Cricket 1909

A u g u s t 19, 1909. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 345 was in a hopeless position and made the follow ing hits :— 4, 1, 4, 4, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1, 1, 4, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 2. W ith o u t offering a chance, or m aking a bad stroke even, he scored 50 out o f 58 in 38 m inutes. As m any as 37 o f the runs were obtained off Dean, the rem aining 13 com ing from Brearley. A r e m a r k a b le coincidence is to be noted in connection w ith the matches played this year between the Cobham and Oxshott clubs. I n the first game each side scored 110, and in the return, played on Saturday last, 112. In the latter case, too, tho highest in d ividu al score for each side was 26. It is very unusual, but not unique, for two clubs to play a tie w ith each other in both home and away matches. D u r in g the second day’s play in the match m entioned A lb ert H artley had the m isfortune to break a finger w hilst en­ deavouring to bring off a catch. The accident w ill keep h im out o f the team for some tim e— probably for the rest o f the season. M b . B a g g a lla y , the magistrate at Tow er B rid g e Police C o u rt:— “ Consider­ ing we draw stumps in twenty m inutes, it is h ard ly w orth w hile to start a second innings, especially as there are six to go in the witness-box at least. Unless you can settle it, I must adjourn the summ ons.” C an on W illia m R a s h le ig h , the T o n ­ bridge, Oxford and K en t cricketer of former days, made 102 and 78 for St. Law rence v. B and o f Brothers at Canter­ bury on W ednesday and 'Jhursday last week. M a u r ic e R e a d , the old Surrey and E ngland cricketer, has been in m arvellous form w ith the bat this season, says the A th le tic N e w s . Playin g at Sir H e n ry T iclib o rn e’s historic seat in Ham pshire, he has exceeded the century on three occasions, and has scored 946 w ith tho splendid average o f 135 per innings. Read is not called on to bow l m uch now, but on one or two occasions he has been successful when wickets were badly needed. H e was 50 years o f age last February, but looks quite ten years younger, and everyone w ith whom he plays hopes he w ill enjoy m any years m ore cricket. H is scores this season have been v. Seafield P a rk 53, v E a st­ leigh 93, v. O ld A lresford 71, v. Ordnance Survey 90 (not out), v. Stratton P a rk 151 (not out), v. Leicester Ivanhoe 85 (not out), v. Grange 4, v. W inchester 154, v. M r. L a n n in g ’s X I . 41 (not out) and 121, and v. Trojans 6 and 77 (not out). W . P a r k e r made 106 and 103 for B ord on G arrison v. C. E . N . C harrington’s X I . at Frensliam H ill on the 9th and 10th inst. T h e score of the match w ill be found on page 343. A p r o t e s t was forwarded to the M ary- lebone Club by the Rev. G. B . Raikes, the acting captain o f the N o rfo lk Eleven, during the first innings o f the match w ith L in co ln sh ire on the L in d u m ground at L in c o ln on the 11th inst. Th e com ­ m unication was in these terms :— “ Lincoln wicket heavily watered one end admitted. We protest to you, but propose resuming play for the sake of the gate.” M r. B . K nyvett W ilson , the N orfolk captain, also sent a statement to the M .C .C ., in w hich he said it was adm itted by the Lin co ln sh ire captain that there had been carelessness in the preparation of the w icket; that imm ediately on his arrival at the ground he found the L in co ln sh ire captain inspecting the wicket, and the latter at once inform ed h im that he thought there was something wrong, as the w icket appeared to have been very heavily watered at the end nearer the p a v ilio n ; and that it was suggested that a new w icket should be prepared, but this idea was given up ow ing to both sides of the w icket provided being badly worn. M r . L a c e y , in the course o f h is reply to the Lin co ln sh ire C ounty C.C. secretary, s a id :— “ I should lik e to point out that no law of cricket has been violated, and consequently there is n othing to go before the M .C .C . Comm ittee, except, perhaps, to consider i f any general instructions should be issued w ith regard to the preparation o f wickets.” A n o t h e r curiosity in connection w ith the m atch was that, about