Cricket 1907

454 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. N ov. 28, 1907, benefit match. Like Diamond, he is a Dative of Yorkshire. There are other young players of high promise who, with even scantier chances than some of those written of, have already done creditable work. E. li. Bubb scored 57 v. Queensland at Sydney in 1905-6, and 53 not out v. Western Australia at Perth last season. A. B. S. White made 77 in the last Queensland match at Sydney S. J. lled- grave scored 44 and 94 v. Queensland, and 41 v. Victoria in the two seasons 1904-5 and 1905-6. J. C. Barnes is an all-rounder of whom more should be heard. He scored 77 and 55 v. Queensland in 1905-6, 82 and 50 v. Western Australia in 1906-7, and in the latter season took sixteen wickets at a reason­ able cost. W. McIntyre is a wicket-keeper, and can also bat, as scores of 55 v. Western Australia and 36 not out v. Queensland last season show. Apart from these there are the stalwarts of the last Australian team, bar Howell and Kelly, who may be considered as definitely retired, Noble and Trumper, Duff and Hop­ kins (the latter in great form last season), Cotter and (if needed) Syd Gregory. The following are the averages of the leading N.S.W. players of to-day in all important representative matches, in Aus­ tralia, America, South Africa, New Zealand and England:— Batsman. Inns. N.O. R. Aver. U.S. A. Diamond.......... 28 ... 4... 1160 ... 48*33 ... 210* M. H. Blaxland ... 8 ... 0... 359 ... 44-87 ... 94 V. T. Trumper ...270 ...11 .. 11281 ... 43*55 ... 300* M. A. Noble....... 291 ...28 ...10849 ... 41*25 ... 284 E. L. Waddy;......... 16... 0... 631 ... 38-43 ... 129 J. C. Barnes......... 9 ... 0 ... 340 ... 37*77 ... 82 Rev. E.F. Waddy... 25 ... 2... 822 ... 35*73 ... 129 R. A. Duff ......... 198... 9... 6671 ... 35'29 ... 271 C. W. Gregory ... 48... 1... 1534 ... 32-63 ... 383 S. J. Redgrave ... 8... 0 . . 259 ... 32*37 ... 94 E. R. Bubb ......... 6... 1... 145 ... 29-00 ... 57 C. G. MacLartney... 20 ... 2... 514 ... 28*55 ... 122 A. J. Hopkins ...186 ...18 ... 4726 ... 28*22 ... 171 S. E. Gregory ...478 ...46 ...11950 ... 27*66 ... 201 W. Baidsley......... 10.. 0 ... 275 ... 27*50 ... 107 R. N. Hickson ... *20... 2 ... 478 ... 26*55 ... 89* A. J. Bowden ... 12... 3 ... 238 ... 26*44 ... 57 A. Cotter ......... 77 ... 6 ... 1327 ... 18*69 ... 68 H. Carter .......... 52 ...11 ... 764 ... 18*63 ... 149 G. L. Gamsey ... 25... 3 ... 319 ... 14*50 ... 37 F. B. Johnson ... 16... 6 ... 127 ... 12*70 .. 29 Bowler. Runs. A. Cotter...........................48J6 R. A. Duff ..................... 421 C. G. MacCartney ........ 968 G. L. Gamsey M. A. Noble ... A. J. Hopkins A. J, Bowden... J. C. Barnes ... F. B. Johnson V. T. Trumper ... 1736 ...1*2067 ... 4493 ... 92*2 ... 411 ... 963 ... 1815 Wkts. Aver. 240 ... 20*10 20 ... 20*15 45 ... 21*51 80 ... 21*70 544 ... 22*18 192 .. 23*40 38 ... 24*26 16 ... 25*68 37 ... 26*02 63 ... 28*80 There is plenty of promise in Queensland cricket, but as yet results have not been flattering. Only one match on even terms with N.S.W. has ever been won, and that, despite the fact that in many matches the stronger state has put a second eleven into the field. But then the second eleven of N.S. W. has nothing second rate about it, as has already been indicated in these notes. The northern state has not yet beaten Victoria either, but she has had fe wmatches with the “ Gumsuckers ” as yet. It is difficult to indicate evenapproximately who will form the Queensland eleven against the M.C.C. team. Perhaps Roger Harr.igan, W. T. Evans, E. R. Crouch, Ur. S. Crouch, J. Carew, T. B. Faunce, Guy Brown, C. E. Simpson, W. B. Hayes, M. F. McCaffrey, and F. Timbury are as likely to play as any­ one ; but the policy of the selection committee appears to be one of continual change. Besides those named, other Bananaland cricketers who have distinguished themselves during the last few years, but did not appear in the team in 1906-7, are A. A. Atkins, N. K. Foster, H. G., S. Morton, and T. J. Byrne. These may all be regarded as “ possibles.” Hartigan and Atkins are both N.S,W. men who have migrated to Brisbane. The former is probably the best of the Queens­ land batsmen to-day. In 1903-4 he played for N.S.W. v. Queensland, but during the last two seasons he has represented the northern state with marked success, scoring 10 and 98 v. N.S.W., 65 and 1*2v. VicLoria in 1905-6, and 50, 61, 68 and 13 in the two N.S.W. matches in 1906-7. He played for the Rest of Australia v. N.S.W. in Syd Gregory’s benefit match, but with no success. Atkins is an older hand, a good bat, a splendid field, and an efficient captain. His first-class career dates back to 1895-6, when he played a good innings of 69 for Queens­ land against a Melbourne Club team which included tbe brothers Robert and Charles McLeod, William Bruce, J. W. Trumble and J. O’Halloran. For all practical purposes this might be considered a Victoria v. Queensland match. It was not until 1899- 1900 that he played again for the northern state, scoring 33 and 30 v. N.S.W. at Sydney. In 1901-2 he made 71 for once out v. N.S.W. at Brisbane, and in 1902-3 82 and 60 at Sydney. Six innings in 1903-4 yielded him only 51 runs ; and since then he has played only once (in 1905-6). Unless he has completely lost his form, however, he must be better than some of the men who have been tried lately. W. T. Evans, a capable wicket-keeper and a fine natural forcing