Cricket 1908

2 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J an . 30, 1908. movement was the means of inducing other large firms in the Metropolis to adopt the same system, so that many cricketers have reason to be grat* f ul to Mr. Absolon of the one chance allowed thi m weekly of enjoying the game. Of Mr. Absolon’s style of play Scores and Biographies stated, “ His batting is steady, and his bowling consists of slows, expresses, jumpers, and yorkers, being altogether of an eccentric description.*’ In some recent notices of him it has been said that he belonged to the school of which the famous William Clarke— there was a difference of less than twenty years in the ages of the two —was the master, a remark which, allowing for all that the younger man did, strikes one as being some­ what libellous so far as the Nottingham player is concerned. The secret of Absolon’s success was the celerity with which he dis­ covered a batsman’s weak points. The marked ease with which he obtained wickets recalls a saying of the late Bob Thoms to the effect that “ Bill Lillywhite could take wickets as easily as I can catch blue-bottles.” Absolon never tried to impart very much twist to the ball, but he used his head well, and could deliver a good fast ball when he wished. Between the ages of 50 and 80 he took 8,500 wickets and made 26,000 runs, and even during the last year he played his bowling accounted for a hundred wickets. Some of his beat performances during the latter part of his career were as follows :— In July, 1881, lie played at Walliam Green for United Master Butchers v. XX . of the Metropolitan Clubs. The latter were dismissed for 4, Absolon obtaining every wicket except the last. In 1872, playing for W . J Page’s X X II. v. U.A.E.E., he dismissed W . H. lddison, John Smith (of Cambridge) and T. Hayward with consecutive balls, and two deliveries later disposed of Luke Greenwood. Playing for W ood Green v. United W illesden at W ood Green in July, 1872, at the age of 55, he had a hand in getting the whole twenty of the Willesden wickets. He bowled down ten, six were caught from his bowling, two hit wicket off his bowling, and he caught out two. He took seventeen wickets (seven in the first inn­ ings and all ten in the second) for St. Mary’s Cray v. Shoreham, at St Mary’s Cray on June 11th, 1873 He obtained 17 wickets, nine in the first innings and eight in the second, bowling down 16, for W ood Green v. Southgate House, at Southgate August 4th, 1873. ^One player was run out in each, innings.) In September, 1873, he took part in a scratch match at Brown’s Ground, Nunhead, between Three of All England and A Twelve. The Three made only six runs between them W . G. Grace, st W ilson, b Absolon ... 4 W . R. Gilbert, st W ilson, b Absolon 0 H. Oharlwood, b Absolon ................... 2 Total ........... 6 Absolon took the wickets of the three great men in 19 balls. The Twelve, who were not allowed to hit behind or to leave their ground in striking, scored 15, “ W.G.” taking nine wickets for eight runs. In 1878 he took all ten wickets in the first innings and all three which fell in the second for Smithfield Wanderers v. Pelham Albert, at Nunhead. In 1882, at the age of 65, he took four wickets with the first four balls he delivered when playing against Page Green, and in a match at Tufnell Park took seven wickets in two overs without being scored from. In 1883, at the age of 66, he obtained all ten wickets in an innings. In 1884, at the age of 67, he played against Bedford Town, carrying his bat through the innings for 40 and obtaining eight of the ten wickets. In the same year, playing against Hatfield, he took five wickets in six balls when they had five wickets in hand and required only 3 runs to win. His side accordingly won by 2 runs. In 1884 also he obtained five wickets in six balls for Oheam v. Banstead. In 1885, at the age of 68, he took a team to his native place, Wallingford, and obtained seventeen wickets in the match, including nine for 16 runs in the first. In 1888, aged 71, he took four wickets in four balls in a match in Tufnell Park, and three times carried his bat through an innings. He batted over an hour for 2 runs for Westminster Tradesmen v. A. Division of Police, on the West­ minster School Ground on September 8th, 1890, being then 73 years old. During that season he five times carried his bat through an innings. In 1897, at the age of 80, he obtained 100 wickets. Between 1868 and 1893, when he was 76 years of age, he scored 24,189 runs and took 7,339 wickets, the totals year by year being as follow s :— Year. Runs. Wkts. Year. Runs. Wkts. 1868 . . 1155 .. 441 1882 .. 1017 ... 289 1869 . 635 .. 262 1883 .. 1019 ... 222 1870 . . 824 .. 453 1884 .. 119J ... 263 1871 824 .. 433 1885 .. 1021 ... 320 18.2 . . 1109 .. 519 1886 .. 1 75 ... 204 1873 . . 1043 . . 4 0 1887 .. 1070 ... 222 1874 . . 1066 .. 500 1888 .. 1055 ... 129 1875 . . 658 .. 233 1889 .. 1052 ... f65 1876 . . 1151 .. 256 1890 .. 848 ... 184 1877 . 1179 .. 362 1891 .. 603 ... 191 1878 . . 974 .. 300 1892 .. 510 ... 200 1879 . . 685 .. 178 1893 .. 532 ... 209 1880 . 1881 . 910 . 924 .. 254 .. 230 Totals 24,189 . 7,339 t A small number, ow ing to an injury sustained. Between 1871 and 1893 he did the hat-trick as many as fifty-nine times:— Year. Times. Year. Times Year. Times. 1871 ... ... 9 1877... ... 1 1885 ......... 2 1872 .. ... 7 1878... ... 3 1886 ......... 2 1873 .. ... 6 1880 .. ... 2 1887 ......... 3 1874 .. ... 5 1882... ... 3 1888 ......... 2 1875 .. ... 3 1883... ... 3 1891 ........ 1 1876 .. ... 