Cricket 1909

A u g u st 26, 1909. CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 363 w ith this w eek’s cricket ruined the most im portant game of all— that at Dover between K e n t and Yorkshire. Ow ing to the position o f the sides in the County Cham pionship table their meeting had been anticipated w ith more than ordinary interest, and the disappointment occa­ sioned by the abandonment of the match was, in consequence, very keen. The four leading counties are now as follow s : Per Plyd. Won, Lost. Drn. Pts. cent. Kent ................... 24 14 2 8 12 75-00 Lancashire.......... 23 13 4 6 9 52 94 Yorkshire ........... 24 11 4 9 7 46’66 Sussex.................. 25 7 3 15 4 40’00 W ith a little more lu ck Sussex m ight have pressed K e n t hard. They ought not to have let W arw icksh ire beat them, and they have had bad luck in only m orally w in n in g several matches. They have a wonderfully well-balanced team, and the men p u ll w e ll together, S ydney D eane , who w ill be remembered as p layin g in Inter-colonial matches in Au stralia some years ago, has been m aking good scores lately in Am erica. On J u ly 15th he made 100 (retired) for N ew Y o rk Veterans v. Staten Island, on J u ly 24th 100 (retired) for the same club v. M erion Veterans, and on August 12th 103 not out, also for N ew Y o rk Veterans, v. Staten Ivland. F o r this item of news I am indebted to M r. F . F . K elly, of N ew Y ork. I t seems more than lik e ly that the pro­ posed visit o f the A ustralians to Am erica w ill fa ll through. Some tim e since negotiations were in progress for such a trip provided suitable guarantees were prom ised. The Philadelphians, however, did not see their way to come to terms ow ing to the arrangements already made w ith the Gentlem en o f Ireland. J. N . C rawford has been having a m erry tim e during his stay on the South Coast. P la y in g for Teddington at the Saffrons, he secured 8 of the Eastbourne w ickets for 112 runs, in addition to scoring 26 and 66. F o r the W anderers on the same ground he scored 59 by some b rillia n t hitting, and against H astings he made 19 and 78, the latter innings helping to secure a victory on the part of the W anderers who were put in to make 218 in 90 m inutes and got them w ith three m inutes to spare, H . C. Pretty m aking 24 off an over. On Saturday at Lew es Prio ry , for the South Saxons v. M r. H . H o p e’s team, C raw ford bowled 23 overs (8 maidens) for 23 runs and 9 wickets, and scored 30 and 45 not out, the latter including six sixes. O n M o n ­ day last in m atch D r. Greene’s X I . v. B e x h ill the latter were a ll out for 32, “ J. N .’s ” w ork show ing eight wickets, all clean bowled, for 13 runs, including the hat-trick. A motor - car accident o f an alarm ing nature happened to Messrs. F . B . and A. W . Roberts w hilst on their w ay to Cheltenham on Tuesday m orning. T h eir car, collid in g w ith another,was overturned and the occupants throw n out. F . B. Roberts injured his spine and his brother sustained a badly-cut knee. G loucester­ shire seems very unfortunate w ith her amateur players, for either business keeps them from the game or, i f they do appear, in ju ry falls to their lot. T he E n g lan d E leve n to meet the Australians at U ttoxeter on September 6th, 7tli and 8th w ill be A . O. Jones (capt.), W . Brearley, V . F . S. Crawford, A. C. M acLaren , Barnes, B lythe, Braund, Hayes, Irem onger (J.), L ille y , and T a r­ rant. S urrey w ill be able to look back upon the past week w ith considerable satisfac­ tion, seeing that they won both their matches under conditions w h ich are generally considered to be unfavourable to the side. To the batting o f M arsh al at the Oval and of H ayes at Leicester and the bow ling o f R ushby and Sm ith in both fixtures they were chiefly indebted for th eir victories. W ith a fair share of luck they w ould have enjoyed a very successful season, but fortune has been un kin d to them in m any ways and in consequence they w ill have to rest content w ith only a moderate record. Still, the fact that they have been the only county to defeat the A ustralians is a distinction of w h ich they m ay be pardonably proud. T h o s e who desire a souvenir of last week’s match between Surrey and Y o rk ­ shire at the Oval, w herein the latter were dism issed for 26, can secure one in the shape of the