Cricket 1908

O c t . 29, 1908. CR ICK ET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 4 3 9 OBITUARY. M r . T. E. B agge. Mr. Thomas Edward (“ Peter ” ) Bagge, the old Etonian and Cambridge cricketer, died at Lynn, in Norfolk, on Friday last in his seventy-first year. He was born at Gay- wood Hall, Lynn, where be always resided, on April 30th, 1838, and was a fine patient batsman with strong back play and a very good field in the now obsolete position of long-stop. He was in the Eton XI. in 1856 and 1857. In the former year there was no match with Harrow and in the latter, when Etonians under 21 p'ayed Harrovians under 20, he scored only 0 and 3, Henry Arkwright obtaining his wicket in each innings. In the matches against Winchester he made 11 and 26, Eton winning on each occasion by an innings. Upon leaving Eton Mr. Bagge proceeded to Cambridge and he was con­ sidered rather unfortunate in not obtaining his Blue as a Freshman in 1858. In each of tbe three following years, however, he was in the Eleven, being Capt lin in 1861, and although he made only 61 runs in six innings against Oxford, he had the personal satisfaction of being on the winning side in each year. There were giants at Cambridge in those days, among his contemporaries being such well - known players as the Hon. C. G. Lyttelton and Messrs. W. H. Benthall, E. 13. Fawcett, F. H. Norman, G. E. Cotterill, F. H. Marshall, D. R. Onslow, H. M. Plowden, R.- Lang, and A. W. T. Daniel. It was during his third year at the University that Mr. Bagge per­ formed the greatest feat of his career. Chosen to assist the Gentlemen at the Oval in 1860, he was sent in first aud, against the bowling of Jackson, Caffyn, Stephenson and Hayward, made 62 and 60—the highest score for his side in *ach innings. The only other occasion upon which he appeared for the Gentlemen was in the following year, again at the Oval, when he was run out for 3 in his first innings and caught off Willsher for 7 in his second. His highest score in a match of note was 81 for his University against M.C.C. and Ground at Fenner’s in 1860, when David Buchanan and Grundy were among the bowlers opposed to him. Mr. Bagge was much interested in Norfolk cricket and was for some time Honorary Secretary of the County Club, a position which ill-health compelled him to resign in 1865. At Eton he was above the average of fives players, he and F. H. Norman being probably tbe two best at the College, He was an ex-Mayor of Lynn, chief partner in a well-known East Anglian firm of brewers, leader of the local Conservative party, and a member of all local authorities. In 1852 and 1853 his elder brother, Mr. R. S. Bagge, was a member of the Eton Eleven. M r. A. G. Day. Mr. A. G. Day, who died at Dewsbury on the 16th inst., in his forty-fifth year, played iu eleven matches for Yorkshire between 1885 and 1888. In his seventeen innings for the county he made 163 runs with an average of 9’58. His highest score was 63 against Leicestershire at Huddersfield in 1888, when he went in first with Louis Hall and credited himself with the highest innings played in the match for either side. He was born on September 20th, 1864, and was long identified with the Dewsbury and Savile teams. M r. M. J. M cMahon. Mr. Michael Joseph McMahon, at one time the proprietor of the largest sports depot in Sydney, died at Druramoyne, N.S.W., on August 31st, in his eighty-second year. In 1870 he published “ McMahon’s Cricket and Sports Manual ” (134 pp.), which had been compiled by Mr. Peter C. Curtis. C om m ander H. F. P h il b r ic k . Commander H. F. Philbrick, who captained the Bombay Gymkhana Eleven last year, when he also kept wicket for the Presidency, died in September. J. W h e e le r. John Wheeler, who died at Sutton Bon- nington, in Notts., on September 22nd, was one of the oldest, as he was one of the most respected, members of the ground-staff at Lord’s. He was born at Sutton Bonnington —or, according to auother account, at Leicester—on December 9th, 1844, and was therefore in his sixty-fourth year at the time of his death. He appeared for the Notting­ hamshire Colts from 1863 until 1872, but represented the county only twice—once in 1873 and again in 1877, his opponents on each occasion being Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. (In 1881, however, the year of the Notts, “ strike,” he played for Alfred Shaw’s XI. against Emmett’s XI. at Bradford, which was an inter-county match in all but name : it was, in fact, originally intended to call the match Notts, v. Yorkshire and this was one of the causes of the dispute between the Notts. Committee and the players.) In 1876 Wheeler appeared for Leicestershire, and in the match at Lord’s that year with the M.C.C. scored 59 and 38 not out, Morley being one of the bowlers opposed to him. It was two years later that, in the match between Leicestershire and the Australians, he performed the feat which will always be most prominently associated with his name. In A. E. Rae’s book on the Australian tour it is said that “ The spectators evidently expected to see their countrymen mowed down by windjammers,” but, so far from this occurring, Wheeler scored 60 and 65, though the bowling was in the hands of Spofforth, Allan, Garrett, and Boyle. In the first innings 113 runs were made for the opening partnership, Wheeler and A. Sankey (70) scoring the runs. The Australians, however, though set 209 to wiu, pulled off the game by eight wickets, Charles Banner­ man playing brilliant cricket for 133. Wheeler’s batting naturally delighted the crowd, and the Australians asserted that his play was the best shown against them dur­ ing their tour. He continued to appear for the couuty until 1892, when he was in his forty-eighth year. AmoDg his -many good scores for Leicestershire were the following:— Score. Year. 107 v. Surrey, at the O v a l.................................. 1885 83 v. Northants, at L eicester.......................... 1870 S2* v. M.C.C. and Ground, at Lord’s ........... 1886 76 v. Yorkshire, at L eicester.......................... 1889 73 v. Essex, at Leyton .................................. 1890 656 v. Australians, at Leicester .................. 1878 64 v. M.C.C. and Ground, at Leicester........... 1882 60a v. Australians, at Leicester .................. 1878 55 v. Warwickshire, at Edgbaston.................. 1890 50 v. Surrey, at Leicester.................................. 1890 * Signifies not o u t: a first innings ; and b second. In 1884, also, he played an innings of 103 against the Harrow Wanderers. When he scored 73 on the Leyton ground in 1890, he and Warren (142) put up 186 for the first wicket. Leicestershire made 359, and Essex were beaten by an innings and 23 runs. Scores and Biographies (xii-657) described John Wheeler as “ a good batsman, a fast round-armed bowler, and fields generally at mid-wicket off . . . . Height, 5 ft. 10 in. weight, 11 stone.” This hardly did justice to his merits, for he was also a very useful wicket-keeper, especially against fast bowl­ ing. In the match at Edgbaston in 1890 between Leicestershire and Warwickshire, he made seven catches, three in the first innings and four in the second. It was said, in the Sportsman of August 25th, 1902, that he caught and stumped thirteen men in an eleven a side match at Trent Bridge between Notts Castle and M.C.C. and Ground, but reference to the Marylebone score-books fails to verify the statement. After filling various engagements—from 1870 to 1875 inclusive he was with the Pbcenix Park Club in Dublin—Wheeler, in 1878, was offered a position on the ground-staff at Lord’s which he accepted and retained without a break until his death. He made many scores of over a hundred for the M C.C. in minor matches, but never exceeded 66 , a number he obtained v, Kent at Lord’s in 1881, in one of their leading fixtures. Among the many well-known players he had coached at various times may be mentioned Lord George and Lord Francis Scott. After retiring from county cricket Wheeler became a thoroughly conscientious and reliable umpire, and invariably gave the greatest satisfaction wherever he went. He was granted two benefit matches, one by his county and the other by the M.C.C. The first was between Leicestershire and Derby­ shire on the Leicester ground in 1892, and the other between M.C C. and Ground and Notts, at Lord’s in the following May. In the latter game a new departure was made in starting play on a Wednesday instead of a Monday or Thursday as had previously always been the case. The Annual General Meeting of the M.C.C. was held on the Wednesday, and it was considered that it would be to the advantage of Wheeler if the match commenced on that day, when so many members of tbe Club would be present. CRICKET IN EGYPT. NORTH V. SOUTH. This game, played at Port Said on September 12tl), was drawn. Score:— A. V. Wallis, c Mac­ donald, b White ... 6 J. C. Black, not ou t...101 E.J.Williams, st Rush, b Gunnery .......... 8 H. E. Newbould, b G unnery.................. 6 T. Tunstall, run out... 8 A. N. Gordon, c Rush, b Gunnery 14 S outh . G. Thorburn, c Cox, b Gunnery ...........19 J. C. Broatch, b White 9 J. Ireland, st Rush, b White .................. 2 T. Ryde, not out ... 3 Byes, &c.............. 8 Total (8 wkts)*184 *Innings declared closed. J.T. Atkin, b Williams 26 A. N. Gunnery, b W illiam s..................48 E. V. White, b Thor­ burn .......................... 0 C. Macdonald, not out 6 J. M. Norman, b W illiam s.................. 0 A. S. Ingram, b W illiams.................. 0 C.Rusli, b W illiams... 5 T. Moreton, not out... 1 Byes, &c............. 5 Total (6 wkts) 91 G. Rodger, Dr. Cox, and C. Nugent did not bat. The AMERICAN CRICKETER. Founded 1877. Published by H. K. Cornish on beh alf of The Associated Cricket Clubs o f Philadelphia. An Illustrated Journal of Cricket, Association Football, Tennis, Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 632, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, P a , U.S.A. price :— 10/- per annum , post paid anyw here. Specimen copies mailed on request.