Cricket 1907

CR ICKET I A WEEKLY RECORD OF TH E GAME. DEC. 19, 1907. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. wo. 769. v o l . x x v i . THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1907. p b ic e aa. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. MR. P. H. TOMALIN. If ever the history of cricket in France comes to be written it will of necessity be of a somewhat disjointed nature, for the records which have been preserved are not only meagre but lack continuity. Shakespeare, in Henry V ., 1.2., tells of “ Edward, the Black Prince, who on the French ground play’d . . . . making defeat on the full power of 3rd Duke of Dorset, whilst Ambassador to France (1783-1789), arranged with Yalden, tho Surrey wicket-keeper, to take over a team : the Eleven journeyed as far as Dover, and were then met by the Duke who was flying before the outbreak of the French Revolution. Soon after the conclusion of the Napoleonic wars cricket clubs sprang up in several parts of the country, and although Britons invariably formed the nucleus of the teams it is interesting to learn that many Frenchmen were enrolled as Captain of the Eton Eleven in 1828, related an amusing experience in these columns just over twenty years ago. “ The Duchesse de Berri,” he wrote, “ was anxious t> see ‘ an English cricket,’ and sent an aide-de-camp to our club at Dieppe to signify the same. Accordingly we sent to England for a relay of cricketers to supplement our club, and made up two decent elevens. The day was fixed and H.R.H. arrived with her suite, au grande tenue , at our pavilion, where she had prepared for usa sumptuous repast. The gann THE STANDARD A.C. (PARIS) ELEVEN. E. Cocks (Umpire). T. Freed. J. B. Jefferson. F. Watson. B. Roberts. C. Riddick. H. Kennington. C. SpaxiU (Scorer . M. D. Nicholson. 0. Lynham (Vice-Captain). P. H. Tomalin (Captain). M. Arrowsmith. France,” bat it was a sterner game than cricket to which allusion was made. How early cricket was played in Prance will probably never be known, but certain it is that it was indulged in there some years before the close of the eighteenth century. In 1777 an engraving by Boydell was pub­ lished in which a cricket-match in progress at Belle Isle was depicted, whilst a decade later Parisians came within an ace of witness­ ing the game in the Bois de Boulogne. The members. Before the middle of the nine­ teenth century there were flourishing clubs at Dieppe, Bordeaux, St. Servan, Paris, St. Omer, Boulogne, and other places. One of the curiosities of French cricket relates to a match between Boulogne andSt. Omer played at Boulogne on August 15, 1833, wherein Mr. Wettenhall, aged 63, four of his sons, and a grandson assistedthe home side, who proved successful by 63 runs. Concerning cricket at Dieppe, Mr. R. II. Wilkinson, who was of course began punctually, andawicket or two fell. When w'e had been playing a full half hour an aide rode up and requested us to begin, as it was hardly seemly to keep H. H.H. waiting so long. Of course, an explanation followed, and H.R.H. laughed heartily, being of a merry disposition, but I observed that she “ stole away ’ ’ from the field very shortly, leaving us an excellent lunch, with cham­ pagne, etc.” In expressing a desire to witness a match H.R.H. was but following