in 1893-4, 468 in «ght in 1892-3, 509 in ten in 1891-2, 275 in three in 1890-1, 178 in four in 1889-90, 192 in three in 1888-9, and 493 in four in 1887-8: that is to say, in seven successive seasons 3,543 runs in fifty-seven completed innings, an average of over 62. These are among the best Australian records, and cer­ tainly “ Sunny Jim’s ” will bear compirison with any of them, though he has yet to prove himself as consistent a scorer over a long period as George the Great of Adelaide. In 1906-7 Mackay was in South Africa, and came very near making a trip to England as an Afrikander; but he is now settling down in Melbourne as a cricket coach and organiser under the V.C.A. He should be of simply inestimable value to the state; and we at home will be disappointed if the Thirteenth Australian Team in 1909 leaves him behind. It is difficult to understand why Charles Gregory is left out by the N.S.W. selectors, while many good judges con­ sider him quite a test-match player. One has heard that he smokes too many cigarettes —a not uncommon failing nowadays, but assuredly not a crime. In 1901-2 he came very near getting into an Australian team, jbeing reserve in at least one match; but he has not yet attained test match honours. At his best he is undoubtedly a very brilliant player; and, even as a matter of sentiment, one would like to see a Gregory once more playing for Australia. His first appearance for N.S.W. was made against New Zealand at Sydney in 1898-9, when he carried his bat for 40 m a big total. In the following season his only chanoe was v. Tasmania at Hobart, when he did little. In 1900-1, too, he had but one chance, this time v. S.A. at Adelaide. Butin 1901-2 he jumped to the front, for, though he failed against Mac- Laren’s team in the first match, and bagged a brace against Victoria at Melbourne, he