Cricket 1909

A u g u s t 26, 1909. CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 355 the second wicket iu the follow-on. Then came 74 v. Yorkshire at Stourbridge, in a total of 185. He batted 2J hours, showing fine defence against some deadly bowling on a queerish wicket by Haigh. On that followed 48 and Bl v. Warwickshire at Edgbaston, 47 v. Lancashire at Worcester, 35 and 12 v. Oxford at Oxford, and 53 and G2 v. M.C.C. at Lord’s. Then at Manchester he had his first notable success against the Red Rose battalions, taking 80 in a little over 2J hours without a chance. A short period of ill-success followed this ; but on July 21st he made 167 not out in 230 minutes v. Leicestershire (who had made 701 for four wickets and declared) at Worcester, Arnold and he adding 200 for the second wicket in about 2£ hours. Then followed a beautiful 88, marked by fine cutting, v. Surrey at the Oval, a faultless 93 in 105 minutes v. Leicestershire at Leicester, 84 v. Hants, at Stourbridge, 69 v. Warwick­ shire at Worcester, a chanceless 117, in 3f hours, v. Kent at Canterbury, and an excel­ lent 81 v. Gloucestershire at Worcester. He figured nineteenth in the first-class batting averages of that season ; and of those above him there were at least half-a-dozen whose figures were not as meritorious as his. A good start again in 1907, when in May he scored 42 (v. Yorkshire) and 44 and 75 (v. Warwickshire) in the first two home matches. E arly in June he figured with his captain in a remarkable performance at Stourbridge. Lancashire had made 138 and 118 ; Worcester had fallen for 87, and wanted 170 for victory when the last innings began. They won by ten wickets ! The runs were made in a couple of hours, and Bowley, 95 at the finish, hit 11 fours. In the return at Old Trafford less than a fort­ night later he made 100 in 130 minutes, with 14 fours and no chance. Pearson helped him to send up 161 for the first wicket. Against Sussex at Hove some weeks later the same pair sent up 112 for the first, Bowley’s share being 65, including 11 fours. Then, against Hants at Portsmouth, the Worcester captain went in first with Bowley, and they put up 274 in 165 minutes, both then leaving at the same total. Bowley’s 110 was chanceless. August, owing to an injury and the illness of one of his children, was almost a blank for him ; and though he figured as high as sixteenth in the first-class averages, it was with an aggregate less than half as big as that of 1906. Though he started the season of 1908 with a magnificent 123 (made in 105 minutes without a chance) v. Surrey at Worcester, he only totalled 35 in his next six innings. At Edgbaston v. Warwickshire he made 58, he and his captain sending up 135 before a wicket fell, and then (as at Portsmouth in the preceding season) being both out at the same total. Scores of 66 v. Gloucestershire and 61 v. Somerset, both at Worcester, and the 61 by far the highest score of the match, followed in July. But his best performance during the remainder of the season was his double of 106 and 58 v. Hants, at South­ ampton. The former score was made in 110 minutes without a mistake, the latter took exactly the same time. Throughout August he was singularly disappointing, only making a total 101 in nine innings. At the time of writing he still lacks four­ teen runs for a four-figure aggregate this season; but, considering the many bowlers’ wickets, he has been very consistent. Against Hants, at Southampton and W ar­ wickshire