Cricket 1909

CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 13, 1909. The construction of the Demon Drivers is fully described in The Evolution of a Cricket B a ty which may be obtained free upon applica­ tion. on CRICKET BALLS iHXIfROVED MAKE- KEEP THEIR SHAPE LAS ■' LONCERg CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. BU SSEY ’S S f.DEMON DRIVERS 6 ARE OUTAND OUT THE BEST. OTHER GRADES 7-6-5'- 4-'c~A--3/6~3'-2f6~Z 7fe CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION .sTO GEO. G. BUSSEY & Co., L t d ., 36 & 38, Queen Victoria St., LONDON. Manufactory— Timber Mills— PECKHAM, S.E. ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK, Agents all over the world. AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. By F. S. A shley -C ooper . The fact that A. C. MacLaren has been offered and has accepted the captaincy of England in the Test matches is a matter for rejoicing. When F. S. Jackson declined the honour the Selection Committee naturally turned to the Lancashire ex-captain as the person best qualified for the position. In some quarters it has been felt that MacLaren should first have proved himself in form, but with such an opinion I am unable to agree, for it may be taken for granted that the old Harrovian would not have accepted the responsibility if he had not felt tolerably assured that he would be able to do justice to his reputation as a batsman. Without going so far as to say that he would be worth his place in the side if he failed to make a run in any of the five games, it must be admitted that his leadership will be a most valuable asset. He enjoys to the full the confidence of those under him, and it has been his misfortune and not his fault that England has never enjoyed any very pro­ nounced success under his command. The tide, however, is bound to turn at some time or another in such matters, and Englishmen will hope that it will do so this summer, for MacLaren can hardly, in the natural order of things, expect to lead his country after the present season. He is now in his thirty- eighth year, and when next an Australian team visits us will have passed his forty-first if not forty-second : and although “ W.G.” represented England in his fifty-first year, it may well be doubted whether any cricketer of the age of forty will ever again be picked, strictly on h s merits, for so important an occasion. MacLaren is still a splendid field, and his appearance in the England teamwill strengthen the side just where it might other­ wise have proved disappointing—in the slips. The Selection Committee, and Englishmen generally, are to be congratulated upon the old Harrovian’s decision to play. The days are past when the choice of a leader was regarded as a somewhat trivial matter, and when, as often as not, the oldest man on the side was chosen regardless of his fitness for the post. The Australians had every reason to be satisfied with the form they showed at Trent Bridge last week, seeing that they lost the toss and won the match by an innings. Could the most sanguine supporter of the side have expectel a more pronounced suc­ cess? Chief interest naturally centred in the doings of the new men, and, bearing in miud the fact that they may have bet n over­ anxious to do themselves justice, even after only three days’ practice, i!; must b1? con­ ceded that they performed very creditably. Bardsley created a most favourable impres­ sion by his sound innings and Carter showed to what an extent his capabilities as a bats­ man have increased since he came over seven years ago, whilst Kansford’s fielding proved a source of joy to those who are old- fashioned enough to believe that saving runs is as great an art as making them. The young Victorian covers a great amount of ground, is a sure catch, and returns the ball to the wicket in a manner of which even the most exacting of critics must approve. His fine throw-in more than once recalled the fact that at least one of the Australian teams which visited us between twenty-five and thirty years ago possessed six or more men each capable of throwing the ball over a hundred yards. O’Connor and Whitty may not have obtained sensational analyses, but both bowled well and, taking the state of the pitch into consideration, obtained their wickets at a reasonable cost. It would be idle to attempt to form a definite opinion as to the bowling strength of the side so early in the tour, but the fact that their attack proved equal to dismissing a side of the calibre of Notts. twrice on a very good wicket for 383 runs is worth bearing in mind. If Yorkshire—a side which went through last season without a single reverse—had accom­ plished the feat, it would have been regarded everywhere (as it would have deserved to be) as a very fine performance, and the fact would have been recalled that thirty and forty years ago the meeting of Nottingham­ shire and Yorkshire was often termed “ The battle of the bowlers.” But with the Australians it is different. So many people expect them to do something quite out of the ordinary that, if they just fail to do so, the merit of what they accomplish is in great danger of being ignored. To a certain extent corroboration of this contention is found in the remark, published in more than one paper, that the side does not appear to possess a bowler of the class of Spofforth or Palmer. Such a statement appeared to me to be altogether unnecessary and irrelevant, for Spofforth has always been regarded as a bowler in a class by himself—much as “ W.G.” was as a batsman—and grounds are much smoother now, and wickets conse­ quently harder to obtain, than when Palmer was in his prime. The Australian attack at Trent Bridge, without proving sensational, was sufficiently strong to cause the Notts batting to be disappointing. There is plenty of variety in the bowling, and the occasions upon which it will be thoroughly mastered will probably be very few. Even the strongest team has an occasional off-day, and the Australians, being only human, are almost certain to have such an experience once or twice ere the season closes. The election of Edwyn Francis Scudamore- Stanhope, 10th Earl of Chesterfield, to the Presidency of the M.C.C. recalls the fact that members of the family have been asso­ ciated with the game for many generations. An Earl of Chesterfield was one of the band of enthusiasts which helped to popularise cricket in the days of Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales, the father of George III. The sixth Earl was President at Lord’s in 1839. The present holder of the title, who was born on March 5th, 1854, was a very good player in his younger days, although he did not obtain his Blue at Oxford. On several occasions he appeared for Herefordshire and scored well, and in 1872, when only eighteen years of age, played a masterly innings of 87 against Breconshire, who were beaten by an innings and 94 runs. Several of his brothers also assisted the County from time to time, and on at least one occasion—at Garnons in August, 1880—Eleven Stanhopes tcok the field in a body. On the occasion mentioned the family beat the Garnons Club by three wickets. Those who have the welfare of Leicester­ shire cricket at heart must have been very disappointed with the display given by the county in their match at Lord’s last week. The M.C.C. certainly put a strong side in the field, but their total of 335 should not have proved sufficient to enable them to win by an innings and 97 runs. As so often happens, the Leicestershire captain altogether ignored V. F. S. Crawford’s worth as a bowler, although it has frequently been pointed out that he is a capital change. It must be almost heart-breaking for so keen a cricketer to be denied a trial with the ball whilst much