Cricket 1908

I 3<5 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 14, 1908. H. GRADIDGE And SONS, Manufacturers o f all Requisites for Cncket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Hockey, Football, and all British Sports. PATENTEES AND SOLE MAKERS OF THE Used by all the Leading 1 Players. Made In Men's, Small Men’s, or College, 6, 5, 4, & 3 sizes. P r ic e L is ts F r e e o n A p p lica tion . Of all First-Class Outfitters and Dealers. Reblading a Speciality. Factory; A rtillery P lage , WOOLWICH. IMPORTANT NOTICE. Commencing with the Spring number of “ C r ic k e t ” the price of the journal w as permanently altered to ONE PENNY. The paper will continue to he conducted on the lines which have proved so successful during the past 26 years. With the Spring issue was presented to all readers the usual SUPPLEMENTARY SHEET, containing the revised First-Class Fixtures, with Portraits of some of the leading players of the day. THE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, post free, to all parts of the world is 3/9 per annum. The Subscription for the 24 Summer Numbers only 3/-, payable in advance. Subscribers who have prepaid at the old rate will have their subscriptions adjusted according to the new terms. G v i c h e t : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. 168 , UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E C. THURSDAY, MAY 1 4 T H , 1908. Pavilion Gossip. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. — Hamlet. D a v id D e n t o n , as was the case last year, has made the first century of the season. In 1907 his opening score was 149, made against the Gentlemen of Ire­ land, at Bray, and, curiously enough, it was his only three-figure innings in first-class cricket during the year. L a s t week’s match atNorthampton was noteworthy for many reasons. Ac­ cording to the official Yorkshire Year- Book, it was the one-thousandth match played by Yorkshire, the first being against Norfolk on the Hyde Park Ground, at Sheffield, in 1833, when Yorkshire won somewhat easily by 120 runs, notwithstanding that the redoub­ table Fuller Pilch was numbered amongst their opponents. Although marking such a notable event in their annals, York­ shire’s visit to Northampton in 1908 will always be chiefly recalled on account of the extraordinary collapse of the home side in each innings. To be disposed of for a two-innings aggregate of 42 is an event unparalleled in the whole history of first-class county cricket, and it is, I should imagine, very many years since so complete a collapse had been witnessed in any match of more than passing note. At the moment of writing only two such remarkable instances occur to me and they both refer to the pre-Victorian period, when wickets were generally rough and scores far smaller than is the case now. In 1800 Leicester were dismissed for 15 and 8 by Nottingham on the Leicester ground, and in 1827 Cambridge Univer­ sity—assisted by a professional !—disposed of Bury for 15 and 20 on Parker’s Piece. 12, Northants r. Gloucestershire, at Gloucester, June .................................1907 13, Notts v. Yorkshire, at Nottingham, June .........................................................1901 14, Notts v. 16 of Derbyshire, at Wirks- worth, September .................................1873 15, M.C.C. v. Surrey, at Lord’s, July ... 1839 15,+Victoria v. M.C.O.’s England Team, at Melbourne, February ........................... 1904 15t, Northants v. Yorks, at Northampton, May .........................................................1908 tSignifies that one man was absent. It will be seen that Northants appear twice' in the above list. Offices: 168 Upper Thames St., London, E.C. I n a sm u c h as they were without Pool, Driffield, and East, and Thompson (owing to an attack of lumbago) was unable to bat in either innings, Northants were not represented by their best team, but the performance on the part of Hirst and Haigh in dismissing them for aggregates of 27 and 15 was nevertheless remarkable. The ten smallest total scores obtained in great matches are now as follows :— 6, Kent v. The Bexley Club, (with Lord F. Beauclerck and J. Hammond), at Bow­ man’s Lodge, Dartford Heath, August 1805 6t, The B .’ b (with John Wells and Mr. J. Lawrell; v. England, at Lord’s, June 1810 11, Norfolk v. M.C.C. (with Wenman, Saunders and Lillywhite), at Dereham, August ..............................................................1831 12t, Oxford University v. M.O.C. and Ground, at Oxford, May .............1 ... 1877 B o t h Haigh and Hirst obtained such wonderful figures in last week’s match as to make the present an opportune time to set out briefly the most remarkable pieces of bowling by each since his introduction to first-class cricket :— (i).— H a ig h . Wkts. Runs. Year. 13 for 14 c Yorks v. Warks., at Sheffield 1907 8 — 21 „ v. Hants, at Southampton 1898 8 — 24 c „ v. Essex, at Sheffield 1903 7 — 13 & „ v. Warka., at Sheffield 1907 7 — 17 „ v. Surrey, at Leeds 1897 6 — 18 „ v. Derby, at Bradford 1897 6 — 19 ,, v. Northants, at Northants 1908 5 — 9 „ v. Essex, at Leyton 1907 5 — 13 a „ v. Essex, at Sheffield 1903 5 — 13 „ v. Cambs. Univ., at Cam. 1907 (ii).—H ibst . Wkts. Runs. Year. 12 for 19 e Yorks, v. Northants, at N ’th’p’toa 1908 *7 H 12 a i »» V- Es8ex* at Leyton 1901 7 — 16 „ v. Essex, at Harrogate 1895 7 — 18 ,, v. Leices., at Leeds 1906 7 — 21 ,, v. Leices., at Scarboro’ 1901 7 — 21 North v. South, at Hastings 1904 6 H 12 o | ▼« Northants, at N ’th ’p ’ton 1908 6 — 14 North v. South, at Hastings 1896 6 — 16, Yorks v. Sussex, at Sheffield 1892 5 — 9 „ v. Somerset, at Huddersf’d 1894 5 — 9 „ v. Australians, at Leeds 1902 5 — 11 „ v. Sussex, at Bradford 1901 5 — 12 „ v. Derby, at Leeds 1892 5 — 15 „ v. Worces., at Hull 1906 a, signifies first inns.; 6, second; and c, both. I was rather surprised to find that, prior to last week, Hirst and Haigh had never bowled unchanged together through both completed innings of a match for York­ shire. C r ic k e t e r s in all parts o f the country have experienced very fickle weather so far this season, brilliant sunshine alternating with heavy rain and an occasional fall of snow. “ Dagonet ” hits the situation off well in the following lines, which he en­ titles “ A Weather Warble ” ;— Hurrah for the heat wave of Saturday bright, And a cheer for the downpour of Sunday; A bumper, dear boys, to the darkness of night That preceded the blizzard of Monday. Of Tuesday the torrent, of Wednesday the snow, Of Thursday the fine and the dry day, We’ll merrily sing and let Boreas blow The dust through the sunshine of Friday, Let the wind roar, Our weather no more Is in need of the prayer of the Prim ate; Four seasons in one Little week take the bun, So hurrah for the bold British clim ate! One is becoming accustomed to associate cold and wet weather with May, but it is far better that the rain should come then than when the season is in full swing. W r it in g in the Westminster Gazette, P. F. Warner relates how he once asked an old Oxford Blue to play cricket for him. “ I never, if I can help it, play in the