Cricket 1909

A pril 22, 1909. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 67 The construction of the Demon Drivers is fully described in 7 he Evolution of a Cricket Bat , which may be obtained free upon applica­ tion. CRICKET IMf ROVED MAKE- KEEP THEIR SH A PELAS T LONGER! CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. [B footballs Improved make - keepth eir shape - last longer CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION. B U S # E Y S .DEMON D R I V E R S 5 ARE OUT AND OUT THE BEST. 7fe CATALOGUE UPON APPLICATION TO GEO. G. BUSSEY & Co., L t d ,' 36 & 38, Queen Victoria St., LONDON. Manufactory— Timber Mills— PECKHAM, S.E. ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK Agents all over the world. don’t draw the crowds as they do in England. Philadelphia is always responsible for the visit of foreign teams, and on the days that are blank other cities are offered a game or games on payment of a guaranteed amount to the Associated Clubs of Philadelphia. New York will always take a couple of days, and it must be added that this arrangement is always welcomed by the visitors to whom the sights of New York are more alluring than those of the Quaker city. I can tell you a rather humorous incident in connec­ tion with an Australian visit to New York. The night before the game at Bayonne, New Jersey, we had arranged to entertain them at the then celebrated music-hall (now defunct), Koster and Bials, and to wind up with a supper at Delmonicos. Two tiers of boxes had been placed at our disposal, beautifully decorated with the British, American and Australian colours, and between the acts various concoctions, for which America is deservedly famous, were served. At the supper Archie Gunn, a well- known artist and entertainer on both sides of the Atlantic, humorously caricatured the various members of the Australian team, using the white table-cloth for his sketch book. This so pleased Harry Trott that he insisted on cutting the pictures out of the cloth, to preserve as a souvenir, and when he was presented by the management with a good-sized bill for damaging hotel property, his face was a study. I don’t mind saying now, for the first time, that the whole thing was a put-up job on Trott, it having previously been arranged what he should be charged. But these International matches are the best thing for the game, and they briug you in contact with a lot of good fellows. It has been my good fortune to take part in nearly all of them, sometimes as skipper, with the result that I am still of the opinion that cricket is the best of all games and cricketers the best of all fellows, and I am proud to number many of my best friends among them in Europe, Asia, Africa and America.” “ Did you ever come across the enthusiastic NewYorker who wrote to the King requesting that ‘ W. G.’ might be knighted? ” “ I knew Arthur E. Rendle, the gentleman in question, very well indeed. He was at one time President of the M.D.C.L. and also of the Association. He took an active interest in the progress of Association Foot­ ball—in fact in all matters relating to amateur sport, and was a generous supporter of all games in the matter of prizes. His idea was to obtain as many signatures of cricketers in the States as possible and em­ body them in a lengthy petition to the King. I can’t say that he received very much support, but such as he got he forwarded in due course, but I was not aware that the movement obtained publicity on this side of the water. Rendle was also responsible for another ambitious scheme—that of establishing ‘ TheGrace Society of Cricketers.’ The only qualification in this universal Society was the scoring of a century or the securing of the hat-trick in any match, while he personally donated to each member a silver medal, bearing on one side a fcic-simile of “ W. G.” and on the other a record of the individual performance. As these medals were somewhat larger than an American silver dollar they were subsequently changed to a more artistic design in gold plate, and Rendle has distributed many hundreds of them. The sign of membership took the form of a gold-plated and enamelled button to be worn in the lapel of the coat, and I remember that Rendle presented several of them to the leading members of the Kent team when they were touring the country. Whether the Society is still in existence, the founder alone knows. Medals and buttons were to be obtained for the asking on proof being furnished of the record, so if the claims died out the cricketers alone were to blame, as it was Rendle’s idea to spread the movement all over the world, though I am afraid he never thought how many thousands of emblems he would have been called on to furnish every year. To the average English­ man these ideas must seem rather queer, but it is often necessary to do something away from the beaten track to bring popularity to sport. Take Association Football for in­ stance, which is now enjoying a boom all over America as never before and for which, I think, I can lay a modest claim to being partly responsible, as least in so far as Philadelphia is concerned. I was anxious to see the game re-established there, as for many years it had been dead owing to pro­ fessionalism, and having got together a few enthusiasts in the Belmont Cricket Club, a ball was imported and a game played, the majority of the players knowing nothing whatever of the rules, etc. However, by means of judicious newspaper notices a good many spectators witnessed the contest, and after the game I was besieged by secretaries of former clubs asking for dates in the event of teams being able to be formed. We con­ fined all our matches to the home ground, and a game was played every Saturday after­ noon for the rest of the season. The follow­ ing year Bosanquet brought over a cricket team to play the Philadelphians, and as he had some good footballers with him he was asked and consented to play an exhibition match with us. Invitations were extended to all members of cricket clubs and their friends to witness ‘ Football with the Feet,’ for so we advertised the game by big posters, and so numerous and enthusiastic were the spectators, although Bosanquet and his merry men had practically a walk over, that very soon after the game the cricketers of the Associated Clubs decided to take it up in earnest, the result being the formation of the Cricket League Cup, which is to-day the leading amateur organization of America. Such well-known International cricketers and athletes as Lester, Wood, Cregar, Orton, Thayer, Morris, Graves, Le Roy and Jordan were among the pioneer players. The gratifying success of the movement may be attributed chiefly to the original form of placarding previously alluded to. Origin­ ality is necessary in many things.” BOOKS RECEIVED. The Athletic Neics Cricket Annual , 1909. Edited by “ Tityrus.” Manchester: “ Athletic News ’ Office, Withy Grove. Price 3d. GEORGE L E W IN & Co., (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists and Athletic Clothing Manufacturers. OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the Australians, 1896,1899 and 1902 ; Mr. Stoddart’s XI., 1894 -1895, 1897- 1898; Mr. MacLaren’s XI., 1901-1902 ; West Indian XI., 1900 and 1906 ; South Africans XI., 1901 and 1907; and M.C.C., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and London Counties, Wanderers, Stoics. Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Clubs.—Write for E stim ates F r e e . TelegraphicAddress: “ Leotdde , London .” Telephone: P.O. City 607. 8, Crooked Lane, Monument, London Bridge, E.C.