Cricket 1908

C R IC K E T : A W EEK LY RECORD OF T H E GAME. JUNE 4, 1908. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. No . 78 1. v o l . x x v i i . THURSDAY , JUN E 4, 1908. o n e p e n n y . CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. F. M ARTIN . It seems only the other day that “ Nutty ” Martin, who is to take his benefit at Lord’s on Monday, was seen playing for Kent, but reference to the standard works on the game proves that nine years have passed since he last appeared for the County. He was left- handed both as batsman and bowler and was for some years one of the best medium-paced bowlers in the country. He brought his arm well over the shoulder, had an easy action, and, being able to keep a fine length as well as make the ball curl in from leg, required very careful watching. He was one of the most famous of a remarkable series of left-handed bowlers who did duty for Kent : G. G. Hearne, Wright, Wootton, Martin, and Blythe were five left-handers such as few counties have been able tc boast of within the short space of a couple of decades. Martin and Wright performed many remark­ able feats together. Mr. W. H. Patterson has said :—“ They were a splendid pair of bowlers, and, though both left-handed, were in striking contrast one with the other. Martin combined a fine break-back with a ball that hung in the air, and he kept a mar­ vellous length ; Wright swung in the air and came right on the batsman with his arm.” Lord Harris has stated :—“ Always an extremely accurate bowler, Martin had a fine spin in his earlier years, but when he lost that he re­ minded me of George Wootton, who, when steadily plugging away good pitched balls on the off- stump, one match in the ’sixties at Canterbury, which Mr. Thorn­ ton and Pooley as steadily kept driving to the boundary, was told by Mr. Mitchell to bowl some crooked ones. ‘ If you please, Mr. Mitchell, sir,’ said the ever civil George, ‘ I can’t and really I think Martin had the greatest difficulty in bowling off the wicket.” The subject of these remarks played in handed men, he could hit hard when set. He never made a hundred for Kent, but in 1890, when playing against Notts at Gravesend, came within ten of the number. In minor matches he played many three-figure innings, and he could generally be relied upon to make a few runs at a crisis. Consider­ ing how much he accomplished for Kent, it is surprising that he did not appear more frequently in re­ presentative cricket. He was chosen for the Gentlemen v. Players match in 1891, 1892, 1894, and 1897, and for England against Australia at the Oval in 1890. In the last-mentioned match he secured twelve wickets for 102 runs, and during the season took 56 wickets against the Australians at a cost of 11.03 runs each. “ Where was it that you learnt the game? ” “ At Dartford Brent, as a mem­ ber of the Darenth Vale Club, which afterwards changed its name to the Dartford Albion C.C. I obtained plenty of practice and match-play, and at the commence­ ment of the season of 1882 came under the notice of the Kent authorities. I was chosen to play for XXII. Colts against the County Eleven and afterwards for XV. Colts against Mote Park, but it was not until three years later that I was given a trial for the County. In the meantime I had been filling engagements with Major Hardy at Chilham Castle at Canterbury. At the latter place and with the St. Lawrence Club I managed to do pretty well all­ round, making a few centuries and generally taking over a hundred wickets in the season. In one match—against Hornsey, I think it was—Mr. Twyman and I went in first together and made 263 before we were parted.” “ What was your first match for Kent? ” “ Against Sussex, at Graves­ end, in 1885, when I was bowled without a run by Tester, and sent down one over off which a single was made. I suppose this was considered scarcely good enough, for I was sent back to the second eleven. Next year I joined the ground-staff at Lord’s, and 1899, scoring 3,410 runs with an average of 11.75 and taking 979 wickets at a cost of 17.95 r^ns each. In all first-class matches in which he appeared he obtained F . M A R T IN . Photo by Messrs. Haivkins &> Co., Brighton. 234 matches for Kent between 1885 and 1,315 wickets for a trifle over seventeen runs apiece. Like the majority of left