Cricket 1909

360 CR ICK ET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A u g u s t 26, 1909. H. GRADIDGE Cricket: A W E E K L Y R E C O R D O F T H E G A M E . 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 6 t h , 1909. ®oasip. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. — Hamlet. T h e record o f the Australians is now as follow s :— M atches played, 32 ; won, 12 ; lost, 3 ; drawn, 17. They have won the toss 17 tim es and lost it 15 times. I f rum our is to be trusted, there was just a possibility o f the m atch between K en t and the Australians fallin g through ow ing to a difference of opinion respecting the hours of play. Th e tourists, in con­ form ity w ith their wish expressed at the commencement of the season, were desirous of playing from twelve to six each day ; on the other hand the County, through L o rd H a rris, suggested that if stumps were to be drawn at six the start should be at eleven o’clock and not at noon. E v e n tu a lly a comprom ise was effected whereby play was to begin on the second and th ird days at half-past eleven and to finish at a-quarter past six on each of the three days. T h e match, lik e m any another during the present “ summer,” was ruined by the weather, but before play degenerated into a mere exhibition in order that those present m ight see something for their money, the Australians had obtained a substantial advantage. K e n t’s total of 319, though by no means a poor one, was not large enough to give the side a chance of victory in the event of the weather rem aining fine. E veryth in g in the match was dwarfed by the batting of Hansford, who made his fourteenth century in first- class cricket and his fifth, and highest, during the tour. Considering how much the w ickets have been against him , he has performed m agnificently over here : what he w ould have accomplished had the summer been a fine one can only be surmised. U nfortunately, it is more than lik e ly that he w ill not visit E n g lan d again, as he intends to settle down seriously to business on his return home. R e s u l t s o f matches between the Australians and K e n t :— LS82.—At Canterbury. Australians won by seven wickets. 1884.—At Canterbury. Kent won by 96 runs. 1886.—A t Canterbury. Kent won by ten wickets. 1888.—At Canterbury. Australians won by 81 runs. 1890.—A t Maidstone. Australians won by nine wickets. 1890.—A t Canterbury. Kent won by 108 runs. 1893.—A t Gravesend. Australians won by innings and 1. 1893.—At Canterbury. Kent won by 36 runs. 1896.—A t Canterbury. Australians won by 176runs. IS99.—A t Canterbury. Kent won by two wickets. 1902.—A t Canterbury. Australians won by 89 runs. 1905.—A t Canterbury. Australians won by innings and 35. 1909.—At Canterbury. Drawn. Thirteen matches in all. Th e Australians have w on seven, K e n t five, and one has been left unfinished. “ H a o the lot o f some o f K e n t’s free batsmen been cast in less pleasant places,” says “ L o n g -le g ” o f the S p o rtin g L i f e , “ had they been members o f a weak team, it is certain that they w ould have played a far more subdued and careful game.” T h e Nondescripts generally do so w ell on tour that their lack o f success this year comes altogether as a surprise. Th ey played five matches, losing four and draw ing one. W ellin g to n beat them by 30 runs, Seaton by an innings and 328 runs, E xm o u tli by an innings and 26 runs, and N o rth D evon by three wickets. Th e drawn game, w h ich they w ould probably have won com fortably had it been played out, was against W estw ard H o ! Seaton’s total was 502, G. E lers scoring ICO and C. M . Keddie 123. T h e takings at Cheltenham last week amounted to £079 6s. The A u stralian m atch realised ±‘559 14s. and that w ith Worcestershire, w h ich was ruined by rain, only ^119 12s. I am glad to hear that, thanks to the energetic w ork o f M r. J. W . Arrow sm ith, the E . M . Grace Testim onial F u n d has realised over ;£600. Th e presentation w ill take place at B risto l to-morrow, during G loucestershire’s m atch w ith Middlesex, and w ill be made by the D uke of Beaufort, who w ill lunch w ith the teams. I have not heard whether this arrangement w ould hold good in the event o f the game being completed to-day. A p p r o v a l has been expressed in m any quarters of the suggestion w h ich I made last week to the effect that the counties shall combine to deprive of its programme any side w h ich induces a member of the Australian team to qualify for it. Several letters on the subject have reached me, some of them from men who serve on the Comm ittee of their C ounty Club. One such w rites :— “ I was v e r y glad to see your recommendation to the counties in the event o f one o f them bagging Bardsley. I t is contem ptible.” U nder the heading “ R obbing the Australian Hen-roost,” the A th le tic N e w s says :— “ For the sake of the good name which we believe English sportsmanship enjoys, we most earnestly hope that the club will abandon its policy. If— which Heaven forbid !—their scheming should prove successful from their own point of view, we should rightly merit the storm of abuse to which we should be subjected by Australian critics. If Tyldesley or Hobbs, or any other of our leading players, had been bribed—no other word will suit the occasion—to settle in the colonies owing to his skill, we should have been long in forgetting such an injury.” “ Short-Leg ” o f T h e P e o p le is equally out-spoken. H e remarks :— “ 1 know nothing of Bardsley’s financial position, but I trust he will be able to resist bribes. The notion of getting Australia’s best batsman by offers of money is to me most objectionable. If the attempt should succeed there will, I am sure, be a storm of protest. . . . The feeling in the leading counties is now strongly against the policy of importing players to the detriment of native talent, and Bardsley’s presence in their eleven might cost the county some of their most attractive fixtures.” O ther papers have commented on the matter in sim ilar strain. I f E n g lish And SONS, Manufacturers of all Requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Hockey, Football, and all British Sports. P A T E N T E E S A N D S O L E M A K E R S O F T H E Used by all the Leading Players. Made In Men’s, Email Men's, or College, 6, 5, 4, A 3 sizes. P ric e Llsta F r e e on AppllcatloM . Of all First-Class Outfitters and Dealers. Reblading & Speciality. Factory; A rtillery P lace , WOOLWICH. “ U R I N E ” For cleaning and whitening Buckskin and Canvas Boots and Shoes, Cricket Pads, &c. 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