Cricket 1909

Nov. 25, 1909. CR ICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 461 Somerset and Hants, too, besides their equal programmes, in which Somerset, held an advantage, changed positions owing to the different calibre of their remaining fix­ tures. Somerset filled up their list agaiust Yorks and Lancs, whilst Hants had a much softer task against Sussex, Warwick, Leices­ ter. Northants and Derby. One of these days a big club w ill be diddled out of the front place by a little one that has happened to choose its opponents luckily, and then what is going to happen ? And why are we waiting for such a glaring example that, by the law of averages, is in ­ evitable if not already due? H.P.-T. TASMANIAN CRICKETERS HONOURED. A r the Ai.nual General Meeting of the Tasmanian Cricket Association in the Town Hall, Hobart on September 27th, tbe chair­ man, Sir George Davies, K.C.M .G., on behalf of tbe Association, presented addresses to Messrs. K. E . Burn and C. J. Eady, whose iesolve to give up match-play had been announced earlier in the year. Mr. Burn’s address read as follows :—“ The Tasmanian Cricket Association desire to express their deep regret at your decision to retire from active participation in the game of cricket, and wish to place on record their gratitude to you for so nobly upholding the game in this State. Your valuable assistance with the bat has on many occasions led your State to victory, and your ke<n and thorough know­ ledge of the game has been evinced by the players in repeatedly selecting you as their captain in many of the Association and inter­ state matches. Your inclusion in the Australian XI. which visited England in 1890 was a tribute to your excellent per­ formances i'i this Sta e. Your scares of 100 against Vernon's English XI. in January, 1888, and 112 against the Mar*lebone team (Jones’s) in 1908 were performances of the highest meri1. You have during your cricket career scored 41 centuries, four times over 200, and twice over 300, whilst in North and South matches you have made six centuries between 18S8 and 1900, and one a ainst Victoria. You have been successful iu se cuiing the Ass cisti n ’s average for batting during 11 seasons, your highest average being 133*3, in 1899-1900 ; in that year you scored 1,200 runs, which stands to this day as an Australian record. Amongst your highest scores may be mentioned— 365 not out, in 1898-9, and 361 in 1899-1900. Upon one occasion — 1885-6 — j ou also secured the Association’s average for bowling with 13-15 runs per wicket The performances afore meutioned are of such a nature as to cause any player to feel proud of his career in the cricket field, and the Association trust you w ill be long spared to take au active interest in guiding its affairs to a more successful issue in the future.” The Chairman then presented to Mr. C. J. Eady the second address, which read “ Upon your retirement from active partici­ pation in the game of cricket, the Tasmanian Cricket Association desires to place on record its appreciation of your many sterling qualities as a cricketer, and the valuable assistance you have rendered the game in this State. Your selection as a member of the Australian XI. which visited England in 1896 testified to. your abilities as one of the leading players in the Commonwealth of Australia, io u r bowling records stand un­ rivalled in the history of Tasmanian cricket, as you have won the Association’s average in 12 different seasons, your best average being season 1894-5, when you secured 71 wickets for 648, being an average of 9 15 p3i* wicket. Amongst other notable bowling ferformances, you secured every wick* t in the second innings against the North iu December, 1900, and the same record in the first innings against East Hobart District Club in February, 1906. Amongst your many excellent batting performances may be mentioned the score of 566 in tbe club match Break 0 ’ Day v. Wellington in April, 1902, which at the present time constitutes the world’s record score in club matches. In the intercolonial match against Victoria in January, 1896, you scored a double century, viz., 116 and 112 not out, while your score of 187 for the South v. North in April, 1893, stands as the record for the highest individual score in those historical matches, which have extended over 50 years. You have also been successful in winning the Association’s average for batting during four season*, .your highest average being 101*1, in 1901-2. In handing you this record of many of your peiformances on the cricket field, the Associa­ tion expresses a hope that you w ill be long spare 1 to take an active interest in the management of the game which you have so much at heart. ” The recipients briefly thanked the Associa­ tion. MR. E. V. LUCAS AND CRICKET.