Cricket 1908

\ 6 i CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a y 28 , 1908 . mence by giving each o'.her short catches, gradually increasing the distance. I played in a few Cane Hill matches, but not many. One day Banstead came over a man short, and I was pressed into the side. When 1 went in, last man, between thirty and forty runs were wanted, but I managed to score 16 and, C. H. Ransome making the balance, we pulled through by a wicket. They sent me a bat a day or two after­ wards, and I used it for seven or eight years.” “ How did you fare when you went to school? ” “ First of all I went to Eastbourne, but did not get my colours until my last year. At St. Winifred’s, Kenley, I was more fortunate, for I got into the Eleven the first season and remained there until I left. My cricket improved greatly just at that time, and during the two summers I was there I made 3,093 runs and took 366 wickets. In 1901, when playing against St. Anne’s School, Redhill, 1 managed to do a rather remarkable thing, playing an innings of 117 and taking nine of the ten wickets without a run ; if I remember rightly, they got out for 27, of which eighteen were byes off my bowl­ ing. For some time they had a practice at the School of presenting a bat to a player who distinguished himself in any way, but «Q,e day, much to my disappoint­ ment, I was told that they had decided not to give me any more as I had enough already.” “ Did you then proceed to Repton? ” “ I went there at half-term—the Christ­ mas half—and played in a few Under- Sixteen house-matches. In 1902, when there were ten old choices, I got into the Eleven, and, so far as I can recall, headed the bowling averages. We had a very good side just at that time, including Young and Morcom, who afterwards got their Blue at Cambridge, and W. H. Tw igg, a really good bat, who has since played for Staffordshire occasionally. Two masters, J. W. Stratton and K. A. Wood­ ward, paid much attention to our cricket and were always ready to help and encour­ age us in every way, and we had a very good professional in Handford, the old Notts player. There was net practice on every school-day from a-quarter past five until seven, and it was an understood thing that when a boy had finished batting or bowling he should practise fielding. On half-holidays, if we did not have a match, practice-games would be arranged in the senior one of which the masters, and some­ times the professional, would play.” “ You were still at Repton when in­ vited to play for Surrey? ” “ That was in 1904. My first match was against Kent in the Canterbury Week, when I took three wickets and scored 54 and 13. It was a rather heavy-scoring game, and Kent won by six wickets. Alto­ gether, I played nine times that season for Surrey, and when H. C. M ’Donell and I bowled unchanged throughout the match against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham it was said that we were the youngest pair of bowlers who had ever performed the feat in first-class cricket. Our united ages amounted to only thirty-eight years. In September I returned to Repton and was Captain of the Eleven the follow­ ing season, when we did not lose a match and drew only one. That was my last year at school. After I had left I played again for Surrey, and did so regularly in the following year? when I took part in the Centenary match at Lord’s between the Gentlemen and Players—the match in which Fielder took all our ten wickets in the first innings. In the autumn I received an invitation to form one of the M .C.C.’s team which it had been decided to send to South Africa during 1905-6.” “ Did you enjoy the trip? ” “ Very much indeed, but we should have been a happier band if we had not lost’ four of the five Test matches. Our bowling was not strong enough for our requirements, and the batting failed us at critical times. The South Africans owed their triumphs to their ‘ googly ’ bowling. On the matting wickets their deliveries broke about a foot, and at a great pace, and would sometimes pitch on the edge of the matting and then break in and just miss the leg-stump.” In all matches played during the tour Mr. Crawford scored 1,061 runs in twenty-seven com­ pleted innings, average 39.29, and took ninety-one wickets at a cost of 10.34 runs each, occupying second place in the batting statistics and first in the bowling. Against XVIII. of Queenstown he played an inn­ ings of 212. “ And what of your visit to Australia?” “ I think that, with a fair share of luck, and if our bowlers had not ‘ crocked,’ we should have proved equal to winning the rubber. At times our batting broke down badly, this, in my opinion, being due to the fact that so few of us had had any previous experience of really big cricket. They have some beautiful grounds and wonderful pavilions and stands out there, but the out-field at Melbourne is rough. The Australians do not appear to have any young bowlers coming on, though they have several batsmen who are sure to do great things in the near future. Parker, of West Australia, and now an honorary member of the Surrey County C.C., is very fine indeed, and with more experience should reach the top of the tree. Some of his shots are