Cricket 1909

12 CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J an . 28, 1909 would think he was old enough to know better than to show the young players such an example of vigour and form. Our season has opened somewhat late, but certain o f our batsmen have soon struck form, though it has to be admitted our bowling is not too formidable. A. C. Facy (hisinitials stand for Ashley Cooper), the son o f Mr. Peter Facy, Secretary of the Tasmanian Cricket Association, is showing promising form as a fast bowler and many think he will be heard of in the near future as the successor to C. J. Eady.” I note that on December 12th, A. C. F. scored 102 for East Hobart v. New Town. F rom the W eekly Press of Christ­ church, N.Z. (2/12/08) :— “ The question as to whether a ‘ trial ’ ball shall be bowled cropped up on Saturday. When the West Christchurch v. Eiccarton match was about to start, Williams asked whether he should give a ‘ trial,’ and the umpire replied 1No trial.” The batsman ■at the bowler’s wicket then said the striker could claim a ‘ trial ’ if he so desired, and as this assertion had an air of authority about it, the umpire, though still having grave doubts, was about to concede the point, when the striker called out that he did not wish for a ‘ trial.’ That umpire has since been searching the laws of the game to find under which rule the striker can claim the privilege.” A c u r i o u s coincidence happened in th e match between Amberley and Bangiora on the former’s ground in Canterbury on November 21st. T. Mason did the hat- trick in each innings of Eangiora, taking the wickets o f the same three players on each occasion and in the same order. C ricket at Nelson has been much improved by the formation of a Nelson College Old Boys’ team. It was expected that a good batting side would thus be brought together, and such has proved to be the case. In their match against the Nelson Town C.C. on November 14th, the Old Boys ran up a score of 412 for two wickets, E. E. Neale (209 not out) and A. Sandel (101 not out) putting on 280 in partnership without being separ­ ated. The previous highest total scored at Nelson was 321, which was made as far back as 1890. “ I h a d the pleasure of a chat with Humphreys a couple o f days ago,” says “ The N ative” in The W eekly Press of Christchurch. “ The Kent professional is a pleasant and genial young fellow and a typical Englishman. I feel sure he will be popular, both on and off the cricket field, and he is taking up his new duties with the utmost enthusiasm. Although he has been here only a few days, he is loud in his praise of our country and climate, and thinks that New Zealanders should be proud of their native land. He is very favourably impressed with our wickets, and said the pitch he played on on Saturday was fast enough for any­ thing, and a great contrast to English wickets which were slow in comparison. He is more than satisfied with the standard of play here, and from what little he has seen of our cricket he thinks there are several of our pla}7ers who would have no difficulty in getting a place in some o f the County Elevens in the Old Country.” I n a match in South Africa on Nov­ ember 28th a bowler named Lloyd took five wickets in an over of six balls. F or Patiala against Elphinstone College, on the former’s ground on December 21st and 22nd, F . A. Tarrant scored 64 and 38 and took seven wickets in an innings. The Maharajah of Patiala, playing for the same side, scored 65 and 41, proving the greatest run-getter in each innings. REMINISCENCES.* Hitherto Mr. W. E. W. Collins, an old Badley captain, has been known to fame chiefly owing to a very hard-hit innings of 338 not out, made in 1874 against Fresh­ water for Northwood, who scored -538 for eight wickets notwithstanding that four players failed to obtain a run between them. By means of h's recently issued book of reminiscences he has again scored well, and cricketers of all generations in whatever part of the world they may be located will find a great amount of matter in its 327 pages to interest them. Mr. Collins has had a long and varied career as a player, and his book is full of good stories concerning all grades of cricket. The stories, in fact, are so numerous as almost to tumble over each other, but this, as everyone will agree, is a very agreeable fault, if fault it may be con­ sidered. There is a good story told of “ Ducky ” Diver, the well - known Eugby coach, who was of all umpires the most imperturbable. “ How much is it over that w all?” in­ quired a notoriously hard hitter. “ Six.” “ And how much over that one?” pointing to a still more impossible boundary. “ Game ! ” said Diver, without moving a muscle of his countenance. As amusing was the incident of the young gentleman who roused the wrath of a county bowler by hitting a ball right off the middle stump to square-leg. As the ball was temporarily lost, the bowler, having waited in vain for an apology, strode down the pitch and addressed the culprit, who was talking to the wicket-keeper. “ Do you know where that ball pitched? ” was the angry inquiry. “ I thought it pitched in the hedge,” naively answered the batsman, who misunderstood the drift of the question. Mr. Collins’ book, however, is not made up entirely of anecdotes, inasmuch as the author delivers some weighty criticism of modern cricket extravagances. Some of his suggestions, and especially the one concern­ ing the changing of the lbw rule, are bound to meet with opposition, but this no doubt he has cheerily anticipated. In any case, he is to be congratulated upon having kept a diary, inasmuch as it has assisted him to produce a book which would enable any cricketer to pass a very pleasant fortnight on a lighthouse. * Leaves from an Old Country Cricketer’s Diary. By W. E. W . Collins. Edinburgh and London: Wm. Blackwood and Solis. Price, 0s. OBITUARY. M b . W. A dam . Mr. William Adam, who died in Brooklyn, N.Y., on November 19th in his- thirtieth year, was Secretary of the Manhatten C.C. for several years and prominently identified with the game in New York and district. He was bom at Aberdeen, in Scotland, and was a useful all-round ci icketer. F.F.K. M e . W. H. A ndrews . “ J.D.P.” kindly writes as follows from Stanger, Natal:—“ Those of your readers who remember Mr. Walter H. Andrews, an amateur player for Sussex some years ago, will regret to hear of his death which occurred on the 26th November after a comparatively short illness from enteric and pneumonia. Mr. Andrews had resided in our village for the last eighteen months, during which time he had identified himself with local cricket, not confining himself to taking part in our club games but coaehing and encouragiug all youngsters who showed any disposition for improvement. He was, of course, as a player head and shoulders above any we have here, but he never assumed any air of superiority and was always ready and willing to take part in a game on the same footing with the rest, except that he often insisted on being put in last. Whilst excelling a? a batsman, his brilliant fielding is what he will always be best remembered for. In addition to cricket, Mr. Andrews took a great interest in the Choir of All Saints’ Church, Stanger, of which he was the founder six months ago and an enthusiastic member. He was laid at rest in our local ‘ God’s acre ’ on the 28th November, and the fact that he was followed to the grave by some seventy persons, practically all our male population, testifies to the high esteem and regard in which he was held.” Mr. Walter Hermann Andrews, who was born on April 17th, 1865, played in forty matches for Sussex between 1888 and 1892, his highest score being 67 against Gloucestershire at Gloucester in his last season, and his average for sixty-eight com­ pleted innings 13-80. He was a good left- handed batsman and an extremely fine field, and was one of the eleven sons of Mr. Henry Wyche Andrews, who appeared occasionally for Kent between 1852 and 1863. He was Captain of the Badley College XI. from 1880 to 1883, and from 1899 to 1902 served with the Imperial Yeomanry in the South African War. T he B ev . W. B aknard . The Bev. William Barnard, who was born on May 21st, 1825, died at Stratford-on- Avon on December 2nd. He was in the Winchester XI. in 1843 and 1844, and played in each year against Harrow and Eton. It was his batting which gained him a place in the side, but in the four matches mentioned he scored only 36 runs with an average of 5'14. He was also good a racquet player, and won the Silver Bacquet at Cambridge the year before the matches against Oxford were instituted. For forty- four years (1856-1900) he was Vicar of Alveston. He was not related to the Eton and Kent cricketers of the same name. J.D.B. M 11 . E L. B ateman . Mr. Edward Louis Bateman, C.B., who was born at Mickleover, Derbyshire, on