bat, is one of the best men on the bide. It was he who knocked Rhodes about so much four years ago that Mr. Bosanquet suggested he ought to be informed who the bowler was, as it was evident he could not know ! His debut was made in 1898-9 v. South Australia (in the only match yet played between the two states), when he scored 23 in his first innings, and took seven wickets for 100 runs in an innings of nearly 600. Where his bowling has been hidden since it is hard to say ; perhaps his succeeding Bradley as wicket­ keeper has kept it from being utilised. He did not play again for four years, but had a place in two of the three matches in 1902-3 ; and in the succeeding season was at the top of his batting form, scoring 72 and 27 v. the M.C.C. Team, and 78 and 15 v. N.S.W. at Sydney. Since then his best score has been 43 v. N.S.W. at Brisbane last season ; but the man who treated Rhodes so cavalierly ought to be good for a lot of runs sooner or later. T. J. Byrne is a good bowler of theslowish left-hand type, which is apt to be punished heavily at times on Australian wickets, yet which is very essential to a side’s outfit. He is a very hard worker, and Mr. L. O. S. Poidevin thought him, two or three seasons back, a much better bowler than his figures make him out. He first had a place in the team in 1896-7, when he was a member of the Queensland twelve that toured New Zealand. Against Hawke’s Bay province he look six for 98, and against Canterbury six for 78. His one wicket against South Aus­ tralia ip 1898-9 cost 176 runs. In 1902-3 he had thirteen wickets in the three matches Queensland played, more than any other bowler took, though their cost was heavy. In the succeeding season he had five for 74 in ihe first innings of the M.C.C. team, and five for 112 in the first of N.S.W. at Sydney—iu his three matches fifteen for 334. He bore the brunt of the attack in all the matches of the 1904-5 season, and, although his eleven wicktts cost as many as 408 runs, he bowled well. 1lis last appearance for the side was v. N.S.W. at Sydney in 1905-6, when he h d four for 8‘i. These are not great figures, yet it is doubtful whether Queensland possesses a better bowler than Byrne at his best to-day. None of the other p’ayers likely to be included have done enough to warrant one in giving their records at length, save perhaps James Carew and E. R. Crouch, the latter of whom has played in this country for London County. Carew has played innings of 52, 43 (twice), 42 and 34 v. N.S.W., 38 v. S.A., and 34 v. Victoria. Crouch has scored 56, 49 and 35 not out v. N.S.W., and 33 v. Victoria. The success achieved by the other players who have done anything noteworthy may be shown in tabular form thus :— H. G. S. Morton, 135* v. Victoria, Melbourne, 1904-5. N. K. Foster, 131 v. N.S.W., Sydney, 1903-4; 35 and 34 v. N.S.W., 1904-5. G. Brown, 30, 32 and 70 v. N.S.W., 1906-7. C. E. Simpson, 59 and 58 v. N.S.W., 1906-7. G. S. Crouch, 44, 68 and 36 v. N.S.W., 1905-6. M. F. McCaffry, 16 wickets for 463 in the three matches of 1905-6. F. Timbury, 7 wickets for 93 v. N.S.W., at Sydney, 1905-6. These are not big things, but the day of big things for Queensland has not yet come. Possibly it may not be much longer delayed, however. The averages are hardly worth giving. Few of the batsmen have played many inn­ ings, and some of the bowling analyses are defective. Tasmania has possibly more really first- class cricketers than Queensland ; but most of her best men are quite veterans. Eady, Burn, Savigny and Windsor must all be nearer 40 than 35. The one shining light of the younger generation at present is Reginald Hawson, of whom great things may be hoped. Kenneth Burn’s introduction to first-class cricket dates back twenty years. He was then given a trial with a view to a place in the Sixth Australian Team, but was no: chosen. He came here with the Seventh, selected by some unaccountable mistake as reserve wicket-keeper, did little with the bat in a wet season, and has scarcely been esti­ mated at his true value since. But he has done good work for Tasmania, scoring 743 for twenty-two completed innings in twelve matches v. Victoria, and 216 in six innings, three matches, v. N.S.W., besides 46 for Southern Tasmania v. Queensland, and 41 v. New Zealand. These latter matches may fairly be held to rank as Tasmanian games, since in some of the Victorian matches the island eleven has been exclusively drawn from the Southern Association. As far back as 1887-8 Burn made 99 (properly, it is said, 100) for XVIII. of Southern Tasmania v. Mr. G. F. Vernon's English team. At Melbourne in 1897-8 he scored 45 and 88 (being top scorer in each innings) v. Victoria, and at Hobart in the following season he made 119 against the same side. Against N.S.W. he scored 77 at Sydney in 1898-9, and 86 at Hobart in the succeeding season. Though he is nowpast hi \ cricket prime, he will probably be seen in the field in the Hobart match against the M C.C. if not in that at Launceston. The two crack all-rounders of Tasmania are C. J. Eady and E. A. Windsor. The former was in England in 1896 ; but rheu­ matism prevented his doing himself justici. On the memorable occasion when the Ninth Australian Team went down for 18 to the M.C.C. and Ground, Eady helped J oj Darling to send up three figures before the first wicket fell in the follow-on. He ought certainly to have had another chance in this country. Some of his best performances for