1 1881 .. ... 4 1893 ......... 2 His easy action allowed him to bowl in matches at a very advanced age. During his last few years he fielded in the slips and when batting always employed the services of a runner. He had bean a total abstainer since 1857 and never smoked. Mr. Absolon was buried at New Southgate Cemetery on January 9th. A proposal has been made that a memorial stone be placed over his grave by public subscription, and Mr. H. Y. L. Stanton, “ Wanderer” of the Sportsman , and Mr. Arthur W. Mynett, of 44, Wisteria Road, Lewisham, have announced their willingness to receive con­ tributions from those who would like to help perpetuate the memory of one of the most remarkable cricketers the world has seen. T H E B A R B A D O S A N N U A L .* That this useful Annual has reached its thirteenth year of publication speaks well for the enthusiasm of Barbadian cricketers and the energy of Mr. J. Wynfred Gibbons, who has ably edited the volume from its first appearance. Full scores of the chief matches played in Barbados during the season of 1906-7 are given in the latest issue of the publication, which also contains, amongst other matter, an article on the West Indian tour in England during 1906 by Mr. G. Challenor, a member of the team. Mr. Challenor remarks that “ I think I may say the tour on the whole was a great success. Considering the team had never played together before, that every man was quite unaccustomed to the strain of three-day cricket, and that on several occasions we lost the toss, I think that what I have said may well be endorsed on all sides. . . . . At first the tour looked very much as if it were going to be a fdilure, but at the end we were quite up to first-class cricket. The batting of the team was fairly strong, though at first liable to unaccountable collapses, as in the second innings against M.C.C. and Ground, and the wretched display against Wiltshire. The latter was the worst performance of the tour.” There is a good deal of useful information contained in the “ Facts Not Generally Known.” ^Barbados Cricketers' Annual for 1906-7. Edited and compiled by J. W ynfred Gibbons. Barbados: Globe Office. Price, Is. T H E SO U TH A F R I C A N C R IC K E T A N N U A L .* All those who take interest in South African cricket should be very grateful to Mr. Hender­ son for the great amount of time and labour he must have expended in producing the work undernotice. In addition tobeingamodel of whata season’s record should be, the volume contains articles and much information deal­ ing with previous events of historical interest. Mr. I. D. Difford, for instance, contributes a chapter on “ Past Tournaments,” in which he tells in an entertaining manner the most noteworthy events in connection with the Currie Cup matches since their inauguration eighteen years ago. Those students of the game who are not fortunate enough to possess the full scores of all those matches will find this chapter of real value. Mr. C. K. Clive Fuller writes on “ Border Cricket,” Slip on “ The Game in the Orange River Colony,” An Old Hand on “ Matabeleland Cricket,” Mr. I. D. Difford on “ The Transvaal Team’s Tour,” and Mr. J. C. Davis, our old friend “ Not O ut” of the Sydney Referee, on “ Australian Cricket in 1906-’07.” Full scores are given of all last season’s Currie Cup matches, whilst near the end of the volume are many excellent portraits and biographies of leading South African cricketers. The lists of the chief batting and bowling feats during 1906-7 cover seven pages, and there is some useful information to be found under the heading “ South African Records.” The only disappointment caused by the book is the statement made in the concluding para­ graph of the Preface :— “ The toll which this publication imposes on my time is, I am sorry to say, more than I can continue to meet, and this will be the last Annual under my management. In relinquishing the work I do so in the hope that the South African Cricket Association will take it up, and continue it in the interests of the ever-broadening horizon of South African cricket ” As the Annual is a combined Lillywhxte and Wisden on S. A. cricket, and has no rival in the field, it is to be sincerely hoped that the South African Cricket Association will act upon Mr. Henderson’s suggestion without hesitation, for a great deal of the value attaching to such a publication consists in its continuity. The Annual, which is printed on excellent paper, is bound in cloth and admir­ ably arranged. *South African Cricketers ’ Annual, 1907. Edited by J. T. Henderson. Pietermaritzburg: Times Printing and Publishing Co., Ltd. Price, post free, 2s. 9d. T H E IN T E R C O L O N IA L C R IC K E T T O U R N A M E N T .* The story of the most recent struggle for cricketical supremacy between Barbados, British Guiana, and Trinidad is fully told in two small publications recently issued in Georgetown. Although details of the contest were set forth at the time in Cricket , all who take more than a pissing interest in the great game should possess themselves of the booklets referred to. In addition to proving a means of making followers of the game in England more conversant with the doings of their comrades beyond the seas, it would be a boon to cricket historians if all future Tourna­ ments were similarly dealt with. *The Intercolonial CHcket Tournament, 1907. George­ town: Demerara: Estate of O. K. Jardine, deed., printers, publishers and bookbinders. Intercolonial Cricket Tournament, 1907. George­ town : Demerara: The Argosy Company, Ltd. Price, 8 cents. \