at Worcester he has scored centuries, and has also made 69 v. Middlesex at Lord’s, 65 v. Somerset at Taunton, 60 v. Sussex at Eastbourne, 59 v. Hants, at Worcester, with a dozen innings of between 20 and 50 besides. Bowley has never yet been chosen for any colonial team, though one fancies he would make heaps of runs on the hard, true wickets of Australia, and he has hardly had his share of representative honours. Twenty-five centuries have come from him in first-class cricket in ten seasons ; and he has played besides innings of 98, 97, 95 not out, 95, 93, 91 and 90 (twice). H is usual, though not invariable place in the Worcester batting order is as one of the first pair. He has had many partners in opening the innings, his captain and Pearson chief among them. Besides these two, he has gone in first at different times with Messrs. G. E. Bromley-Martin, W . S. Cald­ well, R. E. Foster, W. L . Foster, E . P. Jobson and W . H. W ilkes, Arnold, Bird, Fereday, Gaukrodger and Wheldon— possibly with others, but these I have noted. The benefit which he has been granted is hardly likely to reward his services at all adequately. Such bumpers as a Lancashire or Yorkshire player may secure are impos­ sible at Worcester. But one hopes for a good wicket, three fu ll days’ cricket and record gates, a century— or a couple of centuries— for the central figure of the occasion, and a win for Worcestershire. H is 25 centuries, hereafter tabulated, include six v. Hants., four each v. Warwick and Leicester, two each v. Yorkshire, Kent, Lancashire and Derbyshire, one each v. Surrey, Somerset and Cambridge University. Of the teams met pretty regularly by Worcester, only Gloucestershire and Sussex do not appear in the list. Middlesex have only been met in two seasons, Northants in one season, Notts and Essex not at all. B o w l e y ’ s C e n t u r ie s in F ir s t -C lass M a t c h e s . Score. Match. 217 Worcestershire v. Leicestershire At. Year. 167* 164 153 151 149 148 140 13S 134 123 122 * 122 118 117 116 114 111 * 110 107 106 102 101 101 100 v. ,, v. Hants ........... v. Warwickshire v. Yorkshire ... v. Cambridge U. v. Somerset v. Derbyshire ... v. Warwickshire v. Leicestershire v. S u rrey........... v. Lancashire ... v. Derbyshire ... v. Hants .......... v. Kent ........... v. Leicestershire v. Hants ........... v. Kent ........... v. Hants ........... v. Yorkshire ... v. Hants ........... v. Hants ........... v. Warwickshire v. Warwickshire v. Lancashire ... Stourbridge Worcester Southampton Birmingham Worcester Cambridge Worcester Derby........... Worcester Leicester ... Worcester Worcester Worcester Worcester Canterbury Worcester Southampton Tunbridge Wells 1905 Portsmouth ... 1907 Worcester ... 1904 Southampton ... 1908 Worcester .. 1903 Worcester ... 1905 Worcester ... 1909 Manchester ... 1907 1905 1900 1903 1904 1905 1903 1903 1901 1904 1901 1908 1902 1902 1900 1906 1904 1909 B o w l e y ’ s B a t t in g A v e r a g e s Y e a r b y Y e a r in F ir s t -C lass C r ic k e t . Not High’st Season. Inns. out. Runs. Aver. Score. 1899 .......................... 9 0 67 7-44 21 1900 ........................ .. 46 1 1081 24*02 118 1901........................ .. 36 2 1050 30-88 140 1902 .......................... 42 1 1037 25-29 122* 1903 ........................ .. 43 4 1283 32-89 164 1904 .......................... 41 2 1435 36-79 153 1905 .......................... 42 2 1411 35-27 217 1906 .......................... 43 2 1629 39-73 167* 1907 ........................ .. 23 1 784 35-63 110 1908 ........................ .. 35 0 808 23-08 123 1909 (to Aug 18) ... 36 0 986 27-38 114 Total ... ... 396 15 11,571 3036 217 B o w l e y ’ s B a t t in g A v e r a g e s a g a in st V a r io u s S id e s M e t . Matches played Not High’st in. Inns. out. Runs. Aver. Score. Wore. v. Derbysh. 7 10 1 433 48-11 140 ,, v. Glos. 19 85 1 868 25-52 90 ,, v. Hants 20 35 2 1634 49*51 164 ,, v. Kent 20 37 1 839 23-30 117 ,, v. Lancs. ... 19 36 2 904 26-58 122* ,, v. Leicester. 15 27 2 1107 44-28 217 ,, v. Middlesex 3 6 0 178 29-66 69 ,, v. Northants 2 4 0 112 2S-00 85 ,, v. Somerset. 16 28 0 814 29-07 148 ,, v. Surrey ... 18 34 2 772 24-12 123 ,, v. Sussex ... 14 24 1 525 95 ,, v. Warw’k.... 18 30 2 1198 42 78 153 ,, v. Yorks. ... 20 36 0 904 25-11 151 Total for Wore. in Championship 191 342 14 10,288 31-36 217 Matches. Wore. v. Aust. ... 3 6 1 104 20-80 42 „ v. Phila. ... 2 4 0 95 23-75 50 ,, v. S. Africa 2 4 0 60 15-00 36 ,, v. L’dnCoty 2 4 0 12 3-00 5 „ v. M.C.C. ... 5 9 0 262 29-11 98 ,, v. C. Univ. 1 2 0 153 76-50 149 ,, v. O. Univ. 7 13 0 308 23-69 57 Total, all firs class Matches for 213 384 15 11,282 30-57 217 Wore. Players v. G ent.... 3 6 0 89 14-83 47 P.of Sth.v.G.of Sth. 2 2 0 79 39-50 73 South v. North ... 1 2 0 73 36-50 51 X I.of Eng.v.Lancs. 1 2 0 48 24-00 31 Total in first-class cricket to 220 396 15 11,571 30-36 217 Ang. 18, 1909. J. N. P E N T E L O W . T H E S C A R B O RO U G H F E S T IV A L . The visit of the Australians will be the chief attraction of the 33rd Annual Festival, which opens on Thursday next. The teams for the three matches w ill be :— M.C.C. v. YORKSHIRE (Sept. 2, 3, and 4). M.C.C.—H. D. G. Leveson-Gower (capt.), A. C. Mac­ Laren, K. L. Hutchings, S. H. Day, M. C. Bird, Hon. M. Herbert, Tarrant, King, Relf (A. E.), and Thompson. Y o r k s h ir e (selected from).—Lord Hawke (capt.), E. J. Badcliffe, Hunter, Hirst, Rhodes, Denton, Haigh, Newstead, Myers, Rothery, W ilkinson, Bates, Hardisty and Wilson. GENTLEMEN v. PLAYERS (Sept. 6, 7, and 8). G e n t l e m e n .— Lord Hawke, (capt.), H. D. G . Leveson-Gower, R. H. Spooner, A. C. MacLaren, K. L. Hutchings, W. S. Bird, S. H. Day, J. W. H. T. Douglas, F. L. Fane, R. O. Schwarz, D. W. Carr, and W. T. Greswell. P l a y e r s . -H un ter (capt.), Hirst, Hayward, Tyl­ desley, Hobbs, Rhodes, Denton, Haigh, Relf (A. E.), King, and Thompson. EARL OF LONDESBOROUGH’S ENGLAND XT. v. AUSTRALIANS (Sept. 9, 10, and 11). E a r l L o n d e sb o r o u g h ’ s E n g l a n d XI. (selected from).—R. H. Spooner (capt.), K. L . Hutchings, F. L. Fane, D. W. Carr, R. O. Schwarz, Tyldesley, Hunter, Hirst, Rhodes, Hayward, Hobbs, and Thompson. BOOKS R E C E IV E D . Barbados Cricketers' Annual , 1908-9. Edited and compiled by J. Wynfred Gibbons. Barbados : Globe Office, Victoria Street. Price, Is. GEORGE LEW IN & Co., (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists and Athletic Clothing Manufacturers, OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the Australians, 1896,1899 and 1903 ; Mr. Stoddart’ XI., 1894-1895, 1897- 1898; Mr. MacLaren’s XI., 1901-1902 ; West Indian X I., 1900 and 1906 ; South Africans XI., 1901 and 1907; and M.C.C., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and London Counties, Wanderers. Stoics. Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Clubs.—Write for E stim a te s F r e e . Telegraphic Address: “ LeotAde, London Telephone: P.O. City 607. 8, Crooked Lane, M onument, London Bridge, E.C.