Cricket 1908

C R I C K E T : a w e e k l y r e c o r d o f t h e g a m e . D E C EM B E R 2 4 . 1908 = = = j © 5— © §c_ 3 — 8© 5 — " “> - “ 5 ©6— f t z d J © 5 ©&” “ * - )§© 0 c _ j G©&(___ $ ©5 ^ HU [ ; I £ “ T og e th e r jo ined in CricKet’s m a n ly toil.” — Byron. N o. 7 9 9 . V O L . xxvn. THURSDAY , DECEMBER 24, 1908. o n e p e n n y . A CHAT ABOUT M b . G. MACGREGOR. T h e fact that Mr. Gregor MacGregor has definitely retired from the game will be regretted by all who follow the for- tuues of Middlesex eiicket as well as by those who take no special interest in that county’s doings but who recall him as one of the finest wicket-keepers the world has seen. When he had only just completed his majority JVitdeu referred to him in the following terms:—“ With a method that is as >juiet and unpretentious as that of rilling himself, Mr. MacGregor has any amount of pluck, and it may be said of him, without the least exag­ geration, that among the amateur wicket-keepers of the present genera­ tion he stands side by side with Alfred Lyttelton.” These are brave words, but who would be bold enough to question their accuracy? His style was a model for all young cricketers and he kept wicket against all kinds of bowling with equal facility. That he has always avoided injury he attributes to keeping his hands pointed downwards with the fingers close together. His quickness of movement has, of course, also been largely responsible for this immunity from accident, and it is a tribute to his skill that he has never, even when standing upto Mr. S.M. J. Woods at his fastest, considered the wicket­ keeper’s lot a dangerous one. And this reminds one that, when discuss­ ing the perils of wicket-keeping, he will sometimes relate an amusing story concerning Mr. A. E. Newton, of Somerset. It is to the effect that an old lady, after watching Newton for some time, was so impressed by his pluck that she observed to her companion, “ How very keen Mr. Newton must be to sit down and watch the game from such a danger­ ous position ! ” Mr. MacGregor, who, despite the long time he has been before the public, has not yet completed his fortieth year, was born in Edinburgh and learnt the game in his native land. He was only nine years of age when he bowled three wickets with consecutive balls and made a score of 65 in a junior m atch at Craigm ount School, and it has been reported that during the sa™® ■ season he played a three-figute innings. At his colours. That he thoroughly justified h:s inclusion in the side is apparent from the fact that he scored 12 and 42 against Kepton and 56 in the match with Haileybury. In the following year, when Hunter had left, he kept wicket regularly, and when he proceeded to Cambridge in the autumn many good judges did not hesitate to state that he stood an excellent chance of obtaining his Blue as a Freshman. That distinc­ tion, indeed, he achieved, and for four years, commencing in 1888, he was in tbe Eleven and in his last season led the side. It was during his third year at Cambridge that,when only twenty years of age, he was chosen to keep wicket for the Gentle­ men against the Players and for England v. Australia. Although this was trying him very highly, he thoroughly justified his selection. Since that date he has appeared in the Middlesex Eleven and in repre­ sentative cricket with distinction^ to himself and advantage to his side, and one can only regret, although it is impossible to be surprised at his resolve, that he has definitely decided to retire from the game. Up to his very last appearance in first-class cricket he showed excellent form, and he might well have been expected to assist his county for some seasons more, seeing that he is a younger man than such well-known wicket-keepers as Hunter, Mr. A. E. Newton, Butt, Board, and Lilley and that he is as much as fourteen years the junior of the Rev. A. P. Wickham, who played for Somerset as recently as last year. In addition to being in quite the first flight of wicket-keepers, Mr. Mac­ Gregor was a good batsman who scored fast when set aud a sound captain: it was under his leadership that Middlesex carried off, the Cham­ pionship in 1903, after faring very badly in the previous year, and there can be no doubt in the minds of those who are at all acquainted with the history of the county’s doings at that period that the success mentioned was in no small measure due to his able captaincy. At Rugby football, also, he gained the highest honours at full-back and three-quarters, representing both Scotland and his University with the greatest success. Cargilfield, where he continued his educa­ tion, he was in the Eleven for three years and captain in his last. Later, he proceeded to Uppingham, and, after being in the fifth Photo by] [Hawkins ib Co., Briyliton. M B. GEEGOE MACGEEGOE. eleven during his first summer, gained a place in the first iu 1886. C. H. Hunter was at the School at that time and it was owing to his batting that Mr. MacGregor secured