Cricket 1907

.A pril 25, 1007. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 91 T he batting performances of W. L. Taylor, a member of the Briars Club, of South Australia, during the past season call for special notice. In all he batted 10 times, scoring 555 runs, and averaging 138*75. His scores were as follows :—32 not out, 64, 12 not out, 32, 75 not out, 27, 52 not out, 49 cot out, 102 not out, 110. F rom the Star : — Lord Dalmeny has joined the Aero Club, and made his first balloon trip on Saturday, but we are assured that he will not entirely desert the Oval for the sphere. M r . F . L. F a n e , owing to business claims, has found it impossible to under­ take to play regularly this season for Essex and has, therefore, resigned the captaincy of the Eleven. The Committee hnv- appointed Mr. C. H. McGahey, the senior amateur of the team, as his succefsor. S e v e r a l correspondent* have written pointing out that in the Chat with Mr. Colman, which appeared in last week’s issue, an expression was used which might lead one to suppose that in the Test match at the Oval in 1880 the England side was captained by “ W. G.” The team was, of course, under the leader- thip of Lord Harris. CR ICKET IN INDIA. MADRAS v. OOTACAMUND. Played at Ootacamund on March 30 and April 1, and won by the home side by an innings and 23 runs. Plumer and Copeland made 179 together for the first wicket of Ootacamund. Score:— M adras . First innings. Second innings. R. H. Shipley, b Buckloy... 25 c Standen, b Buckley......... 2 H. Leipmann, c Copeland, b Buckley ........................ 3 absent................. S. D. Pears, e and b Hamil­ ton ............................... 75 b Copeland.......... 31 C. H. Richards, c Pierce, b c Buckley,b Cope­ Hamilton ... ................ 11 land ................. 7 J. D. Cosens, c Prest, b c Illington, b Copeland ........................ 32 Kindcrsley ... 43 P.M.Lusliington, c Plumer, b Hamilton ................. 0 b Copeland......... 0 A. B. Jackson, b Hamilton 9 b Kindersley ... 3 H. Bayley, b Copeland 4 not out .......... 14 C. de la Hey, b Hamilton... 2 clllington, b Kin­ dersley ......... 8 C. D. Carmichael, c Plumer, c Buckley,b Cope­ b Copeland........................ 3 land ......... 17 C. Brooke-Leggatt, not out 0 b Copeland... ... 3 Extras ................. 7 Extras ... 18 Total .................171 Total......... 146 O otacamund . C. G. Plumer, b Jack­ son .........................113 Capt. F. Copeland, c Shipley, b de la Hey 83 Major Milner, b Jack­ son ........................ 7 W. Prest, c Richards, b Jackson...................26 E.Kindersley,cCosens, b Jackson................ 37 Major Illington, cdela Hey, b Jackson ... 0 W. M. Standen, lbw, b de la Hey ..........32 Col. Mackenzie Ken­ nedy, bJackson ... 3 L. E. Buckley, c Bay- ley, b Jackson ... 6 Major Picrce,b Cosens 26 A. F. Hamilton, not out .............. . ... 0 Extras ......... 7 Total ...340 SOUTH AFRICAN NOTES. On December 21st, 1888, English and South African cricketers faced each other for the first time. The match, which was between Major Warton’s team and X X II. of Western Province, was played at Cape Town, and resulted in the defeat of the Englishmen by 17 runs. It was not until 1894, however, that the first team from South Africa toured England. Major Warton’s trip lasted 146 days, during which time 16,975 miles were covered—13,003 by steamer, 754 by coach or cart, and 2,218 by railway. The game, of course, had been popular in the Colony for many years previous, but the play had not reached a suffi- ciently-high standard of excellence to warrant a team being sent out from the old country to test it. The first hundred known to have been made in South Africa was by a Mr. Taylor, who scored 110 not out for Civilians of Cape Town against the Military. The match took place on the pretty ground at Wynberg in January, 1842, and Mr. Taylor went in first and carried out his bat. Since the visit of Major Warton’s team South African cricket has improved by leaps and bounds. When the M.C.C. team went out under the captaincy of Mr. P. P. Warner in 1905-6, five test matches were played, and of these the Englishmen lost four and won only one. The England side was certainly not the strongest which could have been selected, but the victories gained by the South Africans were nevertheless full of merit, and will cause the greatest interest to