Cricket 1909

410 CR ICK ET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . i 6, 1909. group, w ith the autographs o f the players, and also a handsome breast­ p in w ith black opal. M r. Laver, in forw arding the gifts, conveyed the team ’s expression o f their appreciation o f M r. H o rn e r’s many, kindnesses, and m entioned the fact that the opal in the p in came from Australia, the only place in the w orld where black opals are found. A p l a y e r named Clarke, w h ilst batting fo r Crofton P a rk 2nd X I . against Sonraep at. C rofton P a rk on Saturday, made a h it for eight, a ll ru n out. A t a meeting of the General Comm ittee o f the Leicestershire C ounty C.C. on the 8th inst., it was decided to grant a benefit m atch to J. H . K in g during next season. I t was announced that there had been a serious loss on the year’s w orking, but, as it was decided to adjourn the discussion concerning the fin an cial position o f the C lub, precise figures were not allow ed to transpire. Th e question of talent-money was also considered and a grant made. A s it is less th an tw o years since a special appeal was made to the public to clear off a debt ru n n in g in to four figures, it is feared that a further appeal in the near future w ould not meet w ith any­ th in g lik e so satisfactory a response. B e n s k in , of Leicestershire, w ho was engaged by the W est o f Scotland C.C. this year, w ill play next season for P e rth ­ shire. H is fast b ow lin g should prove very useful to the side. A f t e r playing for Colne for three seasons, T rem lin w ill next year again be a m em ber o f the ground-staff at Leyton. H e severed his connection w ith Essex after the season o f 1905, d u ring w h ich he took 99 w ickets in first-class matches at a cost o f 27'10 runs each. H is highest score that year was 57 not out against D erbyshire at Leyton . “ Y e a r by year the gap between county and club cricket is widened,” says the M o r n in g P o s t. “ In spite o f all that is said in pavilions and w ritten in the Press about the dilatory methods o f first-class players, they get worse rather than better, though as a class they are sensitive mortals, w ho make a point o f hearing and reading criticism s passed upon them .” I t has been decided that the E n g lis h team fo r South A fric a shall sail on the S .S . S a x o n on Novem ber Oth, instead o f a week later. B y this arrangement the team w ill be able to secure better accommodation as w e ll as an extra w eek’s practice on m atting before the opening o f the tour. Th e dates of the T est matches w ill rem ain as orig in ally arra n ge d :— January 1st to 4th, at Johannesburg. January 21st to 25th, at Durban. Feb. 26th to March 2nd, at Johannesburg. March 7th to 10th, at Cape Town. March 11th to 15th, at Cape Town. Th e team, according to present arrange­ ments, w ill leave for home on M a rc h 10th. “ L o c a l enthusiasts,” writes “ U m p ire ” in the N a t a l M e r c u r y , “ w illb e interested to learn that the South A frican Associa­ tio n ’s arrangements in connection w ith the M .C .C .’s forthcom ing visit to South A frica include the engagement o f an E n g lis h fast bowler, to ‘ coach ’ the South A frica n players w ho are lik e ly to figure in the Test matches. T h e name o f the bow ler has not yet been obtainable, but I understand that h is engagement has been practically settled. H e w ill pay a visit to the various centres where the Test matches are to be played, so that he can meet all those probable players in the more im portant fixtures o f the tour. H e w ill visit D u rban about a fortnight prior to the Test match, thus enabling local cricketers, and any o f the selected up- country players w ho m ay be in town, to meet and become acquainted w ith this particular style o f bow ling.” F . E . S m ith , the Surrey and Suffolk player, A. J. Atfield, the county um pire, F . Geeson, o f L o rd ’s and Lin coln sh ire, and C. B row n o f H ereford have sailed for South A fric a on the B .M .S . K ild o n a n C a s tle . Th e last-named has an engage­ m ent at Cape T o w n and the others at Johannesburg. A ll four are due to return in A p ril. F r o m the T a s m a n ia n M a i l A cheerful letter has been received in Sydney from Warren Bardsley. H e says that no doubt people have wondered why, in the first part of the tour, he always went in first. He was told the reason was to give him experience in what English bowlers could do in the way of swerving with