Cricket 1909

J u l y 15, 1909. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 265 showing discontent when an umpire gave them out. In the Test match of to-day it seems to be considered quite the correct fashion for a batsman to be given out stumped, caught at the wicket, leg-before- wicket, or even bowled by a particularly good ball, to take the spectators into his confidence by expressing his feelings— disgust, annoyance, astonishment, or what not It is not only the batsmen who feel it necessary to take the spectators into their confidence. The fieldsman who does not make a catch must point dramatically to a spot some yards in front of him, or (generally from a slightly different position) stretch out his arms at full length to sh >w that he had no chance of reaching the ball. It also seems to be becoming the fashion that when a batsman discovers, or thinks he discovers, a serious flaw in the pitch he must call the attention of the crowd to it (and incidentally the attention of the bowler) by summoning his partner to help him in patting down the spot.” P l a y in g for Maze Hill against Silver- town at Blackheath on July 3rd, F. Garlick took the last six wickets with consecutive balls, five of them in an over. T h e following are the votes given in the plebiscite opened by the Yorkshire Evening Post on the England team for the Test match at Manchester:— Rhodes Hobbs Sharp........... A. O. Jones Denton H irst........... P. F. Warner Tyldesley ... Barnes Relf (A. E.) Votes. ... 527 494 ... 481 .. 440 ... 423 ... 409 ... 379 ... 344 ... 314 ... 2S7 Lilley ........... Fielder .......... Hayward.......... W. Brcarley ... Strudwick Blythe .......... K. L. Hutchings Haigh .......... Thompson Arnold .......... Votes. ... 257 ... 254 ... 226 ... 195 ... 174 ... 160 ... 148 ... 137 ... 118 ... 110 The names of as many as 104 players were submitted. MacLaren received 2fi votes and Fry 8. S n a p p e r s - u p of unconsidered trifles may like to make a note of the fact that in|last Thursday’s match at Lord’s between M.C.C. and Egypt and the Soudan the wickets, instead of being pitched east and west as usual, were set from north to south—in the direction, that is, from the Mound Stand to the large scoring-board. Once before during the season, in the M.C.C. v. Household Brigade match on May 27, the same procedure took place, but play on that occasion was limited by the weather to a few minutes. T h e G r e a t G r ie f . Outclassed at Cricket, and at Polo, too ! No wonder that John Bull, poor chap! looks blue. Without a sigh he lost his place in Trade, But grief at Games ! Ring down ! The play is played! —The Referee. F rom Dr. Poidevin’s “ Current Cricket ” in the Pall Mall Gazette :— “ In order to encourage a wicket-keeping pro. in the team in which I was playing, I once offered him hiilf-a-crown (or every run he made over 5. The seriousness with which he set about gathering-in stolen singles, snicks, and agricultural trifles to leg was amazing. He made 11 runs in the first innings and 9 in the second. I paid out, therefore, 25s., but my reward was speedy, for we won the match by 5 runs. So much for “ oleum palmi ” as an inducement for effort.” I n a sm u c h as he took eight wickets in last week’s match at the Oval between Gentlemen v. Players, D. W. Carr fully justified his selection. His “ googlies ” puzzled all his opponents, and only Hayes played him with much confidence. He made the ball break either way without any perceptible change of delivery, and at will sent down a bail with plenty of top spin on it. Had the wicket been faster his success would have been even more pronounced, for the ground was too slow to enable him to be seen at his best. For several years past he has been well- known in club cricket, having played fre­ quently for the Band of Brothers, the Free Foresters and other good sides. At one time he was a master at St. Andrew’s College, Eastbourne, but is now at Stan­ more, under the Rev. Vernon Boyle, the famous cover-point of other days. His scholastic duties do not, unfortunately, permit him to devote much of his time to cricket, and it is a fact that prior to last week he had appeared in only one first-class match during his career for Ivent against Oxford University earlier in the season, when he took seven wickets for 95 runs. His curious career in the great matches of the day recalls that of Silas Cooper, the club-footed tailor of Wadhurst, in Sussex, who flourished about a hundred years ago. In his first important match — at Lord’s, in 1805 — he played for X X III Next Chosen against X II First Chosen, and bowled down eight wickets in the first innings but did not obtain any in the second. A fortnight later he appeared at Lord’s for England against Surrey and again failed to secure a wicket. Then he dropped out of impor­ tant cricket until 1815, when he played for Sussex against Epsom at Brighton. Whether he bowled or not in this match is unknown, but certain it is that he was not responsible for anyone’s dismissal. But as Sussex had “ Squire” Osbaldeston, James Broadbridge and Hammond on their side, it is possible that his bowling was not required. T h e play in the Eton v. Harrow match at Lord’s last Friday was one of the most interesting day’s cricket seen during the season, and it was a great pity that the weather prevented a definite result being arrived at on Saturday. Both teams were rather above the average, especially in bowling, and therefore it is scarcely to be wondered at that, on a wicket all in favour of the attack, as many as seventeen wickets should have fallen in a single day. When the game was given up Eton, with only three wickets in hand, required 53 runs to win, and it is hardly likely the number would have been obtained. would improve sufficiently to permit the game being finished. From time to time notice-boards were displayed giving the latest news of the state of the wicket, and the megaphone also was brought into use. O v e r h e a r d at Lord’s on Friday: “ What’s a stonewaller, Muriel ? ” “ Why, one of those who play the Eton ‘ Wall Game,’ of course.” Pcill Mall Gazette. P r io r to Friday last Sussex had never won a match by so large a margin as an innings and 274 runs. Their most pro­ nounced success to that date had been by an innings and 266 runs, over Kent at Brighton in 1875. B a il e y , who appeared for Somerset for a few seasons, was responsible for a good bowling performance last Saturday. Playing for Fifeshire against Clack­ mannan County, at Alloa, he took eight wickets for 11 runs in an innings of 95. He appeared for Surrey as far back as 1892, and is now engaged with the Dunfermline Club. T h e r e was much dreary waiting on Saturday in the hope that the conditions A c c r in g to n have applied to the Lancashire League Committee for an inquiry into a decision of an umpire given during the match between Has- lingden and Accrington on Saturday. The application was seconded by the Haslingden representative, and it was granted. The incident referred to was as follows:—During the Accrington innings Finney and Smith were batting. The latter cut a ball low to point, and Salkeld, a Haslingden player, appealed for a catch. The appeal was not allowed, and Salkeld threw the ball down, and then returned it to the bowler. Finney, the other batsman, left his ground to protest against the appeal, and, while he was thus out of his ground, his wicket was broken, and he was given run out. The M.C.C. have stated that “ A ball does not become dead . . . . because an unsuccessful appeal has been made to the umpire.” Therefore, it is quite clear that the decision referred to was correct. It is amusing to note that Finney’s protest was not against the umpire’s ruling, but against the fieldsman’s appeal! At least, that is according to the account which has reached me. H a v in g regard to the fact that certain clubs have asked the M.C.C. to co-operate with them in order to obtain relief from the land clauses of the Finance Bill, the (natter will be brought before tlje Com­ mittee of the M.C.C. at their next meet­ ing. The Committee will consider what action the M.C.C. shall take to secure exemption for all cricket and recreation grounds, not carried on for the purposes of deriving profit, from the operation of the Finance Bill. Another point for con­ sideration will be the form in which secretaries of clubs in this position shall be asked to support the action of the Marylebone Club. A t Brighton last week A. E. Belf