Cricket 1908

A p r il 30 , 190 8. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 99 CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. The cover of this ball is constructed upon an improved system which ensures increased durability. The materials and workmanship are of the highest class, and there can be no doubt whatever that the first grade is the most desirable Match Ball that can be produced. CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. The construction of the Demon Drivers is fully described in 7 he Evolution of a Cricket Bat, which may be obtained free upon applica­ tion to GEO. G. BUSSEY & Co.. L td .. 36 & 38, Queen V ictoria St., LONDON. Manufactory — Timber Mills — PECKHAM, S.E. EI.M SW ELL, SUFFOLK. Agents all over the world. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. THE M.C.C. TEAM IN By F. S. A s h le y - C o o p e r . NOTEWORTHY EVENTS OF 1907. (Continued fto m Page 83.) Somers<t v. South Africans, at Bath, August 29 , 30 , and 31 .—On the second day S. J. Snooke ( 157 ) scored 108 out of 189 in two houis before lunch. In the second innings of the South Africans C. G. White made 33 (out of 51 ) in fifteen minutes, and the last six wickets put on 159 in five minutes over the hour. Sussex v. Gloucestershire, at Hastings, August 29 , 30 , and 31 .—In the first innings of Gloucestershire G. L. Jt3sop wade 119 out of 156 in seventy-five minutes, fcoring off fifty-four of the ninety-three balls he received, and reaching 50 in thirty-five minutes and 100 (out of 136 ) in sixty-three minutes. Whilst Board (J. H.) was making his ?ast 5 runs G. L. Jessop scored 78 , 54 of th<m off the reel. The pair added 138 for the fourth wicket in sixty-five minutes. In the second innings of Sussex C. B. Fry made 70 out of 103 in one hundr.d and five minutes, reaching 50 out of 66 in sixty-five minutes, and K. O. Goldie punished Dennett (G.) for 29 in two overs. Northamptonshire v. Essex, at North­ ampton, August 29 , 30 , and 31 .—In the first innings of Essex Reeves (W .) scored 64 out of 96 in eighty minutes. Surrey v. Leicestershire, at the Oval> September 2 , 3 , and 4 .—Hayes (E. G.) ( 157 ) made 100 out of 144 in one hundred and five minutes for Surrey, scoring his second 50 out of 56 in thirty-five minutes. He and Smith (W. C.) added 62 for the tenth wicket in twenty minutes. M.C.C. and Ground v. South Africans, at Lords, September 2 , 3 , and 4 . —A .E . Lawton ( 89 ) and B. S. Foster (86) added 169 for the M.C.C.’s seventh wicket in eighty - five minutes. Yorkshire v. M.O.C. and Ground, at Scar­ borough, September 2 , 3 , and 4 .—In the fiist innings of the County ( 63 ) the last four wickets ft-11 with the score unaltered. Gentlemen of South v. Player* of South, at Histings, September 2 , 3 , and 4 .—In the second innings of the former 6 . L. Jessop made 191 out of 234 in ninety minute*, and with C. P. McGahey ( 17 ) add’ d 108 for the fourth wicket in thirty-five minut s, claiming 89 of the 103 runs made from the bat duiing the partnership. He hit five 6’s andthirty 4 ’s, and reached 50 in twenty-four minutes, 100 in forty-two and 150 in sixty-three. He made 66 of the 77 runs added with E. N. E. Blaker ( 10 ) for the fifth wicket in thirty-five minutes, and scored 2'i (a 6 and five 4 ’s) off an over from Keif (A. E.). In all, the Gentlemen of the South scored 313 in their second innings in one hundred and forty minutes. An England E'even v. South Africans, at Scarborough, September 9 , 10 , and 11 .—In the first innings of the former G. A. Faulkner, in bowling Haigh (S.), smashed the middle stump, and, as it was found impossible to replace it owing to the temporaly absence of the ground-man, it was decided to take the tea interval rather earlier than had been originally intended. T he E n d . R ICHARD DAFT’S “ Nottinghamshire Mail. — Particulars apply, Radcliffe-on-Trent, Noite. [A dvt , AUSTRALIA. (C on tin lied fr o m fa g e S j.) R e v ie w a n d S t a t is t ic s o f th e T o u r . When the English team sailed for Aus­ tralia last September the opinions ex­ pressed concerning its prospects of winning the rubber in the Test matches varied con­ siderably. Some critics there were who were sanguine enough to prophesy a triumphal progress for the side, whilst on the other hand there were those who took a pessimistic view. Notwithstanding that the tour has passed into history, it is probable that the merits of the team will be debated for many years to come, though, seeing that four of their matches against Australia were lost, the tour must be re­ garded as a failure. The side had to con­ tend with many misfortunes. First, and chiefly, there was the loss through illness of A. O. Jones, which deprived them of a fine batsman, a splendid field, and a leader capable of infusing any amount of confi­ dence and enthusiasm into his men. It would, in fact, be difficult to over-estimate the extent to which his absence handicapped the team. Then Humphries had to go into hospital, and several of the side, including Crawford, Barnes, Fielder and Blythe, were at various times incapacitated, whilst the abnormally hot weather handicapped the team severely. It may be argued that the Australians have triumphed over the meteorological conditions over here, and that therefore our men should have done so in Australia ; but there is nothing in our climate so trying to contend with as the great heat alluded to. Furthermore, the itinerary was not well arranged. Although there was only one match against cdds, the games did not fit in well; the first match with South Australia was unexpectedly finished, but drawn games were played against Victoria, An Australia XI., Tas­ mania, A Victorian X I., New South Wales, South Australia, and West Australia, whilst the side were obliged to travel from Ade­ laide to Tasmania and from Sydney to Ade­ laide, missing Melbourne each time, ar.d the second and third Test matches certainly came too close together. South Australians thought that the match against An Aus­ tralian XI., instead of taking place in Bris­ bane, should have been given to Adelaide, and one can sympathise with their point of view, especially as the Adelaide season, for some inscrutable reason, opened later than usual, and as neither Victoria nor New South Wales, owing to the presence in Australia of the English team, visited the South Australian capital ; but, on the other hand, it may be pointed out that Queens­ land is coming to the front, and that the allocation of such a match to Brisbane would probably do much to increase the in­ terest in cricket in that State, and that, as it was, the Englishmen played three times in Adelaide and only twice in Brisbane. Hayes, unfortunately, could not run into form. He certainly made 53 and 98 in successive innings and might well, on the strength of such success, have been played in the second Test match. But he was not chosen, and, as it happened, he did little afterwards. The only stroke of for­ tune—a great stroke—which befell the side was that George Gunn chanced to be win­ tering in Australia for the benefit of his health. Included at the last moment in the side in the first Test match, he scored 119