* Two years ago Mr. Lucas brought out a very interesting book entitled “ The Ham ­ bledon Men,” and now he has given us a series of essays which a great many cricketers will be glad to possess. Although only two chapters in One D a y au d A nother deal exclusively with the game, allusions to cricket w ill be found in various parts of the volume. In his work on Hambledon Mr. Lucas proved himself well acquainted with the early history of cricket, whilst in his latest production he plainly shows that his knowl» dge of the game generally is very sound. He tells some good stories. There is one referring to Mr. A. N. Hornby (“ M onkey” ) and Barlow which w ill appeal to all who can recall the splendid running of the pair between wickets. “ First he runs you out of breath,” said the professional, *•then he runs you out, and then he gives yOu a sovereign.” A brave summary ! As interesting is the story of old W illiam Lilly- white which deserves to be better known than it is :— “ I suppose,” he remarked to Mr. Richmond ; “ I suppose if I was to think every ball, they wouldn’t ever get a run.” What a game to watch—old Lilly thinking every ball! “ But,” he added, “ three balls out of four straight is what, we call mediogrity.” Who would have guessed that word? In the chapter entitled “ A Rhapsodist at Lord's ” the author gives some hitherto unpublished poems of the late Francis Tuompson. One such concerns the visit paid by the Gloucestershire team to M an­ chester in 1878 in order to play against Lancashire, and from it we take the two following verses:— This day of seventy-eight they came up North against thee, This day of seventy-eight, long ago. The champion of the centuries, he cometli up against thee, * One Day and Another : By E. V. Lucas. London : Methuen and Co., 3G, Essex Street, W.C. Price, .'is. With his brethren, every one a famous foe! The long-whiskered Doctor, that laugheth rules to scorn, While the bowler, pitched against him, bans the day that he was born , And G.F. with his science make3 the fairest length forlorn ; They are come from the West to work thee w oe! It is little I repair to the matches of the Southron folk, Though my own red roses there may blow ; It is little I repair to the matches of the Southron folk, Though the red roses crest the caps I know. For the field is full of shades as I near the shadowy coast, And aghostly batsman plays to the bowling of a ghost, And 1 look through m y tears 011 a soundless clapping host, As the run-stealers flicker to and fro, To and fro. O my Hornby and my Barlow long ago ! There is also another of Thompson’s poems given at length— a to ur de fo rce , an imitation of FitzG orald’s “ Omar.” Thomp­ son, who was not given to filling other men’s moulds, began it evidently as a joke, for he gave it a comic title, “ llim e o’ bat of O my sky-em.” But his m ind was too powerful and proud for imitation or sustained fucehce , and he quickly became individual and human, so that the stanzas, although a parody in form, are also a new and inde­ pendent thing.” Of the eighteen verse3 which compose the poem we quote four :— Willsher the famed is gone with all his “ throws,” And Alfred’s Six-foot Reach, where no man knows ; And Hornby—that great hitter-*his own Son Plays in his place, yet recks not the Red Rose. And Silver Billy, Fuller Pilch and Small, Alike the pigmy Briggs and Ulyett tall, Have swung their Bats an hour or two before, But none played out the last and silent Ball. Well, let them Perish ! What have we to do With Gilbert Grace the Great, or that Hindu ! Let llirst and Spooner slog them as they list., Or Warren bowl his “ snorter ” ; care not you ! * * * * * * A level Wioket, as the Ground allow, A driving Bat, a lively Ball, and thou Before me bowling on the Cricket-pitch— O Cricket-pitch wcie Paradise enow ! M r Lucas appears to possess the happy knack of coming across persons with some­ thing of interest to tell concerning some famous player of long ago. The results of his conversations with John Nyren’s grand­ daughters were given in The H am bledon M en, whilst in One D a y a r d A nother we are told how he became acquainted with a cousin of W ill am Lambert. Mr. Lucas says :— “ She told me a story of Lambert coming in in a fury one evening 011 his way back to his fuller’s earth pits at Nutfield after a match. He was a good age then, but had been playing somewhere in Kent and was walking home as though it were nothing, lie just looked in like thunder and was off again. “ Not staying to supper?’’ his cousin asked. “ Sup­ per ! I don’t want any supper,” he growled; “ I’ve been cheated o u t! ” And off he strode, the great cricketer . . . with the umpire’s decision still rankling. ” “ I am old enough to know how fallacious can be the testimony of a blazer,” shrewdly comments the author, who also gives it as his opinion that cricket “ is going out of fashion. The young men prefer to walk round a g >lf links — the quickest road to crabbed age.” In another chapter Mr. Lucas remarks:— “ If 1 were a squire or parson with the village school under my thumb, 1 should compromise with the theologians by having a class in manners at which behavior to umpires should be taught just as spelling and ciphering are taught. A boy who behaved well tu an umpire would behave well to every one. Christianity would follow automatically.” Enough has been said to show that the volume is one which most cricketers w ill be glad to have on their shelves, and it only remains to add that each of the essays con­ tained in the book has been written with all the charm of style with which one has come to associate the name of the author.