Cricket 1909

388 CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . 9, 1909. And then we come to the poem its e lf:— OD prosper long our harvest-work, O u r rakes an d hay-carts a l l ! A n ill-tim ’d cricket match there d id At Bishopsbourn b e fa ll. f (a) To bat and bowl w ith might an d main Two Nobles took their w a y ; The hay m ay ru e, th a t is unhous’d, The batting o f th a t d ay. The active E a r l o f Tankerville (b) An even bet d id m ake , T h a t in Bourn paddock he would cause Kent’s chiefest hands to quake; To see the Surry cricketers Out-bat them and out-bowl. To Dorset’s Duke the tidings cam e , (c) A ll in the park of Knowle : W ho sent his Lordship present w ord , H e w ould preven t his sport. The Surry E a r l, not fe a rin g th is, D id to East Kent resort; W ith ten more masters of the bat, A ll chosen m en o f m ig h t, W ho knew f u ll w e ll , in tim e o f need, To a im or block a rig h t. [FromMarsh and Weald, their hay-forks Jeft, To Bourn the rustics hied, From Eomney, Cranbrook, Tenterden, And Darent’s verdant side : Gentle and simple, ’squires and clerks, W ith many a lady fair, Fam ’d Thanet, Fow ell’s beauteous bride, And graceful Sondes were there.] The Surry sportsmen chose the ground, (d) The ball did s w iftly fly ; O n M onday they began to play, Before the grass was dry ; A n d long ere supper-time they did Near fourscore notches gain ; Then having slept, they, in their turn, Stopp’d, caught, and bowl’d amain. T he fieldmen, station’d on the lawn, W e ll able to endure, T heir loins with snow-white sattin vests T h a t d ay had guarded sure. F u ll fast the Kentish wickets fell, W hile Higham house and m ill, And Barham ’s upland down, w ith shouts D id m ake a n echo s h rill. Sir Horace from the dinner w ent, (e) To view the tender ground ; Q uoth he, “ This last untoward shower “ Our stumps has almost drown’d : | All the words in Italics are taken from Chevy- Chace. (a) Bishopsbourne was the name of one of Sir Horatio Mann’s seats, near Canterbury, where several important matches were played. (b) Charles Bennett, (4th) Earl of Tankerville (1743- 1822), was the chief patron of Surrey cricket at this period. He arranged many county matches and wag himself an active player. (c) John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke and 10th Earl of Dorset (1745-1799), was one of the best patrons of cricket there has ever been. His highest score for the County, for which he played in ten matches between 1773 and 1783, was 77 against Hambledon at Sevenoaks in 1774. Several members of the family played for Kent during the eighteenth century. (d) One of the old laws enacted that “ The Party which goes from Home shall have the choice of the innings and the pitching of the wickets, which shall be pitched within thirty yards of a centre fixed by the adversaries.” (e) Sir Horatio Mann, Bart. (1744-1814), a very great lover and supporter of Kent cricket. He kept many well-known players in his employ and arranged several important matches to take place on his grounds at Bishopsbourne, Linton, Sissing- hurst, and—after leaving Bishopsbourne—Dandelion Paddock, near Margate. He played in two matches for Kent in 1773. He was always known as Sir Horace Mann, but was christened Horatio. “ I f th a t I thought, 'tw ould not be dry, “ N o longer w ould I play.” W ith th at, a shrewd young gentlem an Thus to the Knight d id say : ( f ) li L o ! yonder doth the sun appear, And soon w ill shine forth b right, “ The level lawn and slippery ground “ A ll drying in our s ig h t; “ Not bating ev'n the riv e r banks “ Fast by yon pleasant mead.” “ Then cease disputing,” Lumpey said, (g) “ A n d take y o u r bats w ith speed : “ A n d now iv ith me, m y countrym en , “ Let all your skill be shown, “ F o r never urns there bowler ye t , “ In Kent or Surry known, “ T h a t ever d id a bale dislodge, “ Since first I play’d a match, “ B u t I durst wager, hand fo r hand, “ W ith him to bowl or catch.” Young Dorset, lik e a B aro n bold , H is jetty hair undrest, Ban forem ost o f the com pany , Clad in a m ilk -w h ite vest: “ Shew m e,” he said, “ one spot that’s dry, “ Where we can safely run ; “ Or else, with m y consent, we’ll wait “ To-morrow’s rising sun.” T h e m an th a t first, d id answ er m ake W as noble Tankerville; W ho said, “ To play, I do declare , “ There only wants the w ill: “ Move but the stumps, a spot I ’ll find “ As dry as f Farley’s board.” “ Our records,” quoth the Knight, “ for this “ No precedent afford. “ E r e thus I