Cricket 1909

CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORO OF THE GAME, AUGUST 12, 1909. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. No. 820 . v o l . xxvm. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1909. o n e penny. A CHAT ABOUT J. SHARP. John Sharp, of Lancashire, has gained many triumphs as a cricketer, but last Tuesday is probably destined to rank as the red-letter day of his career. For eleven seasons he has rendered excellent all-round service to the county of his adoption, but has scarcely been accorded the opportunity of playing in representative matches as frequently as his merits have entitled him. One of the most keen, brightand unselfish of cricketers, he is a popular favourite on grounds in general and on those of Lancashire in particular. He is one of those men who believe that a match is never won until it is lost, and no one who was unac­ quainted with the state of a game would be able to tell by watching him in the field whether his side were winning or losing for he is always w illing and anxious to exert himself to the full until the last ball has been bowled, no matter how apparently hopeless the outlook may be. Eemembering this, one can quite understand the wave of enthusiasm which passed from one end of the country to the other when news of his great score in this week’s Test match was flashed from one end of the country to the other. John Sharp was born at Hereford in February, 1878, and was taught the game by Mr. E . E . Baker, “ a compact little man with a considerable beard,” who was a sound player in his day. Concerning those times Sharp has said:— “ Where I was at school the headmaster was a good cricketer ; his name was E . E. Baker. He was a jolly fine bat, and taught me a good bit of cricket. He used to bowl lobs at the school. When I went there first he used to get me out pretty often. Then Mr. Baker would go in batting at night. I never could get him out. I used to bowl round the wicket, and many a time I thought I had him leg-before, but I never he scored 208 not out against the Ledbury Club. H is first engagement was with the Liverpool Club at Aigburth, and his next with Leyland. It was whilst with the latter that he was tried for Lancashire and not found wanting. H is first match for the County was against Surrey at Old Trafford in 1809, when, going in ninth, he played a sound first innings of 57. A little later he scored 72 on the. Leicester ground, but beyond doubt his best display during his in itial season of first-class cricket was his innings of 50 in the August Bank-Holiday match at Manchester. Tried as a change bowler, generally when batsmen had got set, he frequently proved the means of dissolving a long partnership, and in 1901, when Mold was only moderately successful, Briggs absent owing to illness, and Cuttell disabled for a large part of the summer, he had a most successful season w ilh the ball, taking as many as 112 wickets for 22'43 runs each: as he could also point to a batting average of 25'22 his worth to the side can easily be gauged. Since then he has developed mainly as a bats­ man, but that he can still bowl with effect he plainly showed against Middlesex at Lord ’s last- month when he dismissed eight men in an innings of 180 for 51 runs. H is three-figure scores this year have been 183 v. Worcester­ shire at Stourbridge, 110 v. Essex at Liverpool, 113 v. Sussex at Manchester, 157 v. Surrey at the Oval, and 105 in this week’s great match against Australia. He possesses a great variety of strokes and scores freely, when set, whilst his fast-medium bowling gets up quickly from the pitch and, com­ ing back from the off, at times makes him very deadly. He is, moreover, a brilliant field, and, in short, is a player who would prove a source of strength to any side in the world. As a footballer he has gained the highest honours, having played inside right for England against Ireland at W ol­ verhampton in 1903, and outside right against Scotland at the Crystal Palace two years later. managed it, even though the mystery of leg-before was explained to me on the black­ board at school. Mr. Baker was a fine cricketer, and I owe much to him .” That JOHN SHAEP. Photo by 1 [Hawkins &Co., Brighton. the tuition he received from this cricketing schoolmaster was sound is evident from the fact that when only fourteen years of age