Cricket 1909

J une 24, 1909. CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 211 The construction of the Demon Drivers is fully described in The Evolution of a Cricket Bat , which may be obtained free upon applica­ tion. CRICKET B A L L S [IMPROVED M AKE-KEEP THEIR SHAPE-LA S L O N G E R ! C A T A L O G U E U P O N A P P L IC A T IO N . C A T A L O G U E U P O N A P P L IC A T IO N . C A T A L O G U E U P O N A P P L IC A T IO N . nizfir 55 S & 1' FOOTBALLS IMPROVEDMAKE-KEEPTHEIR SHAPE-LASTLONGER C A T A L O G U E U P O N A P P L IC A T IO N . ■ t i H K s s a w a 8 ! _DEMON D R I V E R S 0 ARE OUT AND OUT THE B E S T, f Q OTHER GRADES 7 -6 -5 /- 4^0*4^ 8 -3'-2% -z*- [[C A T A L O G U E U P O N A P P L IC A T IO N |T0 AT THE SIGN OF THE WICKET. By F. S. A s h le y -C o o p e r. GEO. G. BUSSEY & Co., L td ., 36 & 38, Queen Victoria St., LONDON, Manufactory — Timber Mills — TECKHAM, S.E. BLMSWELL, SUFFOLK Agents all over the world. Last week’s match at Horsham proved such a success in every way that it is to be hoped the Sussex Committee will see their way to establish a Week there. The fact that Surrey were playing so near home induced very many supporters of that county to put in an appearance, for the town is very accessible both from London Bridge and Victoria. Given fine weather, that particular match could always be relied upon to prove a success financially, and the Week’s cricket could be completed with a fixture with Lancashire or Kent or one of the other lead­ ing and popular counties. Those of us who visited the ground last week for the first time could not help being charmed with the beauty of the surroundings, which formed a most pronounced contrast to what one has become accustomed to at, for instance, the Oval and Leyton. There were decorations in the streets in honour of Surrey’s visit, and it was evident that the inhabitants did all in their power to make the event a pleasant and successful one. The appear­ ance of some hundreds of boys from Christ’s Hospital in their old-world costume gave a very picturesque touch to the scene, and a good deal of amusement was caused when,late in the afternoon, several dozens of them inno­ cently ran behind the bowler’s arm on their way from the ground, but the incident, which might have been greetedin a somewhathostile manner on certain of the leading grounds, was regarded almost as a welcome interlude. The story of the match is to be found in another column, but the description does not tell of an entertaining occurrence which took place before the game commenced. Marshal had been batting for a little while at one of the practice wickets when an elderly gentleman, of the prosperous farmer stamp, attired in a tweed frock-coat suit, decided to bowl him a few balls. The batsman looked pleased and some of the on-lookers smiled. The first ball, delivered in the old-fashioned style, arm level with the shoulder, beat the bat and missed the wicket by a hair’s breadth, and the second knocked back the middle stump. There, however, the humour, so far as I was concerned, ended, for Marshal drove the next ball with all his strength and, quite unintentionally, I fielded it most brilliantly with my right foot about twenty- five yards from the wicket. Then followed temporary oblivion. An incident occurred in the early part of Middlesex’s second innings at Lord’s on Tuesday which occasioned considerable com­ ment. Tarrant, when he had made 37, played a ball on to his body and, upon appeal, was given out leg-before-wicket. As he was on his way to the pavilion—he had gone only a few yards—the umpire (Huberts) reversed his decision and Tarrant accord­ ingly returned to his wicket. Jones and Warner discussed the matter with the umpire for two or three minutes, apparently for­ getful that the official’s decision, by the laws of the game, is final. Tarrant, of course, continued his innings, and at the end of the day carried out his bat for 94. The Notts men must naturally have been disappointed that so valuable a wicket had not fallen to them, but for every reason an umpire should be allowed to alter his decision if he is satis­ fied in his own mind that he has committed an error. At the same time, any effort on the part of the batsman or the fieldsman to convince him that he has made a mistake cannot be too strongly condemned, for cricket is still a game and it is far better to accept the umpire’s verdict in a sportsmanlike way than to haggle with him on the point. Scores and Biographies relates how Fillery was given out twice in an innings and per­ mitted to continue batting. It was in the match at Brighton between Gentlemen of Sussex (with two Players) and fourteen Colts of Sussex in 1872. “ Fillery,” records Mr. Haygarth, “ when he had made only two ”— his final score was 29—“ was given out, but was allowed to return to the wicket bv ‘ general opinion,’ the umpire (Lillywhite) being over-ruled. He again was subse­ quently let in, John Lillywhite having called ‘ over ’ previous to the other umpire’s adverse decision.” The story of Uppingham cricket has been admirably told by Mr. William Seeds Patter­ son,* who was captain of the Eleven in 1873 and subsequently played for Cambridge, the Gentlemen and Lancashire. The history is the model of what such a book should be, and it must rank as the best thing he has done—at least, so far as cricket is concerned —since he helped the late Fred Grace to win the Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord’s in 1877, against tremendous odds, by a wicket. The story of the School's cricket was well worth tailing, for many great players have learnt the game at Uppingham, where matches have been played—on the Upper Field—for eighty years, and where, from 1872 to 1896, H. H. Stephensonwas engaged as coach. It was to C, E. Green’ s en­ thusiasm and financial assistance that the introduction of “ H. H.” to Uppingham was due. “ His object was to secure a permanent professional who should be not only a good bowler, but also a man who understood the game. Two other qualities also he looked for in his candidate; firstly, for the enthusiasm which he possessed himself, and without which there would be little permanent im­ provement ; and secondly, for the high character which would have weight with the boys, and would at the same time disarm any distrust or jealousy there might be among the masters or parents or anyone else.” C. E. Green had met Stephenson in Gentlemen v. Players and other matches, and knew that if his services could be obtained he would prove the very man for the position. Fortunately for Up; ingham “ H. H.” was available, and everyone knows howmuch he accomplished during the quarter of a century he was at the School. “ It may be summed up by saying that he gave to it the style and the character which first drew attention to it and then gave it fame.” The anival of so great a player as coach was naturally looked forward to with the greatest interest, and Mr. Patterson records that in his first game, on the day after he reached Uppingham, he was bowled by B. B. Faulk­ ner for a cipher. Stephenson soon estab­ lished a sound and correct style of batting in the School, though, especially during his early years there, it was not seldom that he found it necessary to check unorthodoxy in some of his pupils. “ I have not forgotten even now, after nearly forty years,” says the author, “ the deep shrug of the shoulder, the writhing of the body, the inward weeping, the outward groan, in fact the intense disgust of ‘ H. H.’ wnen someone had pulled a ball from the off-stump round to square-leg, even although a resultant cheer had wreathed the offender’s face in smiles of triumph.” *Sixly Years of Uppingham Cricket. By W. S. Patterson. London : Longmans, Green and Co., 39, Paternoster Row. Price, 6s. net.