Cricket 1909

2g6 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u ly 29, 1909. H. GRADIDGE A n d S O N S , M an ufacturers of a ll R e q u i s i t e s fo r C r i c k e t , L a w n T e n n i s , R a c q u e t s , H o c k e y , F o o t b a l l , a n d a ll British Sports. PATENTEES AND SOLE MAKERS ^ OF THE Used by all the Leading Players. Made la Man’s, Email Mam’s, ar Callage, «, 6, 4, * I sizes. P r i c e L i s t * F r e e o n A p p l i c a t i o n . Of all First-Class Outfitters a n d Dealers. R eblading a Sp eciality. Factory; A r tille r y Place. WOOLWICH. URINE For cleaning and whitening Buckskin and Canvas Boots and Shoes, Cricket Pads, &c. Packed in spunzinc container,with sponge. Of all dealers, or post free 6 d . WILL NOT RUB OFF OR CAKE. STANLEY FEAST & CO, KffiCiK; SOUTH EASTERN&CHATHAMRAILWAY A 0 G 0 ST 2 n d > M t M t b * 6 tli C H E A P * Day Return Tickets (1 , 2 & 3 C lass ), At a Single-Fare-and-a-Quarter for the Double Journey, WILL BE ISSUED TO C A N T E R B U R Y BY TRAIN LEAVING Charing Cross .............. 8.25 a.m. Cannon Street .............. 8.38 „ London B ridge.............. 8.45 „ New Cross .............. 8.31 „ Hither Green ............. 8.38 ,, A v a ila b le to re tu rn b y a n y T ra in th e sa m e da y. VINCENT W. HILL, General Manager. C r i c k e t : A WEEKL y RECORD OF THE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. THURSDAY, JULY 2 9 th , 1909. ^ a i n l t n n (B t f s s tp - The abstract and b rie f chronicle o f the tim e. — Hamlet. T h e record of the Australians is now as follows :—Matches played, 24 ; won, 10; lost, 3 ; drawn, 11. They have won the toss 15 times and lost it 9 times. T h e Rev. R. S. Holmes, writing to me on the subject of this week’s Test match, says :—“ It was my fourth Test match at Old Trafford, and it may be my last. Memory was very busy on Monday when England gave Laver a far more flattering analysis than bowling of his class deserved. Mind you, he bowled well—that is, he kept a splendid length and was straight; but he isn’t a Spofforth or a Turner. You may say that wickets taken are the final test of a bowler’s skill. Granted, if he repeats a success. Else you might call the Notts captain a great bowler after his performance against Gloucestershire on Saturday last when he dismissed the same number of batsmen as Laver did at Manchester. I was back in the good old days of W. G., Shewsbury and other past- masters. What wouldn’t one have given for their help this week ?—men who could always rise to a great occasion, were at their best when it was most wanted. It was in 1884, then in 1888, and then in 1890 I saw the Australians at Old Trafford. Never shall I witness a more perfect innings than Hayward’s 130 ten years ago. Jackson’s century in 1902 I did not see. It was sad to think that the former could not play this week, whilst the latter would not. England wanted them both, and along with them Hobbs and Jessop—both alas! hors de combat." .“ I s t a y e d until the rain came and then turned my face homeward, a sadder, but, I fear, a not much wiser man. One cannot explain our feeble batting in all the Test matches this year: a solitary failure one could condone. You will never convince me that it was the result of superior bowling, although one grudges to say so. Take Rhodes : a week or two since he notched a capital century against the same bowling at Sheffield ; this week he played it like a schoolboy. Why did our batsmen play back instead of forward ? Was it because they are always looking out for a chance of hooking the ball, instead of playing it on or off according to its pitch ? ” “ I n fielding the Colonials are very great. In the past half-century, in which I have seen almost every first-class cricketer, I have never witnessed a more brilliant fielder than Macartney, and Bardsley is almost as good. In running, picking-up and accurate return they are far superior to our men. Noble places his field with amazing skill so as to block every batsman’s favourite stroke.” “ W e l l , let that suffice. I may add that this week’s cricket was enjoyable in that the bowling on both sides held the whip hand. I have no appetite for huge scores; although one did hope our men would have passed Australia’s modest total. A difference of 28 in their favour would not have troubled us had either innings reached 250.” “ I w a n t to make three suggestions in perfect good faith:—1. For the fifth match play Barnes and Blythe for their bowling, but let every other England player be fresh to Test cricket. They could not do worse than the older hands; I feel sure they would do better. 2. Elect a captain after —not before—you have selected the team ; not necessarily the same man for every match. I am not sure I would not ask the team to choose the man they would like to lead them. But he must first of all be class enough as a cricketer to play for England. 3. In all future Test matches let the captains toss in the first and fifth matches only, not in the intervening three. Let the side that loses the first toss have choice of innings in the second match. In 1905, and again this year, it is absurd that the spin of a coin should so monotonously favour one team.” To Englishmen tlie result of this week’s match will prove disappointing, inasmuch as it will now be impossible for this country to regain the Ashes. It was, perhaps, well for England that rain inter­ fered to such an extent with the game, for when play was interrupted on Tues­ day the Australians were well placed and would in all probability have secured a winning position by the end of the day. Prom the Englishmen’s point of view the most pleasing feature of the match was the batting in each innings of Spooner, who set his comrades a capital example which, unfortunately, was not followed.