Cricket 1908

3 38 CR ICK ET : A W EEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A ugust 13, 1908. h e r e ? ” I said, again innocently, “ I don ’t m ind, sir.” The gentlem en sm iled and went away. They put m e in fifth wicket down, and I carried out m y bat for ‘ 28 , H ickton and I putting on 64 for the last wicket. Strange to say, H ickton had a damaged hand and one of m y fingers was dislocated, so it was rather curious that we should have done so well. In the first innings of Yorkshire R oger Iddison and W est got so firm ly set that I was put on to bow l. As luck would have it, I bowled W est first ball, and in order to give vent to m y joy took off m y cap and chucked it up.” “ Did you enjoy your trips to Australia ? ” “ Imm ensely, except for the m isadventure w hich befell the H on. Ivor B ligh’s team whilst going out in the Peshawur. W e were about 350 m iles from C olom bo, and 1 was looking over the side o f the vessel with W . W . Read, M orley, and others, when we noticed a full-rigged ship not far off heading down upon us. I said, 4She’s com ing too near to be pleasant, and if they are not care­ ful, there’ll be an accident.’ H ardly had I uttered the words than she crashed into us am idships, leaving a huge rent in our side. Imm ediately all was confusion. W om en fainted and prayed, and people rushed about and seized life-belts. T he captain kept cool and calm ly gave the orders for the boats to be lowered. T he sea, providentially, was as calm as a m ill-pond, and so the vessel did not sink. H ad it been at all rough, we must have gone down, for the rent in our side, through which you could have driven a coach and four, stopped short about two feet from the water-line. W e got to Colom bo safely with 400 souls on board, but it was an anxious tim e, especially as the sea was infested with sharks. P oor Fred M orley had several ribs broken in the collision, and the accident practically killed him . But you asked about the cricket. I went out three times and never m issed a m atch in either tour. I wished to be able to say that I played in all the g a m e s; otherwise I should have stood down once, when I was injured and obliged to have a runner. At one tim e I went through what were practically five seasons without a break, but, as I had a strong constitution and always took care of m yself, I did not feel the strain to any extent. Besides, I was a teetotaller and a non- sm oker and that doubtless served to keep me fit. T he first eleven-a-side m atch I played in out there was against New South W ales at Sydney. I m ade 75 and 23 and after m y first innings, as I was returning to the pavilion, a gentlem an leant over the rail and handed me an old cricket belt, saying, ‘ I thought we had the cham pion sticker in Alec Bannerm an, but you deserve the belt. Take it.’ I took it, and have it to this day. W hat struck m e each time I went out was the delight with which Englishm en settled there greeted us. A t Brisbane an old gentlem an cam e and introduced him self to m e as both of us were B olton m en, and we had m ore than one very enjoyable talk to­ gether afterwards.” “ W hom do you consider the best A us­ tralian bowlers you have played against? ” “ Spofforth, Turner and Trumble, with Palm er and Boyle close u p ; Ferris was beyond doubt the best of the left-handers. Spofforth and Turner, in m y opinion, could m ake a ball do m ore on a wicket to their liking than any other bowlers I ever came across. I greatly adm ired the batting of Charles Bannerman and would place him in the same class as M urdoch and Trumper. It was very unfortunate that his health gave way, for he was such a gifted player and so fine a judge of the game that he would have been bound to make a great nam e for him self.” It would be im possible to com e across a greater lover of the game than Barlow, who, when he is not w atching a m atch or umpiring, is generally to be found coaching some fortunate young player. His hom e at B lack­ pool is a veritable cricket museum , and mementoes of his tours and great f#ats are to be found all over the house ; even the bath room is honoured by the presence of several bats which need only a glance to show that they have seen m uch service. Last winter Barlow published his rem iniscences, but so far as one can judge he still has m any years of cricket activity before him . YO RK SH IR E 2 nd X I. v. LANCA SH IRE 2 nd X I. Played at Harrogate on August 3 and 4, and won by Yorkshire 2nd X I. hy an innings and 24 runs. Score and an alysis:— L an cash ire 2 nd X I. First innings. Second innings. C. P. Leese, b Brown ... 9 c Bell, bBooth.. 12 Heap, e Watson, b Broad- c Frank, b b en t...................................20 B o o th ............ 23 J . S. Cra?g, c Mickleth- c Broadbent, b waite, b Broadbent ... 29 B o oth ............ 20 Tyldesley (W.), b Booth ... 22 b Jiroadbent ... 0 Watson, b Harrison ... 9 c Broadbent, b B o o th .............. 4 Hope, c Watson, b Broad- c Broadbent, b b en t.. ...... 9 Booth ... ... 41 Sladen, c Booth, b Broad­ ben t.................................. 32 c Booth, b Brown 17 T. Ainscough, b Booth ... 1 c Watson, b Brown...............16 Phillips, not out ............. 2 b Brow n................21 F. A. Rimmer, b Broad­ b en t.......................... ... 1 b Booth ... ... 6 Rowlands, c Booth, b Broadbent........................5 not o u t ................22 Byes, &c.......................9 Byes, &c. ... 3 Total Rudstone, b Sladen ... 26 Turner, b Sladen ... 4 Bell, c Watson, b Rimmer .............. 17 Booth, c Rimmer, b H ope.......................... 44 Watson, b Hope ... 12 Micklethwaite. b Rim- ... 