Cricket 1909

260 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u l y 15, 1909. crowd demonstrating before the pavilion, I had my eye on some mischievous fellows, who were expressing aloud the opinion that “ it would not take long to pull the old place down.” Presently out came Craig and drew away the “ lads ” in a body to hear an official pronouncement about play being shortly resumed. And then he kept them entertained with reminiscences for quite a long while till the players actually came out. I met Craig at this time at three successive mat hes (at Lord’s, the Oval, and Canterbury, I think), and calling his attention to the fact he exclaimed “ Good on you, sir,—and did you see how I pacified them at the Oval on Saturday ? ” I complimented him on his having done so indeed. Craig was always too generous—witness the readiness and success with which he would make a collection for any deserving player—to be a rabid partisan, but he could not conceal his pleasure when Yorkshire were doing well. But he was always ready to honour everyone. Who can ever forget his references to the several shires as “ my native home,” “ the home of my adoption,” and “ my future home ? ” He was a pretty good judge of merit, too, and foretold the glories of the present Kent XI. I recollect him extolling the team before they had made a bid for the Championship (at the match they lost to Middlesex by awicket after “ declaring” with two in hand, I think). He particularly emphasized the virtues of the young profes­ sionals who were “ all good triers, hard­ working, temperate, straightforward, modest lads . . . . well, something like myself! ” I remember another whimsical episode when Craig expressed a hope to see Somerset win . . . [ominous silence] . . . or Surrey ! ” [Laughter, and a cry, “ Yorkshire’s your county! ” ] “ No sir,” retorted Craig, “ York­ shire is not my county!” Then, after an effective pause, with sly raillery, “ In fact, I haven’t a county . . . why should I possess a county any more than the rest of you ? ” And the densest among us saw his point. How effectively Craig knew how to handle that pause! As, for instance, when Surrey were putting up a big score on Monday, “ Ah, you wait till the others go in . . . on Wednesday ! ” llepartee was his strongest point and it was wonderful how on the spur of the moment he could answer a quite unexpected sally with a discomfiting sarcasm addressed so deferentially and expressed so cunningly as to disarm resentment: a rejoinder framed in an apparently studied form capable of a variety of interpretations, one of which his innocent tones would imply, whilst we quickly realised that he meant to convey the opposite. At one time Craig had a disagreement with a football club one of whose followers turned up (at Blackheath) and tried to annoy him by rude and coarse remarks. Craig was deaf to them at first, but presently got his chance. He was announcing his “ lines 011 ” somebody or other, when the fellow bawled “ When are you going to write the lines on the------football club? ” “ When they >*in the English Cup, sir! ” was the instant reply. The promise never needed redeeming. After such a triumph Craig would add apologetically, “ I do love to come among you gentlemen!—You do take it out of me so ! ” I think the nearest approach to a haish reply I ever heard him utter was when boobies tried to fool him by pretending to call him back to sell his ware?. “ Haifa minute, sir,’’ he would say; “ I'Jl be rouud with the pictures presently. These are for gentlemeji who can read ! ” But one could go on recalling Craig’s witticisms for hours. One never met him even for two or three minutes without adding to the fund and being amused with their recollection for the rest of the day. Yet he could be very serious and no doubt intended a lot of solid wisdom in his “ rhymes ” (as he modestly described them). I know he was a devotee of the game and remember how, after “ selling out ” one day, he came and sat beside me on the Oval steps simply to watch the play. We had quite an interesting chat during which he smoked several cigarettes (he told me he was “ a cigarette fiend ”) but would accept nothing else by way of refreshment. Almost on the same spot I have sat beside John Burns, watching the early performances of Fred Holland, and have heard the future minister curtly telling his neighbours that he had “ come to see cricket—not to talk politics.” Both were men of parts and well meaning, and who shall say that Craig did the lesser of the two for mankind ? H.P.-T. SURREY 2 n d X I. v. WILTSHIRE. Played at the Oval on June 28 and won by W ilt­ shire by an innirgs and 28 runs. The match was completed in a day. Score and analysis:— S urrey 2 n d X I. First innings. Sccond innings. C. T. A. Wilkinson, b Mit- c Smith, b New- chell .................................. 2 m a n ...................10 Abel (W .). c and b Mitchell 0 c Whittaker b M itchell...........13 Goatly, b Newman ...........20 b N ewm an............44 Blacklidge, b Mitchell .. 2 c Mitchell,b New­ man ................... 1 H itch.c Stevens, b Mitchell 0 b M itchell........... 2 H. S. Altham, b Mitchell... 0 c Davenport, b Newm an........... 0 J. E. Jewell, st Davenport, b M itchell..........................26 b M itchell............. 1 Platt, c Mitchell, b New­ man .................................. 0 run out .......... 0 A. W. F. Rutty, c Newman, b M itchell.......................... l b Mitchell ........... 5 Edwards, not out ...........12 not out ............. 2 Windybank, b Mitchell ... 1 cMiller,bMitchell 0 Byes ... .................. 2 Byes ........... 2 Total J.E. Stevens, c Jewell, b Edwards R. W. Awdry, c Wil- 66 W iltshire . Total... 