Cricket 1907

466 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Dec. 19, 1907. the example of the Duchesse de Noailles, who, in September, 1792, was present at the match at Brighton betweenMiddlesex and Brighton, having only a few days before escaped from France in male attire, and having been obliged during her voyage of fourteen hours to hide herself in the coil of a cable. One of the first English teams to visit France was that of 1846, which was composed largely of Nottingham players. Charles Brown, the famous old wicket-keeper, was of the'number, and on the Vauxhall Giound at Calais his skill in bowling behind his back was, to quote a contemporary account, “ much admired.” He delivered the ball, at a very great pace, by a sort of jerk, such as one sometimes sees practised when players are'tossing the ball to each other while wait­ ing for another man to come to the wicket. His performance has been celebrated in verse:— Hast heard the feat of Charlie Brown ? Behind his back he bowled ’em down At Calais, and hit Dover town. According to another account, however, he was less successful:— C. Brown he bowled behind his back, The batsman hoped to get a smack ; The umpire ’fcwas who got a crack. In subsequent years other teams from the Midlands visited the French capital, con­ cerning one of which Richard Daft, in his Reminiscences of Cricket , told an amusing story. “ Old Hickling, who for many years kept the Trent Bridge Inn and Ground after old Clarke’s time,” he wrote, “ was an immensely fat man. He accompanied the team which Sir Robert Clifton took to Paris . . . . as umpire, and greatly* astonished the Frenchmen by his corpulence and size. They always spoke of him as ‘ de John Bull ’ and could not but believe that he was padded all over, and used to walk round him like a farmer inspecting cattle at a show. Hickling during his Parisian visit was, I have been told, much disgusted with the French living, and his being utterly unacquainted with the language made him still more irritable. He missed the large joints of beef and mutton which he was accustomed to see on his own table at home. ‘ Come over to England, confound you ! ’ he is said to have exclaimed to an unfortunate waiter on one occasion, ‘ and we'll show you how to live— and how to die, too! ’ he concluded, thinking probably of Waterloo.” Although the game has been played in Paris since that time by several well-known clubs, including the M.C.C., I Zingari, and Butterflies, cricket in the Bois de Boulogne generally strikes one as being almost as out of place as a dolphin in a sentry-box. For some inscrutable reason the French have never taken kindly to the game, and it may well be doubted whether there has ever lived a Frenchman who really understood the finer points of the pastime. When the M.C.C. played in Paris in 1867 a native said to the late Bob Fitzgerald at the conclusion of the match, “ It is a truly mag­ nificent game, but I cannot understand why you do not engage a servant to field for you instead of having so much running about to do yourself.” Perhaps it was the same gentleman who, in a Parisian article on cricket, thus described i t : “ The bowler, grasping the ball in the right hand, watches for the favourable moment when the attention of the batsman is distracted, and then launches it at him with incredible force ; the batsman, however, is on the alert; he strikes it to an enormous height, and immediately runs.” Mr. Philip Norman, in the Annals of the West Kent C.C ., tells how “ On one occasion the Bickley Park Club was playing Becken­ ham, when the Emperor (Napoleon III.), Empress, and Prince Imperial drove on to the ground. Shortly afterwards W. H. Wathen (strange to relate) happened to bowl a half-volley, which the batsman, W. Mc­ Cormick, hit hard and high to where ‘ long- on ’ was fielding near the boundary. To the delight and astonishment of the Imperial party, who happened to be close by, he brought off the catch. There was much applause, and in a few moments one of the gentlemen-in-waiting, hat in hand, delivered a message from the Emperor to ‘ Jong-on ’ thanking him very much for his performance, and asking him to bo so kind as to do it again. Only once can I call to mind having seen the Emperor at a Chislehur^t cricket match, where Frederick Edlmann was presented to him, and he came and sat down in the tea tent. In the course of conversation, which was in English, it is remembered that he asked whether the match was being played for money, on which Edlmann answered in his most dignified manner, *No, sire, for honour.’ A quainter reply was that made on a similar occasion to a member of the Imperial suite. The latter, who spoke French only, was also watching a match, our champion linguist being told off to explain matters to him. When the innings came to an end and all the performers quitted the ground, the French gentleman asked the reason, and appeared slightly puzzled on receiving the explanation ‘ Parceque la balle a frappe la vicquette, et les batsmen se trouvent dehors.’ This Anglo-French was matched by a specimen of Franco-English for which the secretary of Camden must have been responsible. Mr. G. W. Norman, of Bromley Common, had shown some small attention to the Imperial family, and received a note of thanks addressed to ‘ Sir Norman, Bromley Commune ’ which is still, perhaps, in existence.” At the present time the be9t-known cricket club in France is the Standard Athletic, which has frequently toured in this country. It was founded in 1892 by Mr. P. H. Tomalin, its present president and captain, and on October 5th last held its sixteenth annual dinner at the Palais Royal. Asked whether he would kindly furnish some information respecting the club’s history for the benefit of Cricket readers, Mr. Tomalm replied:— “ The Club is composed almost exclusively of British members, the active ones of whom are generally transitory in France. By law we could be compelled to admit French, but very few Parisians—not more than five or six—have joined us. The object of the Club is the promotion of athletic sports, running, cricket, football, cycling, etc., but especially cricket and football. It also serves the useful and pleasant purpose of banding together any Englishmen with athletic tendencies who may chance to find themselves in Paris. A great difficulty was experienced in procuring our ground, for land anywhere near Paris is very valuable. Our head­ quarters are at the Champ de Courses, at Chantilly—about three-quarters of an hour’s journey from the city—and there we have practically everything we could desire, including a really good turf wicket. The Stade FranQais, who have toured in England more than once, possess a beautiful ground in the Parc du Faisanderie at Saint Cloud, but they, being a French club, were more fortunate than the Standard A.C., for they received Government aid in securing their quarters. All the British Ambassadors who have been appointed here since our formation have been Patrons of the Club: the present one is Sir Francis Bertie, and Lord North- cliffe is our Hon. President.” “ How many times has the Standard A.C. toured in England ? ” “ The first of the regular tours was in 1901, when we played a series of matches in Nottinghamshire. Since then we have visited Kent, Southampton district, Kent again, Hampshire, Kent Coast, and Sussex in turn, our arrangements having generally been made by Mr. Alcock, who was always ready to help us in every way. On these tours we were frequently assisted by members who had joined us whilst in Paris but had since returned to England and settled down, and it would bedifficult to exaggerate the pleasure such, reunions cause. Many people have imagined our team to be composed of French­ men, and have in consequence been somewhat surprised when they have met us. Perhaps my surnamemay have been partly responsible for this, for it is not a common one ; but I am a full-blooded Englishman, born in Kensington. One of the most amusing experiences we had in this way was at Fort Burgoyne a few years ago, when Major D’Aeth, out of compliment to us, caused the band to strike up the Marseillaise as we took the field. In addition to these tours we have played in various parts of France, to reach which has often involved along and fatiguing journey—to Bordeaux, for instance.” “ Do you think cricket will ever be taken to seriously by Frenchmen ? ” “ I fear not. In the first place, a match occupies practically a whole day, and very few could be found willing to devote so much of their time to a single game. Some there are who take kindly to batting and biwling but lose enthusiasm when it comes to a long leather-hunting under a hot sun. The French are good at Rugby football, but few of them have succeeded in mastering the intricacies of the summer game. A very fair amount of cricket is played over here—we have had a cricket league for the past nine years—but the very great majority of the players areEnglish. It would be a good thing for the game here if some really good teams, like the Oxford Authentics, Free Foresters, or Old Malvernians, would occasionally visit us. They might experience little difficulty in defeating us, but some of our clubs would undoubtedly benefit by playing such games, for it is always possible to learn something by meeting stronger teams than one’s own. Our hours of play are from one o’clock until half-past six without a break. Originally we commenced at eleven, but, finding that the luncheon interval gradually became longer and longer, it was considered advisable to change to the hours named.” In Mr. Tomalin the Standard A.C. are fortunate to possess one who is ever ready to do his utmost for the advancement of English sport, and it was no mere empty compliment when, in 1900, the French Government presented him with a diploma as a mark of appreci ttion, for he is the only Englishman who has ever been so honoured. When it is stated that he is afftctionately known as tho “ Father of the French Football Association, ” and that the Standard A.C. has frequently carried off the French Football Championship, it will readily be understood thatMr. Tomalin is a great believer in the benefit to be derived ■from the two great national games of England. Threat I h F. S. A.-C. R IGHARD DAFT’S “ Nottinghamshire Marl.”— Particulars apply, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts. fADVT.