centre in the three Test matches which are to be played in England this summer. What the results of these three matches will be is a question upon which opinion is much divided. On their own grounds, and especially at Johannesburg, the South Africans appeared invincible, but it must not be forgotten that out there matches are played on matting, whilst over here they take place on grass ; and there is an enormous difference between playing on matting and turf. The South Africans have been invited to practise at Lord’s, and, as they do not open their tour until the 13th prox. at Leicester, they should have plenty of time in which to get into form. The colours of the side are green with an old gold stripe, with a springbok on the pocket of the blazer and on the cap. The average age of the team is only 28. But who are the men who will be entrusted to maintain the cricketing supremacy of the South Africans ? For it must be remembered that at the present time our visitors, by their series of suc­ cesses against the M.C.C.’s team, alluded to above, are in possession of the “ Ashes.” Probably the best-known member of the side on English grounds is J. H. Sinclair, who stands 6 ft. 4 in., and is one of the best all-round cricketers ever pro­ duced by South Africa. He was born at Cape Town on October 16th, 1876, and bas for many years been recognised as the best all-round player in the Colony. To his credit stands the highest inningg ever played in South Africa—301 not out for Villagers v. lioodeport, at Johannes­ burg, in February, 1897. His bitting is at times tremendous: thus, for South Africa against the Australians, in Novem­ ber, 1902, he hit ten 6’s and eight 4’s in an innings of 104 at Cape Town. He is, too, a fine field at mid-off, as well as a very good medium-paced bowler. He has represented the Transvaal since 1892, and is now making his third visit to England. L. J. Tancred. like Sinclair, visited England in 1901 and 1904. He is a member of a well-known family of cricketers, and was born on October 7th, 1876. At one time it was considered that he would ba unable to come on account of illness, but he made a rapid and complete recovery, and his presence will strengthen the side greatly. Although his attitude at the wicket is very unusual, owing to his crouching position, he makes a lot of runs. During the tour of 1904 he scored 1,640 runs and averaged 48'23 an innings, his highest effort being 250 against Scotland, at Edinburgh. He learnt the game at St. Aidan’s, Grahams- town, and at Kimberley, and has played for the Transvaal since 1898 and for South Africa since 1901. He generally goes iu first with Shalders. P. W. Sherwell, who will probably captain the side, was bom in Natal in 1880, and is one of several brothers who have met with success at the game. It was under his captaincy that the South Africans gained their victories over the M.O.C.’s team eighteen months ago. In one of the triumphs he took a very prominent part, going in last man when 45 runs were required and, with Nourse, successfully obtaining the number. He is a fine batsman, using his wrists well, and can keep wicket better than anyone else to Schwarz’s leg-break bowling. He has played for the Transvaal sines 1903. A. D. Nourse, of Natal, undoubtedly the best all-round cricketer on the side, was born at Croydon, in Surrey, in 1876, and has lived in South Africa since 1895. He is stated to be the finest left-handed batsman who has ever played in the Colony, excelling Llewellyn, who for some years past has played for Hamp­ shire under the residential qualification. His best strokes are the square-cut and the hook. His left-handed bowling, medium to fast, breaks both ways and obtains him many wickets. He is, more­ over, a very sound field. In the recent Currie Cup Tournament he headed the batting averages with the high figure of 98,16, his largest score being 212 against Griqualand West. He will probably make several large scores over here, although this is his first tour. M. Hathorn, who has played for the Transvaal (of which he is Captain) since 1898 and for South Africa since 1901, was born on April 7th, 1878, and has therefore only quite recently completed his twenty-ninth year. He visited Eng­ land in 1901 and 1904, and during his first tour had the distinction of heading the averages with 35'95, his highest score being 239 against Cambridge University.