80 A. M. Miller, c Rutty, b Blacklidge ...........15 G.C.Davenport,b Platt 28 Smart, not o u t ...........11 Smith, c Rutty, b Platt 5 Mitchell, c Windy­ bank, b Platt ... 0 B 13, lb 3, 11 b 1... 17 kinson, b Hitch ... 13 Newman, c Hitch, b E dw ards.................. 7 S. R. Nicholson, b Hitch .................. 10 H. Taunton, lbw, b E dw ards.................. 61 Total S. Whittaker,cWindy­ bank, b Blacklidge S u r r e y 2 nd XI. First innings. Second innings. O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. ... 11-3 4 30 8 ............ 11*3 1 53 5 ... 11 1 34 2 ............ 11 W iltsh ir e . O. M. R. W. O. 13 4 26 3 1Blacklidge 7 21 3 65 2 Wilkinson 3 11*4 3 26 3 I Hitch bowled one no-ball. Mitchell... Newman Edwards . Hitch P la tt.. . 174 3 25 4 M. R. W. 0 29 2 0 11 0 GEORGE LEWIN & Co., (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists and Athletic Clothing Manufacturers. OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the Australians, 1896,1899 and 1902 ; Mr. Stoddart’s XI., 1894 - 1895, 1397 - 1898 ; Mr. MacLaren’s XI., 1901-1902 ; West Indian XI., 1900 and 1906 ; South Africans XI., 1901 and 1907; and M.C.G., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and London Counties, Wanderers, Stoics. Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Clubs.—Write for E stimates F ree . Telrgraphic Address: “ Leotdde, London.” Telephone: P.O. City 607. 8, Crooked Lane, Monument, London Bridge, E.C. LEICESTERSHIRE v. YORKSHIRE. Played at Leicester on July 8 and 9. Yorkshire won by three wickets. Leicestershire gained no advantage in winning the toss, for the wicket had only partially recovered from the previous heavy rain, During the day eighteen wickets fell for 310 runs, the visitors just exceeding the Leicestershire total with a couple of wickets in hand. Knight and Wood did well to make 39 for the first wicket, the former, who scored 35 out of 69 in 85 minutes, playing especially well. Half the side were out for 112, and the last five wickets fell for 42. Crawford, in his 16, hit a ball from Rhodes out of the ground for 6. It was rather curious that Hirst and Newstead, who commenced the bowling, did not secure a wicket between them, and that Haigh and Rhodes who relieved them should have taken them all. Yorkshire lost Wilson to the first ball sent down and Rhodes at 25. Rothery, although making only 8, stayed with Denton whilst 56 were added for the third wicket. Denton played stylish cricket for 50 minutes and hit a 6 and five 4’s. Bates made his 43in similar time, and Wilkinson, who stonewalled, was in 50 minutes also for 8. When stumps were drawn eight wickets were down for 156. On the second morning useful contributions by Newstead and Hunter took the total to 182. As in the first innings, Knight and Wood gave Leicestershire a good start upon going in the second time. Runs were hard to get, but the pair made 56 together in 85 minutes. After their departure, however, the batting went to pieces against Haigh, who came out with the fine analysis of seven for 43. Set 95 to win, Yorkshire lost Rhodes and Wilson at 31, but Rothery and Denton put on 37 for the third. The fourth fell at 81, and three more went down before the winning hit was made. Score and analysis :— L eicestershire . First innings. Second innings. C. J. B. Wood, lbw, b c Hunter, b Rhodes .......................... 15 Rhodes ........... 34 Knight, c Wilson, b Haigh 35 c Hunter,b Haigh 24 King, c and b Rhodes ... 21 c Hirst, b Haigh 0 Whitehead, c Newstead, b Rhodes ...................... 19 c and b Haigh ... 0 Coe, b Rhodes ................ 3 c Wilkinsou, b Haigh .......... 20 V. F. S. Crawford,c Rhodes, c Wilkinson, b b Haigh .......................... 16 Haigh ........... 4 Jayes, b Haigh .................. 14 b Haigh ... ..t> 1 Astill, c Newstead, b st H u n te r , b Rhodes .......................... 2 Rhodes ... ... 5 Sir A. Hazlerigg, c Haigh, b Rhodes ........................ 1 not out ........... 9 Shipman, not out .......10 c Wilson,b Rhodes 18 Sturman, b Haigh ........ 1 b Haigh ........... 0 B 7, lb 1 0 ...........17 B 5, lb 2 ............. 7 Total ...........154 Y o r k sh ir e . T o ta l...........122 First innings. Wilson, b J a y e s ................ Rhodes, b Jayes................ Denton, c Hazlerigg, A s till............................... Rothery, c Hazlerigg, A s till............................... Hirst, c Wood, b Astill Second innings. b Jayes................... 6 b Jayes...................21 b K ing...................21 c Crawford, b King...................12 c Sturman, b Shipman.......... 8 c Astill, b Jayes... 4 cSturman,bJayes 6 notout ... ... 6 not out ........... 0 B 12, lb 1 .........13 Total ...................182 Total (7 wkts) 97 L eicestersh ire . First innings. Second innings. O. M. R. W. O. M. R. W. Hirst .......... 6 2 9 0 ............ 6 0 16 0 Newstead ... 7 2 23 0 ............ 10 3 15 0 Haigh .......... 25-2 9 48 4 ........... 20’2 6 43 7 R h odes....... 24 8 57 6 ............ 26 7 41 3 Wilkinson, b Shipman ... 8 Bates, c Hazlerigg, b Astill 43 Newstead, not out .......25 E. J. Radcliffe, st Sturman, b Astill ......................... 1 Haigh, b Astill ................. 0 Hunter, lbw, b Jayes ... 12 B 4, lb 5, nb 1 .......10 Y o r k sh ir e . First innings. O. M. R. W. Jayes .......... 16‘3 1 74 3 ... King .......... 10 2 31 0 ... Astill .......... 20 4 47 6 ... Shipman ... 4 0 20 1 ... Second innings. O. M. R. W. 13 3 28 4 6 1 22 2 6 0 18 0 6*4 2 16 1 Astill bowled one no-ball. “ The Lord's ‘ cure ’ in the shape of the Varsity and Schools matches came opportunely when English cricket seemed unduly depressed by the mere loss of a Test between the Australian youth and the over­ matured veterans of England .”—The Observer.