Cricket 1909

8 CR ICK E T : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J an . 28, .y o g . N CTiCE TO OUR R E A D E R S. Six. numbers of Cricket are published during the Winter, from October to March inclusive, as follows No. 797.—THURSDAY, OCT. 29. No. 798.-THURSDAY, NOV. 26. No. 799.—THURSDAY. DEC. 24. No. 800.—THURSDAY, JAN. 28. No. 8 0 1 .-THURSDAY, FEE. 25. No. 802.—THURSDAY, MARCH 25. The above series sent post free to any pait of the world for 9d. Cricket is the only paper in the.world solely devoted to the game. Weekly, April to September. Monthly, October to March. T eems or StiBsciiiPTioN:— 3/9 per annum. Weekly Nos. (only) 3/-. Payable in advance. All communications to bo sent direct to the Offices of Cricket, 168, Upper Thames Street, London, E.C. C v i c k e t : A WEEICL Y RECORD OF THE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON E.C. THURSDAY, JAN. 2 8 t h , 1909. Pavilion Gossip. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. —Hamitt. No more welcome news has been received by cricketers for a Ion" time than the cabled message which reached London on Saturday last, stating that the disagreement between the Australian Board of Control and some of the leading players had been definitely settled, for it would have been deplorable had it been found necessary to abandon the English tour owing to a dispute concerning money matters. Several cables of a somewhat alarming nature came through from Melbourne, but this was riot surprising, seeing that Australian cricket is now con­ trolled by an elected Board, representative of the various States, instead o f by a single club as formerly. R eu ter states that the players had been under the impression that the team would, as visual, have to bear the whole financial risk, and that it was in view of the Board’s promise to treat them liberally in the event of the tour being unsuccess­ ful that the players decided to accept the terms offered. P rior to leaving for England on March 17th by the R.M .S. Orontes, the Austra­ lians will play two matches with the Rest o f Australia, at Sydney and Melbourne, commencing on February 12th and 19th respectively. The Board have decided that the team will not visit New Zealand on its way to England, but that, if acceptable, the next best side will be sent across for a short tour. The de­ cision is a wise one, inasmuch as it would enable several o f the most promising Australian players to gain experience of touring cricket, which hitherto has been reserved for a select few. A t the meeting of the Australian Board of Control at Sydney on December 18th, Mr. Foxton, M .P., of Queensland, was elected president for the year whilst Mr. M ’Elhone was re-elected hon. secretary and treasurer. The selectors for the Australian Eleven are F. A. Iredale, P. A. M ’Alister, and C. Hill. It is difficult to understand why Noble and Trumble were passed over, the latter especially, for he has had much experience of cricket in England whereas M’Alister, who was pre­ ferred to him, has had none. Both Noble and Trumble offered themselves for election. T he Board, by-the-way, have fallen in with the idea o f the M.C.C. for a con­ ference in England this year on the Triangular scheme, provided that other matters of international concern are in­ cluded in the business. T he difficulty that arose over the per­ centage of the profits on the Test matches to be played in this country between England and Australia, to be allotted to the clubs on whose grounds the game takes place has been overcome by a com ­ promise. The previous arrangement was that 40 per cent, o f the net profits should be divided equally, and it was suggested that this should be reduced to 25 per cent. B y the new agreement the clubs will divide between them 30 per cent. A n interesting story was unfolded to me a few weeks ago by Mr. Harry Luff, the proprietor of Wisden's Almanack. Whilst seated at his desk one day recently, he was approached by a working-man who had something wrapped in a news­ paper and asked :— “ Is this of any use to you, Guv’nor ? ” When the paper was removed an eighteenth-century bat — a ponderous weapon, which, despite its age, is in an excellent state of preservation — was exposed to view. It did not take long for terms to be agreed to, for Mr. Luff had long desired to add such an ancient relic o f the game to his ever- increasing collection. W'hen the trans­ action was completed, the man accounted for his possession of the bat by saying:— •‘ I ’m a labourer, sir, and, whilst helping to pull up the floor-boards of Crosby Hall, came across it nailed to a beam.” What its previous history was will probably never be known. M ention of Crosby Hall reminds me that another of the City’s most historic buildings — the Guildhall — contains a beautiful piece of sculpture which deserves to be better known to cricketers than it is. It is in the western lobby of the Library, and is Durham’s admirable statue entitled “ Waiting his Innings,” showing a boy reclining upon his bat in an attitude of careless but graceful ease. M r . H enry B oden , who died on November 14th last at the age of seventy- two, left property to the value of ±250,975. The net value o f the estate of the late Mr. H . M. Faithfull, of New South Wales, has bee n proved for probate pur­ poses at .£102' 909, «’ .which £80,740 is represented by shares in public companies. T he Committee of the Sgiperset County C.C. have assigned the match with Surrey at Taunton on August 9th, 10th and 11th next as a benefit for Lewis, who has rendered the side good all-round service since his debut in 1899. Should the weather be fine the match ought to be a success, especially as the Taunton Flower Show will take place in the same week. S ir N evile L ubbock has resigned the chairmanship of the West India Com­ mittee, who unanimously passed a resolu­ tion expressing regret at his retirement, thanking him for his many valuable services, and recommending the general meeting to appoint him the first President of the West India Committee, under the power contained in the Royal Charter of Incorporation. Sir Nevile is a member of the well-known cricketing brotherhood and played for Kent twice in 1860. On August 13th, 1900, he made a long and interesting speech at the dinner given, under the presidency of Lord Harris, in honour of the West Indian team at the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross. T he balance-sheet of the Gloucester­ shire County C.C. reveals a loss on the year’s working of .£357, there being a drop of £84 in members’ subscriptions and an increase o f ±125 in players’ expenses. The most remunerative match of the season was that against Yorkshire at Cheltenham, which realised ±401, and in this connection it is interesting to note that in the coming season Derbyshire will be met instead o f Yorkshire. The Annual General Meeting is to be held this afternoon. P. W . O scroft , the old Nottingham­ shire cricketer, has been appointed science master at Uppingham School. I t is interesting and pleasing to hear that the Surrey County C.C. Committee have decided that, during the coming season, Hayward shall be the recipient of a testimonial. Considering that he was accorded a benefit a few seasons ago, the distinction must be regarded as a most unusual o n e : it is, nevertheless, one which he richly merits. It may be of interest to recall at the present moment that Hayward, although born at Cam­ bridge, comes of a family which was for several generations settled in Mitcham, and that both his father and grandfather appeared in the Surrey X I. T he retirement of Dr. Edward Mills Grace from the Secretaryship of the Gloucestershire County C.C. is a note­ worthy event in the history o f that county inasmuch as it means that, for the first time since the formation of the Club over thirty-eight years ago, no member o f the family has any official connection with the organization. The history of the