Cricket 1907

42 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M arch 28, 1907. A t a meeting presided over by Senator Nield, at Sydney, on January 23rd, the following resolution was adopted :— That this meeting of cricketers and sup­ porters of cricket affirms that the discon­ tinuance of the disqualifications imposed upon leading players hy the New Eolith Wales Cricket Association is injurious to the best interests of cricket, and the disqualifications should be forthwith removed. Senator Nield contended that the action of the Association had been neither just, sportsmanlike nor generous, and it was necessary that somebody should take steps to put an end to this most unsatis­ factory state of things. Another speaker held that the body who imposed the disqualification had the power to remove it. It was stated by Mr. J. W. Trickett, M.L.C. (President of the New South Wales Cricket Association), that had he been the chairman of the meeting that imposed the disqualifications he would have ruled the resolution out of order. It was decided to forward the resolution to the Association, and, if necessary, to hold a larger public meeting in the town- hall. SoMB fast scoring was recorded in a match played at Blackwood, South Australia, on January 28th, between Coromandel and Ramblers. The former made 381 for three wickets (H. J. Hum­ phreys, 202 not out) in 150 minutes, and then declared. The Ramblers, in response, scored 309 in 210 minutes, which shows that, altogether, 690 runs were made for thirteen wickets in exactly six hours. On the same day Bankville scored 80 in 20 minutes against Mount Torrens, on the latter’s ground. A t .the Annual General Meeting of the Kent' County C.C., held at the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross, on the 11th iast., it was announced that there was a profit of £1260 on the year’s working, apart from £380 expended on special items. The Lord Chancellor (Lord Loreburn), better known to cricketers as R. T. Reid, was elected President for 1907. The official History o f Kent County Cricket, which Messrs. Eyre and Spottis- woode have in hand, will be published about the 1st of May at a guinea. The volume, which|will consist of 470 large quarto pages, will contain about 130 illustrations. THE 1st Baron Loreburn (Sir Robert Threshie Reid), the Lord Chancellor, who has been elected President of the Kent County C.C. for 1907, was born at Corfu, Ionian Islands, on April 3rd, 1846, and was educated at Cheltenham, where he was in the Eleven in 1862-63- 64; he afterwards gained high honours as an athlete at Oxford. For many years he wasjM .P. for Dumbartonshire. He was raised to the Peerage in 1905. It has been decided that the decoration of the chancel in Christ Church, South­ gate, shall be carried out as a memorial to the late Mr. Y. E. Walker. The estimated cost of the work is from £250 to £500. Subscriptions may be sent to Mr. John Miles, of Bourneside, South­ gate, who has accepted the hon. trea- surership of the fund, or be paid into the account of the Y . E. Walker Memorial Fund at the Southgate branch of the London and Provincial Bank. A t the Annual General Meeting of the Warwickshire County C.C., held at Birmingham on the 5th inst., the hon. treasurer stated that, except when the Australians were in England, the Club had not made a profit since 1898, and that during the last seven years the loss amounted to £4,000. The result of last season’ s matches was a loss of £877, whilst subscriptions fell off to the amount of almost £300. O n Monday, the loth prox., the Advisory County Cricket Committee will meet at Lord’s at 3 p.m., to attend to the following matters: - 1. T o receive a resolution of the Advisory County Cricket sub- Committee as follows : “ That any County which can obtain six home and home matches with first-class Counties shall rank as a first-class County.” 2. Registration of County cricketers. 3. To discuss, at the request of Gloucester­ shire, “ The question of each first-class County giving a percentage of the gate- money in their matches to the visiting team.” 4. Mr. Jessop will propose : “ That in the First-Class County Championship the method of apportioning points shall be 5 for a win and 2 deducted for a loss—drawn games not to count.” 5. Correspondence and other business. Notice of an amendment must be received by the Secretary of the M.C.C. at least one week prior to the meeting. At 4.30 p.m. on the same day a meeting of the Board of Control of Test Matches at Home will also be held at Lord’s. The following is the agenda :— 1. To consider the following resolution from Gloucestershire : ‘ ‘ That the Board of Control be asked to reduce the percentage of payment to the grounds where the Test matches are played.” 2. To appoint (a) a Selection sub-Com- mittee, (b) Trustees, and (c) Accountants. 3. Correspondence and other business. T h e Annual Meeting of the Leicester­ shire County C.C. was held at Leicester on the 13th inst. Regret was expressed at the retirement of Mr. C. E. de Trafford, who had captained the Eleven for many years, and good wishes were extended to Sir Arthur Grey Hazlerigg, 13th Bart., as his successor. There was a loss of £218 on the year’ s working. O n the same afternooD, at a meeting of the Yorkshire County C.C., at Leeds, Lord Hawke was elected Captain for the twenty-fifth year in succession. His Lordship, who was born on August 16th, 1860, played his first match for Yorkshire in 1881. R. O k a m , bowling for Petersham District against Callan Park Asylum, at the latter’s ground on January 26th, had 78 runs hit off five overs, most of them scored by B. J. Folkard (103) and W. S. Duff (70). Details of the ovars are: — 445544-444 . . 1— 45 . . .4 — 511w43 — 3 . 45 . . B. J. Folkard hit twenty 4’s and two 5’s, and W. S. Duff fourteen 4’s and one 5. It may be of interest to recall that in a match at Wiseton last year, between Wiseton and A. O. Jones’ X I., the Nottinghamshire captain was punished for 70 in three ovars by Sir T. C. O’Brien (216 not out) and G. J. V. Hopley (34). T h e following interesting item of Australian cricket history appeared recently in the Sydney M ail: — Gossiping in the pavilion on Monday, Senator Nield claimed to have delivered the first over-arm ball in New South Wales. In 1862, he said, he used to get a team together to play matches. The information was pub­ lished in the Sydney Mommy Herald at the time that bowling over-arm had been legalised. He went on to bowl in a match, and delivered high over-armers. The umpires and the captain objected, upon which he produced the cutting from the Herald containing the information. Senator Nield says he secured excellent results, and bowled six wides. To this I may add that, so far as I am aware, round-armed bowling was not introduced into New South Wales until the Australian (120 and 143) and Victori* (49 and 74) Clubs met at Sydney on March 7th, 1843. A report of the match stated :— The low scores obtained by the Victoria gentlemen were chiefly attributable to the unfair bowling of Mr. R. Still, who, in attempting the round-arm style, made a regular throw of it, which was very fast, and generally well-pitched balls, but the ground being very rough and hard, made it quite dangerous to stand against, and many of the Y.C.C. were crippled. The umpires, under­ standing very little of the game, omitted to call this unfair bowling until late in the game. It will not he allowed another time, but we hope fair round-arm bowling will be introduced into this colony. The names of Messrs. Still and Nield, as those of the pioneers of round-armed and over-armed bowling respectively in New South Wales, deserve a prominent place in the annals of Australian cricket. I n Australia the idea is general that, when next a team is sent over to England, Austin Diamond, of New South Wales, will be one of the first players chosen. Since he gained a place in first- class cricket he has made the following scores.'— ipoo-o. 22 v. Queensland, at Brisbane. 164 retired v. South Australia, at Adelaide. 15 v. South Australia, at Sydney. <)and !>7 v. Australian Eleven, at Sydney. 27 and 23 v. Victoria, at Sydney. 1900-7. 20 v. South Australia, at Adelaide. 15 and 02 v. Victoria, at Melbourne. 13S v. South Australia, at Sydney. 210 not out v. Victoria, at Sydney. He is a Yorkshireman by birth, but learnt the game in New South Wales. His fielding at mid-off is said to be superb.