Cricket 1908

J u n e 4, 1908. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 179 C A T A L O G U E U PO N A P P L IC A T IO N . The cover o f this ball is constructed up n an improved system which ensures increa id durability. The materials and workmanship are of ihe highest class, and there can be no doubt whafever that the first grade is the m o t deniable M a'ch Ball that can be |reduced. CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. The construction o f the D tm on D iivirs is fully described in The Evolution of a Cr.iket Bat , which may be obtained free upi n nj•plica­ tion to GEO. 6. BUSSEY & Co., L td .. 36 & 38 , Queen V ictoria St., LONDON. Manufactory — Timber .1/ i I* — PECKHAM , S.E. ELMSWELL, SI ITO I K. Agents all over the world. AT TH E SIGN OF T H E W ICKET By F . S. A s h l e y -C o o p e r . W hen the late Arthur Shrewsbury gave it as his opinion that a batsman should be at his best at the age o f thirty-nve a great many people disagreed with hin argu ing that at such an a ge a cricketer could not expect to be so quick-footed and so able to resist fatigue as a man ten years his junior. I was reminded of Shrew sbury’s expression of opinion b} H irst’s recent all-round successes for Yorkshire. There can be little doubt that the perfect wickets of modern days have tended to keep batsmen longer before the public than would have been the case if the pitches had been as “ sporting ” as they were in the ’seventies and even in the early ’eighties. N ow adays a man of forty can stand up to the expresses of Mr. Brearley on a true w icket without flinch­ ing : to have done so on a ground sud as was generally to be met with a-quart of a century a go would have been thrill­ in g in the extreme— to the batsman. C on­ sidering that H irst is now in his thirty- seventh year, his perform ance during the last few seasons must be considered alto­ gether rem arkable. D u ring the last fix years his aggregates of runs and wickets in first-class matches have worked out thus :— Y ear. Runs. W ickets. 1903 1844 128 1904 2501 132 1905 2266 110 1906 2385 208 1907 1334 188 And, judged by what he has done so far this season, it seems evident that in Sep­ tember a four-figure a ggregate of runs as well as over a hundred w ickets will be found against his name. In last w eek ’s match at Chesterfield he scored 58 and 128 not out and took four w ickets. H e has now played at least one three-figure innings for Y orkshire against the twr Universities and each of the first-clasr counties w ith the single exception c N orthamptonshire, who have been met only once. T he perform ance is of so unusual a nature that space must be spared for brief particulars of his hun­ dreds for his County. v . C am bridge U n iv e r sity (2). Score. 102 ... ... at Cam bridge ............ Year. 1902 113*... ... at Cam bridge ............ 1905 128*... v . D erbysh ire (1). , ... at Chesterfield ............ 1908 134 ., v . E ssfx (2). . ... at B radford..................... 1902 140 ..., ... at Leeds .................... 1904 115*.. v . G lo u c e st e r sh ir e (4 ). . ... at Bristol ..................... 1891 134 .. . ... at Bristol .................... 1S97 I ll .. . ... at Bradford..................... 1900 108 .. ... at Cheltenham ............ 1900 131 .. v. H am ps iir e (2). . ... at B ra d ford .................... 1899 152 .. . ... at Portsm outh ............ 1901 ICO .. v . K en t (8). . ... at Leeds ..................... 1903 1r»7 .. . ... at Tunbridge W ells ... 1904 101 .. at Catford .................... 1908 112*.. v . L a n c a s h ir e (1). a t M an C h ester .............. 1902 107 .. v . L e ic e s t e r s h ir e (3). . ... at L e ice ste r................... 1896 153 .. . ... at D ewsbury .......... 1903 341 .. . .. at L eicester..................... 1905 103 .. v . M id d le se x (1). . ... at S h effield..................... 1904 138 .. v. N o t t s (3). . ... at N ottingham ............ 1899 155 .. . ... at S ca rb orou gh ............ 1900 125 .. . ... at S heffield..................... 1901 153 .. v. O x f o r d U n iv e r s it y (2). . ... at O xford .................... 1904 169 .. ,. ... at O xford ................... 1906 106 ... v. S o m e rse t (4). ... at D ew sbury ........... . 1900 142 ... ... at B rad ford.................... , 1903 111 t 117* | ... at B a th ..................... , 1906 ISO*... v. S u r r e y (4). ... at B rad ford.................... . 1S98 186 ... ... at the O v a l.................... 1899 108 ... ... at the O v a l.................... 1904 232*... ... at the O v a l................... . 1905 121 ... v. S u ssex (3). ... at B righ ton.................... . 1904 103*... ... at Leeds .................... . 1905 122 ... ... at B righton.................... . 1906 104 ... v. W a r w ic k s h ir e (1). ... at Edgbaston ........... . 1906 214 ... v. W o r c e s t e r s h ir e (3). ... at W orcester................... 1901 123 ... ... at W orcester.................... , 1903 108*... ... at W orcester................... . 1903 • Signifies not out. Thirty-nine innings are included in the above list, the highest being 341 against Leicestershire three years ago, when, so it has been said, he was clearly out leg-before-w icket to the first ball he received. But one has com e to expect som e such legend to grow round a perform ance of such outstanding interest. Many will perhaps rem ember that when M acLaren had m ade his 424 at Taunton it w as said in som e quarters that the first ball he received hit his wicket w ith­ out dislodging a bail. T he chief event of the past week has been the decision o f the Australian Board of Control concerning the proposed tri­ angular scheme. From the outset it was practically certain that Australia would not consent to take part in such a programm e, and therefore the decision o f the Board not to fall in with the suggestion w as only what w as to be expected. T he fact that, for financial reasons, a Tournam ent on the proposed lines could take place only in this country did not comm end itself to Australians, w ho very naturally thought that, in the event of Test matches being played between them and the South Africans, such gam es should take place only in their ^own country and South A frica. It is evident, too, that Australians wish to receive a visit from South A frica before entertaining any idea of a Tournam ent in E ngland, but doubtless they could easily be persuaded to forego that matter if everything else in con­ nection with the scheme met with their approval. Then there is the question of finance to be gon e into, and that is a m a'ter which requires very careful con­ sideration. T he Australians have no m illionaire behind them , and a wet season would hit them much harder than the South Africans. T hey point out, too, that for the Tournam ent always to take place in this country would be to give us an unfair advantage, though in that w ay they would not be m ore greatly handicapped than the South A fricans. T h e schem e was certainly an attractive one, but 1 shall be greatly surprised if it ever gets beyond Ihe correspondence stage. R euter reports that the M elbourne A g e condem ns the Board of C ontrol’s decision as unsportsmanlike, and suggests that an offer fcr a triangular contest to the M elbourne Club m ight be accepted, if m ade to the M elbourne syn­ dicate clubs separately or conjointly. But, rem em bering that the Board of Control is alone qualified to act on behalf of Aus­ tralia, the M arylebone Club can safely be trusted not to approach any other cricket body in the m atter. Australia has an­ nounced its decision— arrived at unani­ mously, I believe— and there the matter should be allow ed to rest.