Cricket 1908

M ay 2?, 1908. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 163 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 mo't desirable Ma'ch Ball that can be produced. CATALOGU E UPON APPLIC ATION . The construction of the Demon Drivers is fully described in 7 he Evolution ot 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. ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK. Agents all over the world. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET By F. S. A s h le y -C o o p e r . The Committee of the Yorkshire County C.C., at their meeting at Bradford last week, discussed an important point con­ cerning the qualification of players for the County team. Capt. Luther, who has been in the Yorkshire regiment for about twelve years, and whose abilities entitle him to a good trial in the Eleven, was not born in the county, although he is associated with it by many ties. No formal resolution was passed, but the Com­ mittee left it to Lord Hawke—a Lincoln­ shire man by birth—to intimate to Capt. Luther that his qualification was not in keeping with the Yorkshire tradition. Yorkshire is the largest county in Eng­ land and, with perhaps the single excep­ tion of Notts, turns out more cricketers than any other shire ; therefore the Com­ mittee can afford to stipulate that no player will be accorded a trial in the Eleven unless born in the County. The position they have taken up is one which involves not the slightest hardship upon them at the present time, when they have so many young cricketers of promise to call upon, but history shows that at some time or another every county experiences a period of failure, and when Yorkshire’s turn comes the Committee may regret the line of action they adopted in 1908. It would be interesting to know what decision the Marylebone C.C. would give in the event of Capt. Luther laying his case before them, for Rule III. of County Cricket plainly states that “ A cricketer IS qualified to play for any county in which he has resided for the previous 24 months and is residing.” Therefore no County Committee has a right to inform any such man that his qualification is in­ sufficient. One can fully sympathise with the Yorkshire authorities in their en­ deavour to make the Eleven as truly repre­ sentative of the County as possible, but one may take too strict a view of things. If the County Committee had been con­ sistent in the matter, Lord Hawke, who was born at Gainsborough, would have been dropped from the side years ago. 11is lordship would, in consequence, prcbably have been prevented from playing any County cricket at all, but for that the Yorkshire C.C. Committee would have been solely to blame for electing to act without due regard to the wording of Rule III. of County Cricket, quoted above. With the return of fine weather and hard wickets ba.smen have not been slow to take advantage of the improved condi­ tions, large scores having been chronicled in all parts of the country. At Lord’s the change has been most marked, fcr where­ as a fortnight ago players were struggling for runs there the scoring during the past week, and especially during the last three days, has ruled very heavy. Considering the number of bowlers both Middlesex and Hampshire had available, the run-getting in their recent match was remarkable. Judging by the form they have shown so far, it would seem that Hampshire are in for a successful season. Llewellyn is in splendid all-round form, and if Mr. Hill can spare the time to assist the side regularly the County will have available one of the best amateur batsmen of the day. The latter’s innings at Lord’s on Monday made one regret that he is not seen more frequently in first-class cricket, for he makes his runs in a free and vigorous style and, when in his best form, is always worth going miles to watch. The batting of Hampshire is strong down to the eighth man, and there are great possibilities in the bowling. With their best side available they should, given fair conditions, prove equal to playing a close game with almost any of their opponents. Mr. E. V. Andrews, of 40, Frere Street, Woodstock, near Cape Town, has for­ warded me a cutting from The Cape Times of April 8th giving the sccre of a one-day match between Thomas River and Tylden, wherein 1,178 runs were made. If not a hoax, a fresh world’s record has been established. There are, however, a few points in connection with the matter which make one suspicious. Neither the date nor place of the game is mentioned, and it is certainly curious that in Tylden’s first innings seven players in succession should be dismissed without a run in a total of 174, and that when Thomas River went in the second time only three extras should be allowed in an aggregate of 477, whereas they received as many as 24 in their first innings total of 229. Had play lasted as long as eight hours the runs must have been made at an average rate of just under 150 an hour throughout. The feat chronicled is of so remarkable a nature that I should have the greatest hesitation in accepting it as authentic without further evidence. It is possible, of course, that the game really did take place, as stated on page 171, in which case verification should not be a difficult matter, but in the meantime one cannot be blamed fcr re­ marking that it appears to belong to the class of cricket in which Harrismith scored their fabulous innings of 858 against New­ castle on New Year’s Day, 1890. A some­ what similar match was chronicled in Bell’s Life of September 8th, 1844. In was there stated that a game had been played six days before on Clapham Common, in Surrey, between Eleven Gentlemen Who Generally Visited the Catherine Wheel Inn in the Borough and Eleven Gentlemen from Sussex, that play lasted eight hours, and that the former side scored 459 and the latter 448. Henry Gander, landlord of the Catherine Wheel Inn, was reported to have made 202. Mr. Haygarth, quite rightly, entirely ignored the matter when compiling Scores and Biographies, for it would have been an utter impossibility for such scores to have been made on a rough, unkept ground sixty years ago. SURREY CLUB AND GROUND v. BARNES.— Played at the Oval, on M ar 21, and won by Surrey C. and G. by 417 runs. Score B abnks . H. J. Tillbrook, run out .........................2 T. M Reef*, run out 13 A. R. AVheatley, b Rushby ... * ... 5 A. Busher, st Sted- man, b Rushby ... 0 II. E. Barnham. c Stedman, b Rushby 9 C. Y. Staples, b Rush­ by .......................... 17 H. W . Stedman, b Smith ............... 2 C. A. Hackman, not out .......................... 21 A. Cockell. b Smith ... If. W . J. Cooper, b Smith 0 L. P. Meredith, b Smith... ............... 4 Byes, &c................... 17 Total Hon. S. R. Beresford, b Rees ........ 152 Baker, b Cooper . 31 E. F. Parker, c and b Cockell ..........54 Ducat, b Hackman .. 105 C. H. Richards, b R e es.................... 0 SuR ltEY C. AND G. ...106 Spring, c Busher, b Hackn an .......... 53 M ajor H. E. Lowis, not out .....6) StedmaD, not cut ... 3* Byes, & •...............23 Total (6 wkts.) 5 7 Rushby, Smith (F. E.) and Sydney Gundy did not bat.