like Trumper’s. He struck me as being too fond of pulling straight balls ; at least, he was out against us each time in attempting the stroke. But Ransford, the Victorian left-hander, is probably the best of the new men, though Macartney, Hazlitt, Hartigan, Bardsley, another left-hander, and the Rev. E. F. W7addy are all very good. Dolling, too, is a very useful player, but he does not possess many strokes. Undoubtedly the best of the coming men is Macartney—a good bat and bowler and a brilliant field. He plays with a very straight bat, but draws his left leg away from the wicket when playing the ball, the consequence being that the very great majority of his strokes are to the on. He would be a very fine batsman if he would only get his leg to the ball. Carter has improved wonderfully since he was over here and is now one of the best bats in Australia ; he has a style of his own, but plays the ball with the middle of the bat every time. Noble was as good as ever, though he never bowls very long at a stretch now, but Trumper was not himself. Armstrong, except on one or two occasions, scarcely batted up to his reputation, but he did plenty to show that he is still a great bowler, and S. E. Gregory proved him­ self to be as good as ever in batting and fielding. ” D. C. Robinson, who made his debut for Essex last Thursday—against Yorkshire, at Leyton—is 6ft. 3in. in height. SOUTHGATE v. ST. BARTHOLOMEW ’S HOS­ P IT A L .—Played at Southgate on May 23. S t . B a r th o lo m e w ’s H o s p ita l. P. A . W ith, e and b Lewis........................42 T. Vivian, lbw, b Lewis . .............. 3 N. F. Norman, c H. R. Ford, h Cranfield 27 A. L. Symes, b Lewis 15 A. G. Turner, c and b Birch.............. ... 4 C. Noon, b J. C.Ford 26 G. Yiner, b Lewis ... 0 S ou th g ate . C. Hill, b Cranfield ... 1 T. C. Gibson, c Lewis, b J. C. Ford ... 25 P. V. Moore, not out 14 R. S. Bridgeman, b J. C. Ford... ... 4 B 8 ,1-b 2 Total F. S. Lewis, b Turner E. J. Mann, b Turner 23 C. Browning, b Gibson 0 A . J. Carter, b Gibson 11 R. S. Dickson,c Bridge- man, b Norman ... 45 J. H. Hargroves, c Vivian,b Bridgeman 47 E. P. Birch, Rev. H. C. J. C. Ford, not out .. 25 G. W . Cranfield, not o u t ...........................23 B 10,1-b 6 Total 16 ..196 Dixon Spain, and H. R. Ford did not bat. NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK v. UNION OF LONDON AND SM ITH’S BANK. — Played at Lower Sydenham on May 20, 21 and 22 . U. & S.B. L. Miller, lbw, b Cosser ...............45 F. H . Woodbridge, c Cosser, b Richards 16 W . E. Osborne, b Cosser ... ... 12 A . C. D. Brown, c Moore, b Richards 49 J. E. Hobbs, b Jones 6 C. E. Spall, b Cosser 5 N.P.B E. Helson, b Rich­ ards ...........................15 J. P. D. Strong, b Cosser ............... 0 H. F. Metson b Cosser 8 C. Summers, not out 6 D. M. Starkey b Dixon 10 B 17,1-b 2 .............. 19 Total ...191 A . King, b Starkey ... 7 R. W right, Starkey... 19 C. G. E. Jones, b Starkey ... ... 97 H . E. Moore, c Sum­ mers b Starkey ... 8 A . C. Purnell, not out 68 W . B. Palamountain, c and b Miller ... 2 A . B. H. Read, S. Dixon and G, bat. J. W . Richards, run out ............... J. Price, c Spall, b Starkey ............... B 13,1-b 2 ... ...1 5 Total (7 wkts.) ...225 A . Cosser did not N ATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK v. RICH­ MOND.—Played at Lower Sydenham on May 23. N a t io n a l P r o v in c ia l B a n k . A. Harrison, c Mills, b Westmacott ... 17 R. W right, c Gabbett, b Burmingham ... 43 W . B. Palamountain, c and b Cameron .. 100 C. G. E. Jones, not out 67 A. King, not out .. 40 B 7, w 2 ............... 9 Total (3 wkts.) *276 •Innings declared closed. A. C. Purnell, J. W . Richards, H. E. Moore, A . B. H. Read, J. Manners and G. A . Cosser did not bat. R ichm ond . W . J. Burmingham, not out ...............61 E. Cameron, c KiDg, b Cosser ...............10 E. D. Bisgood, c Pur­ nell, Cosser............... 3 A. Cochell, lbw, b Cosser ............... 5 F. Mason, c Manners, b Cosser ............... 6 A . A. Maythan, b Harrison ...............17 R. G. Westmacott, c Jones, b Harrison... 21 — Gabbett, b Cosser... 4 C. E. Mills, not o u t... 0 Byes... 11 Total (7 wkts.) 141 C. Cochell and C. Hogg did not bat. SOUTH HAMPSTEAD v. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE SCHOOL OLD BOYS.—Played at Brondesburyon May 23. S outh H ampstead . C. Thornhill, b Wes- thorp G. Sherwell, b Row­ ley .......................... A. E. Hill, b Rowley G. H. Bamford, b Rowley ............... J. Thornhill, c Morley, b Marcus ............... G. E. Every, not out 58 13 R. W. List, c Morley, b E a stm an .............. 32 12 G. Worlock, b Binnie 15 26 E. H. Dove, not out... 5 B 13, lb 2, w 1 ... 16 48 Total (7 wkts.) 235 U niaersity C ollege S chool O ld B oys . F. Eastman, b Hugh- m a n .......................... 12 A. H. K. Burt, b Bam­ ford .......................... 1 E. S. Westhorp, b Bamford ............... 8 Dart, b Hughman ... 22 F. Rowley, b Bam­ ford ...........................6 Griffith Jones, c Sher­ well, b Bamford ... 11 Stanley, b Hughman W. Binnie, notout ... L. J. Marcus, c Dove, b B a m fo rd ............... Morley, b Bamford ... Hull, b Hughman ... B 7 ,1-b S 0 Total