half-an-hour before the appointed tim e for draw ing stumps on the first day, an appeal was made ow ing to the lig h t being excessive and ill-directed. T h e appeal svas suc­ cessful and stumps were drawn. In explanation it should be added that the wickets were pitched east and west. T w o of the patent m echanical bow ling machines, o f which a good deal has been heard lately, have been purchased by the Somerset executive for the Taunton ground. Apparently the idea is to save expense in these days o f financial em ­ barrassment. O n a couple of occasions last week county players were subjected to m uch annoyance by the behaviour o f the crowd. The first instance occurred near the close o f Yorkshire's first innings against D e rb y­ shire at B ram all Lane, when some o f the spectators jeered the Yorkshirem en for not m aking runs fast enough to meet w ith their approval. A fter stumps were drawn L o rd H aw ke announced h is intention of stopping the game in the event o f the nuisance being repeated, and he added that, at the tim e the demonstration took place, Bestw ick and W a rre n were bow ling particularly w ell and were most difficult to score from . T h e other disturbance was at B risto l in Gloucestershire’s second innings against Surrey. A leg-before-w icket decision against F . B . Roberts, w ho had been playing a splendid u p h ill game for the home side, annoyed a certain section of the ring, who m arked their disapproval and disappointm ent by shouting “ H o w ’s th a t ? ” whenever a Surrey man delivered a ball. M r. Leveson-G ow er was in the pavilion, and threatened to w ithdraw the Surrey team from the field unless the nuisance ceased. Before anything definite could be done, however, the tenth G lo u ­ cestershire w icket fell, bringing the innings to a close. I t is only righ t to the sporting section o f those present to add that when Surrey had pulled off the game in good style by eight wickets they were deservedly cheered. A t a meeting of the Gloucestershire Comm ittee on M onday it was decided to send a letter to M r. Leveson-Gow er apologising for the conduct of certain members at B risto l on the occasion mentioned. It is w orthy o f note that as m any as six instances of leg-before-wicket occurred in G loucestershire’s first innings. There were also two cases in the second. Thom pson who, at the age o f thirty-eight, has been brought in to the Surrey team again, on the strength o f his “ googly ” bowling, after an absence of thirteen years, was responsible for six o f the eight dism issals. C an on S a n d fo r d , w ho w ill resign the Archdeaconry o f E xeter at the end of next m onth ow ing to ill-health, was a fine batsman and wicket-keeper in his day and obtained a place in the E leve n both at Rugby and Oxford. H is not-out innings of 88 against . M arlborough in 1856 was long remembered. C. G. W in gh am , the colt of 72, to whose successful b ow ling I had occasion to refer recently, continues to do well. On the 11th and 12th inst. he turned out for Folkestone against the G entlem en of Sussex and took thirteen wickets for 78 runs. T h e Sussex side were dism issed for 30 and 84 and beaten by an innings and 93 runs. O n the follow ing day W in gh am turned out for H yth e against K e n t C lub and Ground, and took six w ickets in an in n in gs and made a catch. S o m e r s e t have every reason to be proud o f what they did last week, seeing that they beat Surrey, in L e w is ’ benefit m atch at Taunton, by three wickets, and succeeded in effecting a draw w ith K e n t on the same ground after their position had seemed w ell-nigh hopeless. T o follow- on 286 behind against so form idable a side as K e n t and w in d up w ith a lead o f 116 w ith a couple o f wickets in hand was a capital performance w hich speaks volumes for the p lu ck and tenacity o f the side. T o L ew is especially w ill recollec­ tions of the game bring pleasant memories, seeing that he obtained the highest score o f h is career (201) and carried out his bat when the match was over. D u r in g the innings C olin B lyth e bowled w ith so m any men stationed on the leg-side that the umpire, Bagshaw, stood point. This, I believe, is unique so far as first-class cricket is concerned, though in a m in or m atch I once saw an