41 ...............154 Total Y o rk sh ire 2 nd XI. ..185 Drake, b Heap ... 14 Broadbent, b Rimmer 27 R.W. Frank, c Sladen, b R im m er.............. 109 Harrison, b Rimmer 9 Brown, not out ... 12 Byes, &c. ... 48 Total ............. 363 L an cash ire 2 nd XL First innings. Second innings. O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. Brown............... 13 2 33 1 ... 12 4 38 3 Broadbent ... 23.1 1 77 5 ... 14 2 35 1 B o o th ............... 13 3 29 3 ... 20 1 109 6 Harrison ... 2 0 6 1 Y o r k sh ir e 2 nd XI. O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. Rimmer... 30.1 3 108 4 Hope ... 11 1 41 2 Sladen ... 25 5 74 2 Heap ... 9 2 25 1 Rowlands 19 3 57 1 Tyldesley 3 1 10 0 Rimmer and Hope each bowledtwowides, and Sladen one no-ball. SUTTON (2) v. BRIXTON WANDERERS (2).— Played at Sutton on August 8. S utton (2). E. C. Kenyon, b Har­ bert .......................... 0 A. Collins, b Burling­ ton ........................... 0 P. C. Burnett, b Mitchell ..................131 L. Jackson, c Ed­ monds, b Harbert... 45 J. G. Poole, b Mitchell 2 L. V. Straker, c Hogg, b Harbert .......... 3 W. J. B. Murphy, c Bond, b Harbert ... 5 J.T.lllington, c Bond, b Harbert ...........29 S. H. Greene,c Murray, b Mitchell ........... 8 F. E. Roberts, b M itchell................... 1 W. M. Young,notout 4 B 13, w 2, nb 1 ... 16 Total ...250 B rixto n W anderers (2). W. A. Mitchell, Young, b Kenyon ... 28 C.W. Phillips,bGreene 35 H. C. Edmonds, c Straker, b Burnett 8 R. J. Burlington, retired ..................74 C. Hogg, b Bjimett ... 11 A. Harbert, b Bur­ nett ........................... 0 J. E. Bolirmann, not out .......................... 30 W. S. Grossmith, not out .......................... 0 B 18, lb 5 ...........23 Total (6 wkts) 209 J . W. E. Murray, L. Lewis, and E. J . Bond did not bat. CR ICKET BATS. A subject which m ight comm end itself to the cricket antiquary or historian is the weight of the bat. It would be easy, of course, to make a comparison of the ancient bat still preserved, but even the study of com para­ tively m odem weapons would be found to lead to interesting inferences. There is a connection between the bat and the st^le. Mr. Pycroft, in his Oxford Memories , com ­ m ents upon the 3 lb. bats used by Mr. Budd and a 4 lb. bat of Mr. W ard. O f the form er he says, “ Being a man of great strength and quickntss, with fine wrist play, 5 ft. 10 in. in height, and 12 stone in weight, no wonder he was a hard hitter, especially in days when bats were heavy. W hen I was at Oxford, 2 lb. 10 oz was a comm on weight for a bat. Light bats with cane handles were then unknown.” The last sentence im plies that a great reduction in weight had taken place, and it is a fact that in the sixties and seventies the m inimum was reached. Young players were advised to use bats of 2 lb., or at m ost a couple of ounces m ore, and it was not unusual to com e across cane-handled implem ents, well battered, but quite sound after years of hard wear, weighing even less than 2 lbs. N owadays there is a tendency to revert to the type of P ycroft’s youth, in spite of the cane handle. T he matter assumes some im portance, wThen it is desired to find a bat for a schoolboy, as it is a tenable proposition that at seventeen or eighteen years o f age an ounce or two over 2 lbs. would still be the m ost desirable m aximum . Such bats, however, are hardly obtainable. One of the best manufacturers, on being asked for such a production, replied that bats of the shape now fashion­ able could not be made to weigh less than 2 lbs. 5 ozs. It is significant that at the tim e when the lightest weapons were made, the art of cutting was brought to perfection. Another reflection that suggests itself is that Conm le Planco good old pieces of willow, darkened by age and oil, were handed down from sire to son, whereas nowadays the increased amount of wood in the “ p o d ” does not ensure equal longevity. Everybody acquires a bat or two every season, and thinks him self lucky if he gets one to last until its face has becom e hard enough to give perfect satisfaction. In the old days it was customary to speak of B eldham ’s bat (the object of Mr. M itford’s worship) or Mr. B udd’s bat as though it were the hero’s E xca libu r; but now, though it is the fashion for a number of manufacturers to exhibit corresponding relics of Mr. Grace or Mr. Fry,'*, enthusiasm is m itigated by the knowledge' that no single specim en can have lon g m ain­ tained any m agical properties .— The Field. [The old curved bat, which belonged to Mr. John Chitty, of Knaphill, and is inscribed “ J . C ., 1729,’ weighs 2 lbs. 4 ozs. It was presented to the Surrey County C.C. a few years ago by Mr. F. M. Buckland, and an illustration of it appeared in C r ic k e t, Vol. XXV., p. 51, in The Earla Diary of Frances Burney the following letter, written by a Mrs. Rishton, and dated June ye 6th, 1773, is reproduced:— “ Mrs. Rishton begs Miss Burney to buy Mr. Rishton two cricket batts made by Pett, of 7 Oaks. You will get them at any of the great toy shope, the maker’s name always stamp’d upon them. Ask for the very best sort, which costs 4s. or 4s. ikl each. Let them weigh 4 oz. and a-quarter, or 4 oz. and half each. Send them by the Exeter post coach.” It is evident that the writer, a lady, should have written “ lbs.” instead of “ oz.”, when alluding to the matter of weight.— E d ., Cricket.] Playing for Shepherd’s Bush v. East London College, at East Acton, on Ju ly 31st, E. C. Hobbs contributed 124, J. H. Thorpe 109, and W. Vizer not out 100 to a total of 518 for eight wickets. East London College had been previously dismissed for 77.