Cricket 1909

2 8 2 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u ly 22, 1909. Henley-on-Thames. The mayors and town clerks of both towns took part. The oldest player in the match was Alderman Cox, of Maidenhead, who scored 3 and 6. The Henley rate-collector, Mr. C. E. Fox, made 77 and did the hat-trick. Maidenhead were beaten by six wickets. T h e Hampstead Week terminated on Saturday, and. of the six matches arranged four were won, one lost, and one aban­ doned owing to the weather. On the last day the Club beat M.C.C. by 99 runs, scoring 225 and getting rid of the opposi­ tion for 12G. S. S. Pawling, the captain, took five wickets for seven runs. B. S. Foster, H. D. Kanga and E. Leigh-Ibbs made scores of over 50 during the week, but no such innings was played against the side. In the five matches Hampstead made 1,167 runs for 48 wickets, and their opponents 776 for 64. D e r b y s h ir e has always been an un­ lucky side and there can surely be no cricketer who would fail to rejoice if the county experienced a successful season. Their southern tour this year resulted in severe reverses at the hands of Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, and in injuries to three of their best players in the persons of Cadman, Oliver and Lawton. Truly, fortune does not always favour the brave. The Field draws attention to the fact that in the first three matches of the Gifford House cricket week the maximum of excitement was enjoyed. On Saturday (July 10) Mr. O. E. Wreford - Brown’s eleven scored 124, and Gifford House but a single run more ; on Monday the Bush­ rangers were dismissed for 118, and the reply amounted to 124 ; and on Tuesday the Stoics were beaten by two runs after making 83. Thus while all the matches produced victories for the Gifford House team, they had only an aggregate ad­ vantage of nine runs over their opponents, and had to fight to the end of the innings in every case. D u r in g the present week cricketers in all parts of the country have been favoured with a spell of real summer weather, after experiencing a deplorable state of things which had come to be regarded almost as a matter of course. To mis-quote Addison :— Wingham’s work with the ball showed thirty wickets for 301 runs. This would have been a very good performance for a cricketer a quarter his age, but when accomplished by a man who has passed the Psalmist’s three-score years and ten is altogether remarkable. Against M.C.C. he took eight wickets for 41 in an innings of 123, and in the match with I Zingari had sixteen for 184. Last year his record for the season showed 331 wickets at a cost of 8‘79 runs each. Who will be bowled—I mean bold—enough to say “ Too old at forty ” after this ? O n Monday afternoon, Bhodes played his first three - figure innings against Australian bowling in this country, and in the course of his display completed his thousand runs for the season. The only hundreds hit previously against the present team were 125, not out, by A. 0. Jones, for Notts ; 115 by F. L. Fane, for Essex ; and 106 by Denton, for Yorkshire. Earlier in the season Rhodes had scored 114 against Essex at Leeds and 101 in the Kent match at Huddersfield. To Monday last his work with the ball showed 77 wickets at a cost of 16-24 runs each. Y o r k s h ir e ’ s total of 346 is the largest yet made against Australian bowling this year, exceeding the 344 for 9 wickets scored by Essex at Leyton. One report stated that Wilkinson was bowled by a “ squatter ” on the off stump. The ex­ pression recalls the best days of the cricketer-journalist period. I t is with pleasure one can state that the Kent v. Somerset match allocated to Gravesend proved an unqualified success so far as the patronage of the public was concerned, for it is only a short time since it seemed likely that the Bat and Ball ground, which will always be associated with the name of Tom Adams, would be no longer the scene of county cricket. On Monday and Tuesday larger crowds assembled there than on any previous occasion, and, furthermore, those who were present had the satisfaction of seeing Hutchings at his best on each day. If only he can maintain the form he then showed cricket enthusiasts should have many a treat in store. Dr. W. G. G r a c e was sixty-one years of age on Sunday, whilst exactly a week earlier Mr. K. J. P. Broughton, the oldest living cricketer of note, entered upon his ninety-fourth year. On August 12th two old Kent players in the persons of Col. A. F. Jenner and Mr. Edward Banks will be 93 and 89 years of age respectively. “ We have always maintained,” says the Morning Post, “ that there is far too much first-ciass cricket played. By the end of May many batsmen look as if they would just as soon be playing golf, and bowlers have the air of prisoners on the treadmill. The result is cricket which cannot be very pleasant to play and is frequently not exhilarating to watch.” “ B a r r a c k in g ” on cricket grounds is never excusable and, more often than not, betrays a lack of cricketical knowledge. The behaviour of a portion of the crowd at Trent Bridge last week whilst George Gunn was showing splendid defence against a skilful attack on a bowler’s wicket, and playing a most useful game for his side, was little less than deplor­ able. It is probable that the majority of those who jeered at him are now able to realise what a valuable display he gave. He carried his bat through the innings for 91 and was almost wholly responsible for Notts saving the follow-on, and prob­ ably the match as well. That Yorkshire were keen to win is obvious from the fact that both their innings were declared closed. A t Tunbridge Wells Vine’s great effort on behalf of Sussex was not appreciated at its true worth by some people present. His side was in danger of defeat by an innings, but his sound defence during the three hours he was in resulted in the match being saved. Fortunately, he is not easily put off his game, or the hostile cries might have unnerved him. H a m is h S t u a r t was responsible for some big hitting for Ealing Park v. Haycand at Gunnersbury Avenue last Saturday. Ealing Park had only 56 to get to win, but the pitch was very treacherous. Hitting in consequence paid, and Stuart, in scoring 56 out of 79 in about 25 minutes, hit five 6’s and four 4’s. One of the 6’s was an old- fashioned long-leg hit, while another to square-leg landed on the zinc roof of the pavilion in the neighbouring field. C o l l e c t io n s were made at the Oval on Thursday and Saturday to help swell the Hayward Testimonial Fund. On the former day £51 3s. was taken and on the latter ,£16 Is. 6d. Hayward is the finest batsman Surrey have ever had, and it is hoped that the public will see that the Testimonial is made the success it deserves to be. All contributions should be addressed to Mr. W. Findlay at the Oval. O n the Maidenhead C.C. ground on Thursday last a match was played between the town councils of Maidenhead and ’Tis not in cricketers to command good weather, But we’ve done more, Sempronius - we’ve deserved it. On at least two grounds, however, the batsmen were at sea on the fast wickets after being used so long to slow ones, twenty wickets falling at Lord’s on Monday and eighteen at Gravesend on the same day. With the Manchester Test match due to start on Monday, it is sincerely to be hoped that no break-up of the weather is imminent. At the time of writing, however, the outlook is not too promising. G. C. W in g h a m , a veteran of 72, made his presence felt during the Folkestone Week. Three two-day matches had been arranged for the club—against M.C.C., I Zingari and Free Foresters — and A se c o n d meeting of the Cricket Con­ ference was held at Lord’s on Tuesday afternoon, Lord Harris taking the chair. Lord Hawke also represented England, Dr. L. O. S. Poidevin and Mr. P. A. McAlister represented Australia, and Mr. H. D. G. Leveson-Gower and Mr. A. Bailey South Africa. The suggested rules for Test matches were passed, and an agreement was come to as to the appointment of umpires and hours of play in Test matches. A scheme for the triangular cricket contest was settled for the consideration of the parties interested, and will be sent out with a recommenda­ tion that the scheme appears to be workable. I n his speech at the opening of an