iv ill out-braved be, “ A ll hazards I ’ll defy: “ I know thee w ell, an E a r l thou a r t ; “ A n d so not yet am I . “ B u t trust me, Charles, i t p ity w ere, “ A n d g reat offence, to k ill “ W ith colds or sprains, these harm less men, “ F o r they have done no ill. “ L e t us at single wicket play, “ A n d set our m en aside.” “ Run out be he,” reply'd the Earl, “ B y whom this is d e n y 'd l ” T h e n stept a g a lla n t 'squire fo rth , Bartholomew was his nam e, V lio s iid , “ I w ould not have it told On Clandon down fo r shame, “ T h a t Tankerville e'er play’d alone, “ A nd I stood looking on : “ You are a Knight, Sir, you an Earl, “ A n d I a vicar’s son : “ I ' l l do the best th a t do I m ay, “ W hile I have p o w 'r to stand ; “ W h ile I have pow ’r to w ield m y bat, “ T i l play w ith heart an d h an d.” f The Master of the Ordinary. ( /) Sir Horatio was a Baronet, not a Knight. He succeeded his uncle, Sir Horace Mann, Bart., the British Envoy at Florence, who was for forty-four years the correspondent of Horace Walpole. Sir Horatio had three daughters but no son, and at his death the title became extinct. The present head of the family is Mr. Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, of Linton Park, Maidstone, who was President of the Kent County C.C. in 1890 and is a Trustee of the Mynn Memorial Benevolent Institu­ tion for Kentish Cricketers. He was born Mann, and when he changed his name by Royal License to Cornwallis it was facetiously said that he was no longer a man. (g) “ Lum pey”—or, more correctly, “ Lum py’’— was the chief of the Surrey bowlers. His real name was Edward Stevens. He was gardener to the (4th) Earl of Tankerville and died in 1819 at the age of 84. His bowling was medium-paced and remarkable for its splendid length. The Surry bowlers bent th e ir backs, T h e ir aims ivere good and true, And every ball that ’scap'd the bat, A wicket overthrew. To drive the ball beyond the booths, Duke Dorset had the b en t; Woods, m ov'd at length w ith m ickle p rid e , The stumps to shivers sent. They ran f u ll fa s t on every side, N o slackness there was fo u n d ; A nd m any a ball that mounted high, Ne’er lighted on the ground. In truth, it was a g rie f to see , A n d likew ise fo r to h ear , The cries o f odds that offer’d were, And slighted every where. A t last, Sir Horace took the field, A batter o f g reat m ig h t; M o v'd like a lio n , he awhile Put Surry in a frig h t: He swung, H ill both his arms d id ach, H is bat o f season’d wood, ’ T i ll down his azure sleeves the sweat Ran tric k lin g lik e a flood, (h ) “ Hedge now thy bets,” said Tankerville, “ I ' l l then report o f thee , “ That thou are the most prudent K n ig h t “ T h a t ever I d id see.” Then to the E a r l the Knight reply’d, “ T h y counsel I do scorn; 111 with no Surry-man w ill hedge, “ T h a t ever yet ivas born.’' W ith th at, there came a ball most keen , O ut o f a Surry haud, He struck it full, it mounted high, But, ah ! ne’er reach’d the land. Sir Horace spoke no words but these, “ Play on, m y m erry m en a ll ; “ F o r w hy, m y ioning’s a t a n e n d ; “ The E arl has caught my ball.” Then by the hand his Lordship took This hero of the match, A n d said, “ Sir Horace, fo r th y bets “ W ould I had miss’d r.iy catch ! “ In sooth, m y very heart doth bleed “ W ith sorrow fo r th y sake ; (i) “ F o r sure, a m ore good-temper’d K n ig h t “ A match d id n e v tr make.” A ’Squire of Western Kent there was, W ho saw his friend out-caught, And straig h t d id voiv revenge on him Who this mischar.ce had wrought: A Templar he, who, in his turn, Soon as the E arl did strike, R a n swiftly from his stopping-place, And gave him like for like. ( j ) F u ll sharp and rapid was the ball, Yet, w ith o u t dread, o r fe a r, He caught it at arm’s length, and straight, Return’d it in the air : W ith such a vehem ent force a n d m ig h t , It struck his callous hand, The sound re-echo’d round the ring, Through every booth and stand. So thus were both these heroes caught, Whose spirit none could doubt. A Surrey ’Squire, who saw, with grief, The E a r l so quickly out, Soon as the Templar, with his bat, M ad e o f a trusty tree, Gave such a stroke, as, had it ’scap’d, Had surely gain’d him three; (h) It is disappointing to find that, despite all this tremendous exertion, Sir Horatio’s score was no more than 22. (i) Opponents are not so sympathetic nowadays. ( j ) In the second innings of Surrey the Earl of Tankerville was ‘ c. out by Mr. Davis, 3. ’