official score-card printed on satin. Copies can be obtained from C ric k e t Offices, 168, U pper Tham es Street, E .C ., for one shillin g each, in ­ cluding postage. C O LO N IA L IM PO R T A T IO N S . The following letter has been sent to the newspapers by Mr. C. E . Green:— Sin,— I have seen it reported in several of the newspapers that inducements have been offered by one or more of our first-class counties to Mr. W. Bardsley, the brilliant batsman and cricketer now with the Austra­ lian team, to qualify to play in English county cricket. In face of the very widely-expressed con­ demnation some two years ago of this system of qualifying Colonial players for our county cricket, I can hardly credit the rumour as being correct. But in case there is any foundation for the report, I would venture, as an old cricketer and one who has taken a very active interest in the welfare and main­ tenance of English cricket, and especially county cricket, to make a very strong pro­ test against this action. In my opinion, and that of many other cricketers and supporters of our great English game, it does much to prejudice and do away with the real character and best traditions of county cricket and the esprit de corps which should exist in this class of cricket. Not only is it unfair to the Colonies that inducements should be made to deprive them of any of their players, but it is also most unfair and discouraging to our home-bred players that their places should be taken in county teams by those who have not learnt their cricket in England. Real county cricket is the backbone of our English cricket, and every possible endeavour | should be made to keep this as genuine and real as it is possible, and to prevent it ever becoming merely a gate -money business affair, which the engaging of outside “ star” players to strengthen a county side must ultimately cause it to be. Should there be any truth in the report, I would venture to suggest that all the other counties should abstain from making fixtures with that county which induces a Colonial player to qualify. I would like to say that I have written this in no unfriendly spirit towards our Colonial cousins,who have shown us splendid cricket during their tour in this country, and have played the game in the most thorough and sportsmanlike manner at all times. I have merely been prompted to write as I have done in the best interests of real and bona-fide county cricket, and in the hopes of seeing its very best traditions maintained. It is with hesitation that I have written this letter, but I feel very strongly upon this subject, and I know that my opinions and sentiments are shared by a very large number of influential supporters of the game.— I remain, yours truly, C. E . G R E E N . Theydon Grove, Epping, Aug. 23rd. S T R A N G E R S W IT H IN OU R G A T E . [Suggestive of what might happen in a less sportsmanlike country than England.] The men of Here were filled with ire to hear the men of There Proclaim they, at the national game, excell’d o’er ev’rywhere. “ No fear!” the men of Here exclaim’d, 1 If we play’d our Eleven, There is no doubt that we could rout their best six times in seven. For we've a man who really can put up a splendid game And, round about, should soon sort out ten more about the same. Let’s toe the line. But first define: W ho are the men of Here ? The accident of birth’s not meant to bar a man, ’tis clear. A man of Here’s a man of Here, howe’er his mother chose To live, elsewhere, or even There, when first he shew’d his nose. Where to belong, a man ’twould wrong, to let him have no voice : A man of Here’s a man of Here if here he be from choice. This much agreed, we only need to make our county known And cracks may wish from less ambitious clubs to join our own ; And, being here a second year, w ill be our ve ry own (Though not, perhaps, like Thereshire chaps, born of one’s blood and bone). So, if you please, for such as these we’ll find some cosy billet, And where’s the shame, or who’s to blame, if any choose to fill it ? By residence, at our expense, they then may qualify To wallop There, and ev’rywhere, in the sweet by-and-by. We’ve India, Australia, South Africa, and more To seek amid.”— And so they did, and gather’d men galore. And much we fear the men of Here, from acting on this tip, When they go in, are going to win the County Championship. H. P.-T.