the ball. He goes on to say that he saw Noble, Hopkins and Laver swerve a lot in Aus­ tralia, but he never saw anything like what they could do in the same way in England. Beg. Duff, when discussing Bardsley’s letter the other night, said, “ I can quite under­ stand the Glebe boy’s surprise. I would like to know how far some of the youngsters of the team went astray in their returns from the field to the wicket. I confess that when I first went to England my returns for a long time went fully 15 ft. wide of the wicket­ keeper. There is something in the atmo­ sphere there. The air catches the seam of the ball, and turns its course. Three Aus­ tralian bowlers who swerve— Noble, Hopkins, and Laver— require a head wind, but in England it is done with no wind. Cricket is one thing in England, and another in Aus­ tralia.” I t w ill be remembered that the position o f coach to the Canterbury (N.Z.) Cricket Association during 1909-10 was offered to A . J. H opkins. T h e negotiations fell through, however, as the player named could not arrange to enter upon his duties earlier than January. “ U n iv e r s a l regret,” says the C e y lo n S p o rts m a n , “ w ill be felt in Ceylon at the in a b ility o f the Colom bo C.C. to accept the offer o f the W est Au stralian cricketers. Th e latter, through the k in d agency of M r. F . J. W aym an, desired to tour Ceylon d u ring the Christm as holidays and engage in cricket, hockey, and tennis matches. A ll sportsmen welcom ed the suggestion and hoped that the Comm ittee of the C.C.C. w ould see their way to accept the challenge. T h e deliberations o f that body were made public this week, and, to the disappointm ent o f many, it was an­ nounced that the C .C.C. are unable to meet the W est Australians ow ing to a previous prom ise to the M adras Cricket Club. Th e C.C.C., we learn, intend visitin g the adjoining continent during the Christm as holidays to play a series of matches in the M adras Presidency. . . . Th e Ceylon public do not often get an opportunity of w itnessing cricket matches o f a h igh class, and when a few oppor­ tunities occur, but are not taken ad­ vantage of, the regret is a ll the keener. W e trust that the C.C.C. w ill not let the offer drop entirely, but make such arrange­ ments as w ould perm it of the W est A ustralians visitin g Ceylon some tim e next year.” A t the H ouse of Comm ons last week M r. C. F . G . M asterm an, M .P ., received, in the unavoidable absence o f the C han­ cellor of the Exchequer, a deputation from representatives of various sporting bodies upon the land clauses o f the Budget as they affected the grounds used for re ­ creative purposes. F rom the report o f the speeches on page 407 it w ill be seen that M r. La ce y presented the case for the M .C .C . and cricket generally very briefly and ably. T h e opinion o f the Budget Protest League on the result o f the con­ ference is that the G overnm ent’s reply “ is a direct notice to quit to thousands o f little football and cricket clubs throughout the country. These sm all associations cannot afford to rent their land on the five years’ agreement w h ich alone can secure exemption. H enceforw ard those vacant spaces around towns w hich pro­ vide healthy recreation for thousands o f the workers w ill be closed 1by order of the People’s Budget,’ in consequence of the increased rents demanded.” Should such unfortunately prove to be the case, M r. M asterm an’s fear that “ the Lib e ra l party w ould have a somewhat dism al fate in the future ” w ould probably be very soon realized. L i e u t .- C o l . S i r G. K em p , o f C am ­ bridge and Lancashire fame, has been in vited to contest N orth-W est Manchester as a L ib e ra l at the General E lectio n . H e was form erly U n io n ist member for the H eyw ood D iv isio n o f Lancashire. T h e Bev. E . D . Shaw, the old Oxford and M iddlesex cricketer, has recently had an experience w h ich falls to the lot o f few men. F o r nearly three years the peal of ten bells in the church at H ig h W ycom be, o f w hich parish M r. Shaw is vicar, has been silent ow ing to the insecurity o f the massive bell frame w h ich was constructed in 1711. It was recently decided that a more substantial frame should be provided in order to accommodate twelve bells, and in the casting o f the tenor bell at the foundry o f Messrs. Mears and Stain- back in W hitechapel M r. Shaw took a prom inent part. H e assisted iu stirring the m olten m etal w h ich had been placed