Cricket 1908

J an . 30, 1908. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 9 In celebration of the event an evening newspaper published the following curious placard:— SURREY MEN IN FORM. TERROR IN RUSSIA. The two players would evidently do well to remember the advice given to S im Weller by Mr. Justice Stareleigh : “ You had better be careful, sir ! ” T h e Eoglishmen, after their wearying experiences in the Test matches at Mel­ bourne and Adelaide, regarded their visit to Tasmania in the light of a holiday trip. Although the State was outplayed in each game, its performances will compare favourable with those of Western Aus­ tralia, South Australia, New South Wales, snd Queensland against the same side. I t has been officially announced that the West Australian Cricket Association A t a meeting of the Maidstone Urban Council on December 23rd an offer was received from Sir Marcus Samuel to con­ tribute £ 1,000 towards the cost of level­ ling the Mote Park Cricket Ground, provided that the town of Maidstone also found £1,000. It was decided to vote £500 out of the rates, and to make a public appeal for the Dmainder. It is thought that the levelling of the ground will ensure a c'icket week for the town. The work, which was commenced on December 30.h, is being done by the unemployed, and is expected to take 200 men nine or ten weeks to complete. I n The Letters o f Samuel Reynolds Hole, Dean o f Rochester, recently published by George Allen and Sons, will be found a few references to cricke*-. O ie such is contained in this New Year’s greeting to a brother priest:— “ Mens sana in corpore sano to you and yours in 1875. May there be no grub in your roses, but abundance in your larder! May you handle bow , bat, and breach-loader as deftly as ever, and be as earnest and true page 44 of the first volum e: — “ A great change in Bute’s life was made in 1747 through a chance meeting with Frederick, Prince of Wales. The Earl was then staying at Richmond, and one day his neighbour, an apothecary, drove him over to Moulsey Hurst to see a cricket match that had been organized by the Prince. It came on to rain, the game had to be stopped, and Frederick retired to his tent, proposing a rubber of whist to while away the time until the weather should clear. Only two other players could he found, hut someone espied Bute in the carriage and, learning that he could play, invited him to make up the table. The Prince, who had never before met him, was charmed with his manners, and invited him to Kew. “ How often do great events arise from trifling causes,” exclaims the worthy hut sententious Seward. “ An apothe­ cary keepinghis carriage may have occasioned the Peace of Paris, the American War, and the National Assembly in France.” In the same work it is stated that one of the mistress; s of the cricket-loving Prince was “ Lady Middlesex, who, although not good- looking, was the possessor of many accom­ plishments ; but she had to be content to (From a photograph by Mr. li. Leigh Ibbs, o f the Hmipsiead C.C.) THE ADELAIDE SCORING-BOARD, SHOWING THE RECORD OF THE FOUR HUNDREDS MADE BY ENGLAND IN THEIR INNINGS AGAINST SOUTH AUSTRALIA. lost £12 14s. lid . by the visit of the M .C .C .’s team to Perth. The amount spent in advertising the game was only £36 3s., and this is considered in some quarters as chiefly responsible for the loss. The receipts amounted to £500 10s., and the expenditure to £513 4s. lid . M r . J. N . C k a w f o r d , who celebrated his twenty-first birthday whilst in Bris­ bane, was presented by the Queensland Cricket Association with a handsome 6ilver-mounted stick, suitably inscribed. The stick was made from a very rare species of palm, obtainable in only one district in Australia, and to secure which the Association had to send over a thou­ sand miles. I t was originally arranged that, after playing their return match with Western Australia, the English team should at once sail for home. The Boulder City Advancement Association, however, have given a guarantee of £300 to ensure a match at Kalgoorlie after the conclusion of the game at Perth. withal in all the duties of your active, useful life.” Unless my memory deceives me, the Dean was for almost, if not quite, half a century a member of the Free Foresters. A c c o r d i n g to the terms of the will of the late Mr. V. E. Walker, the old Southgate Cricket Ground has been handed over b y Mr. R . D . Walker to trustees for the use of c ’ icket for ever. Tne ground is ten acres in extent and is valued at £ 10,000. M r . E. M . C r o s s e , who succeeded Mr. T. Horton in the captaincy of the Northamptonshire Eleven last year, has been compelled to resign ow ing to the heavy demands of business. The position will be taken up b y Mr. T. E . Manning, who has a birth qualification. In a biography of George III. by Lewis Melville, recently published under the title of Farmer George, the follow ing reference to cricket is to be found on share his affections with Miss Granville and various opera dancers and singers.” The above was the w ife of the E itl of Middlesex, who played for Kent in 1734 and 1735 and became 2nd Duke of Dorset in 1765. H is portrait can be seen in the History o f Kent County Cricket. E . H. D . S tw E L L , who has been appointed coach to the young players at the Oval, has had a curious career. Born in India and educated at Bedford, he established a name for himself as a cricketer in his native land and subse­ quently returned to England and qualified for Essex as a professional. He afterwards played as an amateur, and seemed to drop out of the game all too soon. T h e recently-published balance-sheet of the Gloucestershire County C.C. shows a loss on the year’s working of £70 8s. 5d. The money taken at the gates amounted to £2,111, but only £988 was received from subscriptions. The most remuner­ ative match was that at Bristol with pwooes | j. :T0TAL6 E0