Cricket 1908

122 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 7, 1908 proved. The fast bowlers are faster, so much faster that it is practically impos­ sible for them to bowl a bad length ball. Nothing which they pitch between an imaginary line drawn half-way up the wicket and the popping crease is without danger, physical or otherwise, to the bats­ man. The medium-pace bowlers make the ball do more when it touches ground, and are infinitely cleverer at varying its flight through the air. There are few slow bowlers left, but they have proved their fitness by their survival. It is commonly alleged that there has been a loss of mechanical accuracy of length in first-class bowling, but on wet wickets where that accuracy is sufficient to get men out any county team can produce bowlers who will knock the top off the pitch at the right place and in short time. Yet, in spite of the improvement in bowling, batting aver­ ages have grown, and seem likely to grow bigger. The art of batting was for years prevented from developing by the super­ stition that the right foot ought not to be moved. The superstition produced the greater effect because it was founded on a half truth. It was right to teach young cricketers that the right foot ought rvot to be used for purposes of retreat towards short-leg, but the wrongness of insisting on a stationary right foot under all cir­ cumstances is proved by the fact that ‘ quick-footed ’ was always used as the highest possible term of praise about Mr. A. G. Steel. What the majority of cricketers failed to learn from him they have learnt from K. S. Ranjitsinhji, and now nine men out of ten step across with the right foot to play their defensive strokes. Consequently, the wickets even of bowlers and wicketkeepers are far more difficult to obtain. The one point which makes first-class cricket a less good game than it used to be is that it has become too much of a business. Few amateurs have sufficient leisure to give up prac­ tically the whole of the summer to playing cricket, and few are sufficiently good to get an occasional place in a County team. Selection Committees, rightly or wrongly, think that it is better to encourage a player who, though possessed of slightly less natural ability, can devote his whole summer to developing it. This state of affairs has had a most beneficial effect on cricket other than that which is called first- class. Men whose natural aptitude fits them to take part in the latter play, and prefer to play, in games which do not form the subject of stop-press telegrams. Coun­ try-house cricket, for example, is some­ thing very different from what it was when the first duty of the rival captains was to see that everybody got a bowl. Now many country-houses have attached to them grounds so good that the average man is not particularly keen to show up his bowl­ ing, and on them the game is played as keenly as it is anywhere. At the same time the importance of the result is not so great as to lead to unnecessary and annoying appeals against the light.” In the match Lansell's United v. Eagle- hawk, at Bendigo, in March, Elliott, for the former, took six wickets for 2 runs, bowling throughout an innings which realised 51. He is a left-hander. T h e Sportsman of Monday last pub­ lished the following letter from M. A. Noble, who had been asked whether, in view of the possibility of an Imperial cricket contest between England, Australia, and South Africa, he thought Australians would be in favour of all the Test matches being played to a finish :— 203, Macquarie Street, Sydney. March 25th, 1908. Dear Sir, I am in receipt of your letter of Feb­ ruary 13 in regard to duration of “ Test” matches and triangular games between England, South Africa, and Australia. In reply I may say that cricketers out here are not favourably inclined to the triangular proposal now being put forward. In regard to “ Test” games, players out here consider such important fixtures should hear some result, and consequently should be played to a finish, and this view is concurred in by the writer. Faithfully yours, M. A. N o b l e . The triangular scheme has created so little enthusiasm in Australia that it appears un­ likely that the suggested Tournament will take place next year. F o r Freeling v. Wasleys, at Wasleys (South Australia) on March 21st, V. H. Hese scored 43 in a total of 108 and after­ wards took all ten wickets of the opposition for 24 runs, including the hat-trick. I u n d e r s t a n d that C. Dwyer, of Fitzroy, sailed for England in the Salamis on April 1st. Another cricketer bound for this country is Wilkinson, a good all-round player and wicket-keeper, who has served on the Melbourne C.C. ground-staff. G. S. Crouch, of Queensland, will also arrive in England during the next few days, but, I believe, with no idea of qualifying for a county. Very possibly he will prove a recruit for “ W .G .’s” useful band at the Crystal Palace. “ A r e m a r k a b le bowling and batting feat was performed by J. Jarrett, of Port Augusta, on March 26th,” writes the Port Augusta correspondent of the Adelaide Observer, “ when playing for the Port Augusta Juniors against Quorn Juniors. Quorn went first to the wickets, but were all out for 9, Jarrett taking eight wickets without a run being scored off him. The Ports made 97, Jarrett again doing well, and scoring 53 not out. Jarrett is 19 years old, and shapes extremely well with bat and ball.” B y securing a draw in their match against Adelaide, on April 4th, North Ade­ laide gained the pennant for 1907-8, with the fine record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and 3 drawn games. Adelaide and East Torrens are level on points, but the former takes second position, having the better figures. Sturt is fourth, with 10 points, while Port Adelaide and West Torrens, who are each minus five points, stand together at the bottom. W. A. Hewer heads the Asso­ ciation’s batting list, with an average of 70.5 ; E. H. Leak is second, L. W. Cham­ berlain third, and C. B. Jennings fourth. The last-named scored the highest aggre­ gate for the season, viz., 580 runs, and Chamberlain is next, with 537. The veteran, J. C. Reedman, heads the bowl­ ing, with 25 wickets for an average of i 3 ' 76 , and N. Claxton is next, with 17 wickets at a cost of 14.05 runs a-piece. A. W. Wright secured the most wickets for the year, 30 for 16.40. T h e Sportsman states that a persistent report prevails in Hampshire cricket circles, and is generally believed to be well founded, that C. B. Fry will play for the county this season. It was even expected that he would turn out against Surrey to­ day, although his name was not included among those advertised. Nothing concern­ ing the matter, however, appears to be known in Brighton. A r t h u r H o w a r d , who played a not-out innings of 59 in the Oxford Seniors’ Match on Tuesday, is a left-handed batsman and was educated at Haileybury, where he was in the Eleven. He is qualified by residence for Sussex—his birth-place, I believe, was Kent—and is a younger son of Mr. Ebenezer House, Bexhill’s first Mayor, whose Cricket Fortnight at Birchinglon House will be recalled with great pleasure by all those who have taken part in it, and who is the leading spirit in connec­ tion with the development of the model vil­ lage of Letchworth, near Hitchin, in Herts. Hampstead will have special reason to remember Birchinglon House, inasmuch as it was there that G. A . S. Hickson made two separate hundreds for them and that in the following year their bowlers, who included Spofforlh, were punished to the tune of nearly 600, A. E. Clark hit­ ting tremendously for his score of over 200. Jt was on the Birchinglon ground that I saw Arthur Howard, when only 17 years of age, play an innings of 160 against a strong team representing Hastings Club and Ground. He is also a very useful change bowler, and, if his merits are fully recognized, should be given a trial before long in first-class cricket. The London and Westminster Bunk C.C. wish to arrange a match or matches in the vicinity of Eastbourne for June 5th and 6th.—Apply, S. Bennett, Hon. Sec., L. & W. B. C.O., 41, Lothbury, E'.C. The AMERICAN CRICKETER. F o u n d e d 1877. Published by H. H. Cornish on behalf o f The Associated Cricket Clubs o f Philadelphia. K.n Hlustrated Journal of Cricket, Association, Football, Tennis, Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 632, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, P a ., U .S ../. p r ic e :— 10/- per annum , post paid anyw here. Specimen copies mailed on ruqi est.