Cricket 1909

S e pt . 9, 1909. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 395 T h is looks suspiciously like an Essex combination. O n M on d ay m orning Rhodes required only 29 runs to reach 2,000 for the season, and H obbs 49. La te in the afternoon they opened the Players’ innings together, and interest in their doings was naturally keen. Rhodes successfully made the number required, but H obbs was bowled by Douglas for 81. T h e appended table w ill show at a glance the results o f a ll matches w hich have taken place between the Gentlemen and the Players :— T3 a Ground. >> S 95 5 t> a& o O o rt £ Q J XI. a side ................. L orJ 8 i Against odds ......... . 77 29 39 9 . 17 7 9 1 Oval ... ................................ . 53 15 26 12* Hastings ................................. . 7 1 2 4 Prince’s ................................. . 5 4 1 0 Scarborough ......................... . 10 2 2 6 BriShton 1 A gain stod ds' " 2 ‘ .’ 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 Canterbury (Against odds) .. . 1 0 0 1 Totals [X I. a sid e......... 1Against odds ... 154 19 51 71 32* 9 3 Grand Total ........... 173 58 80 35* * Includes a tie match. The Players have never received odds in any shape or form w hen meeting the Gentlemen. A t a Comm ittee meeting of the Gloucestershire C ounty C.C. Comm ittee at B risto l on Tuesday it was decided not to renew fixtures for next season w ith Sussex and Essex.. It had been know n for some little tim e that a reduction in the m atch-list had been contemplated w ith a view to reducing expenses. A t the m eeting referred to it was arranged to renew the fixture w ith Lancashire, so, after all, Gloucester­ shire’s programme w ill not be seriously curtailed. M e . C. T. B l a c k b u r n e - M a z e , of Leybourne Grange, W est M ailin g , Kent, draws m y attention to a m atch played on Saturday last between Leybourne (100) and B ib lin g (58), in w hich every player en the form er side was caught and each on the latter bowled. H e asks, “ D o you know o f any other instances o f this kin d ? ” Perhaps some reader o f G o ss ip can furnish a list. A t L o rd ’s on M on d ay week a meeting o f the B oard of C ontrol w ill be held in order to pass the accounts for the Test matches. A little later the repre­ sentatives o f the M in o r Counties w ill foregather to consider the best alternative scheme to the existing system of grouping the counties. SURREY v. YORKS. Copies of the Official Score, printed on satin, of the match played at the Oval between Surrey and Yorkshire. P rice 1/-, including Postage. “ Cricket” Office: 168, Upper Thames St.,E.C. THE STRAIGHT GAME. Everyone is hoping to see more Gentlemen in county cricket. It should be obligatory on all county clubs to play at least five gentlemen in the side, and to save more trouble the qualitic ition should be raised to four years. The tone of the game is even more important than the winning of matches, for, after all. there can be little enjoyment in a match when the happy spirit is absent. Those who want to preserve county cricket from drifting away to the “ slippery slope” of Trade Unionism must fight against both importation and over-professionalism, and, above all else, 8g-iiust semi-amateurism. Cricket is deprived of its wholecomeness when one sees amateurs sailing under false colours. There can be no esprit de corps in a team that includes the semi-amateur ; he is despised alike by the Player and by the Gentleman. It is no hoisting of the “ Jolly Iloger ” for him who cannot afford to play as an amateur to step boldly to the players’ room. Kichard Daft of old was not ashamed of his principles. It was a question of cricket. Whether it is the attraction of golf or the reluctance to run the gaunt'et of a crowd which frowns (or does something else) at errors—for the county crowd Las grown to look upon cricket as being for its entertain­ ment instead of for the enjoyment of the players —there is a growing disinclination for three-day cricket among cricketers when they come down from the ’Varsities or finish at the Public Schools. It was [different in the old days because there was rather less of this three-day cricket aud the “ regularity ” superstition had not been carried to its present length for the encouragement of pro­ fessionalism. There are signs that the gospel of more amateurism for the counties is not being preached in vain. Lancashire has never been so wealthy in amateurs since A. N. Hornby and the Steels and J. H. Payne were playing; but Yorkshire is still very pro­ fessional. One sometimes thinks of what the Yorkshire side might have been had it been able to play regularly F. S. Jackson, T. L . Taylor, C.*E. M . Wilson, and E. R. W ilson. It is a lasting regret that these grand players could not give more time to the game. But if the “ regularity ” custom were abandoned by certain executives we should get much more sport and less business in county cricket. No one dare say that in counties like York­ shire, Nottinghamshire, and Surrey there are not many Gentlemen good enough in skill and with a certain amount of leisure that would keep the five or six amateur places going right through the season. “ Let’s ‘ scotch’ the unclean greed for victory, and county cricket would soon be chivalrously played everywhere,” writes our esteemed correspondent — “ Knatch- bull’s Corner.” A certain amount of pro­ fessionalism may be essential; but it is not good for sport to see the honour of the counties primarily dependent on mercenaries. Were there more general happiness in county clubs the Gentlemen of the counties would flock to the service of the sides, for no real cricketer while he could play the game would give up cricket’s glories for the questionable joys of golf. Cricket is nearer to paradise than golf is afar from Hades. When architects of great courses called in their name men it is curious that these should have so often “ all with one consent ” had the spirit of Dant6 on them for the christening of the holes. Cricketers may turn to golf for a little pastime, but between the faiths of cricket and golf there stretches the difference between chivalry and selfishness. No, it is not golf that has withdrawn so many Gentlemen from big cricket; it is the fear of championship, of the worship of averages, of the crowd's manner that has kept so many away. A ll this can be repaired, the old order can be restored, by looking to the Public Schools to enrich the county elevens with their genius and with their spirit. We want the nature of more Masons and more Birds for the revival of real county sport. Would that some Brewsterian spirit would arise to see that we “ have it.” — The Observer. A REMARKABLE OCCURRENCE. Germantown B. went to Wayne on August 21st to play an Associated Cup match with Radnor. When they arrived they discovered that some one had stolen the stumps. As this was the only set which Radnor owned it became necessary to send to the Merion Club for an additional set. By three o’clock these had not arrived, so the Germantown captain directed the umpires to go out on the field and call play, which they did. To play, however, was impossible as there were no stumps and the Radnor captain formally forfeited the game. A little later the stumps arrived and they agreed to play and if the game were finished the foifeit was to be waived. As the score shows, the game was not finished: therefore it stands forfeited to the visitors. G e r m a n t o w n B. Firth, c Lane,b Castle 8 Thackara, c Tolan, b Castle .................. 12 Tripp, c Abbott, b H. Howson ...........50 Dorm an,bH. Howson 20 Cauffman, run out ... 0 Priestman, c Hutton, b H. H ow son...........58 Shipley, c H. Howson, b Castle .................. 13 Maxwell, c Abbott, b Braithwaite .......... Robinson, b Lane ... Priestman, not out ... Haines, c C. Howson, b H. H ow son........... Byes, &c............... Total ......... .1 R a d n o r . Braithwaite, lbw, b Thackara...................40 I C. H. Howson, b Tripp 11 Lane, st Doran, b Tripp.......................... 4 Hutton, run out ... 18 Castle, lbw, b Priest­ man .......................... <> MeKnight, not out ... 28 Trout, not out .........21 Byes, &c...............10 Total (5 wkts) 132 Tolan, Jones, Abbott and H. Howson did not bat. NATIONAL PROVINCIAL BANK v. SIDCUP.— Played at Sidcup on September 4. N a t io n a l P r o v in c ia l B a n k . C. G. E. Jones, c Brad­ shaw, b Woffenden 9 A. J. Vicary, run out 32 W. B. Palamountain, c Wallington, b Woffenden ...........33 H» E. Moore, c Honey- ball, b J on es........... 3 ♦Innings declared closed. J. Price, C. A. Shaw, G. A. Cosser and E. did not bat. S id c u i *. C. R. Darling, b Stocks ...................61 C. Wood, not out ... 61 V. C. Manners, not out 25 A. C. Purnell, lbw, b Woffenden ........... 6 E. H. Stocks, not out 13 B l>, ib 1, nb 4 ... 14 Total (5 wkts)*135 5. Smith H. J. Jones, c Moore, b Jones .................. Byes ................... Total (2 wkts)137