Cricket 1910

120 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 12, 1910. H. GRADIDGE And SONS, Manufacturers o f >11 Requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Hockey, Football, and all British Sports. PATENTEES AND SOLE MAKERS ^ OF THE Used by all the Leading Players. Made InMen's, ■mail Mea’i, er Callage, S, 5, 4,* I eices. r r l c e I.tv ta F r e e o n ▲ p p l l c a t l o a . Of all Firat>Clasa Outfitters and Dealers. Reblading a Speciality Factory-, A rtillery P lace . WOOLWICH. C r i c k e t : A W E E K LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 168, UPPER THAMES STREET, LONDON, E.C. TH U R SD A Y , MAY 12™ , 1910. ( B n s s t p - The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. — Hamlet. B y the death of K ing Edward at Buckingham Palace on Friday evening last, cricketers have lost a ruler who was always ready and willing to do what he could in support of the game. To the -.great majority o f readers this statement will probably come as a surprise, but that will be owing to the fact that His Majesty was not in the habit of allowing parti­ culars o f everything that he did to become public property. As a small boy the late King received tuition at Windsor from the Cambridge cricketer, F. Bell, who was engaged as coach at Eton College, but it cannot be said that he ever showed much aptitude for the game. He played occasionally during his Oxford days, however, and whilst staying at Madingley Hall a special wicket was reserved for his use at Fenner’s, “ where,” to quote the late Mr. T. E. Bagge, “ he had ample experience o f being ‘ cut over ’ by liis neighbouring batsmen.” When funds were being col­ lected to pay off the pavilion debt at Fenner’s, His Royal Highness contributed ten pounds and promised to make up any amount required at the end of the term, but the necessary sum was collected. He also assisted in purchasing the free­ hold of the ground. A s Duke of Cornwall his late Majesty was for many years landlord of the Oval, and in several ways he showed the interest he took in the game and in the Surrey Club. Mr. Alcock, writing in the official history of Surrey Cricket, said: “ It is not too much to say that, to his personal sympathy with sport o f every kind, the public is mainly indebted for the retention of the ground as an open space, in spite o f many obvious inducements to turn it to better purposes commercially.” The Prince visited the Oval occasionally, but the many claims on his time probably prevented him from being present as frequently as he would have wished. I n 1803 H is Majesty succeeded his father as Patron of the M.C.C., and be was to the last interested in the welfare o f the Club^ At the Centenary Dinner at Lord’s in 1887, the President, the Hon. E . Chandos Leigh, in proposing the toast of “ The Prince and Princess of Wales and Royal Fam ily,” said that the Prince was not only a member of the Club, but during one of its critical moments was the largest contributor to the fund raised to pay for the freehold. It will thus be seen that H is Majesty did much to e&rn the gratitude, not only cf the members of the M.C.C. and the Surrey County C.C., but of the great public which visit their grounds to seek relaxation from business cares. A ll cricketers will unite at the present time in offering their loyalty and sympathy to King George, and in so doing will recall that whilst in the Navy he took part in many matches on foreign stations, and that during the years he was land­ lord of the Oval he showed his interest in the well-being of Surrey cricket in several ways. During the present month, in fact, he had had under consideration the question of devising better accommoda­ tion for the public at the Oval. A p o r t r a it o f King Edward as a member of the Bullingdon Club, Oxford, is reproduced on page 113, and the scores o f two matches in which he appeared for I Zingari on page 114. O w in g to the death o f King Edward the following important matches were abandoned:—- May 7. S urrey v . D erbyshire , at the O val . ,, 7- XI. of Scotland v. Yorkshire, at Pertli. ,, 7. The Army v. Royal Navy, at Portsmouth. ,, 7. The Freshmen’s Match, at Cambridge. ,, 9-11. S u rre y v. L e ice ste rsh ire , a t t h e O v a l . ,, 9-11. L ancashire v . W arwickshire , at M an ­ chester . ,, 9-11. M.C.C. and G round v . K ent, a t L o r d ’s. Doubtless several other important fixtures would have been given up also, had not King George, thus early in his reign, issued a message whose graciousness will go straight to the hearts of his subjects. It expressed the wish that the general mourning “ will not prevent my people from taking the usual advantages of the various opportunities afforded them for rest, relaxation and amusement ” during the forthcoming Whitsuntide holidays, A l t h o u g h nothing has yet been definitely settled, it is probable that last week’s match at the Oval between Surrey and Derbyshire will not be taken into accoiint so far as the Championship is concerned, though what play tools place will, of course, be included in the first-class averages. It may, however, be asked why this game should be ruled out of the competition more than any ordin­ ary match drawn through circumstances over which the players have no control. Surrey men are good enough sportsmen to prefer the consolation o f knowing they have done the right thing to any amount of percentages or even the Championship if it depended on such an act. I t is very remarkable that Surrey, starting the season with such loyalty to the spirit of the new rule that the result of their first match was hailed as its vindication, have immediately had to demonstrate its utter absurdity. O f their first three matches one was won easily, one left unfinished, and one abandoned. The latter does not count at all, but the drawn game, which was equally as creditable to them as either of the other results, robs them of 50 per cent, o f their spoils. And in fairness to other counties, who will take their chance of similarly unavoidable misfortunes, the damaging record ought not to be expunged* So far as the season has yet gone, cricketers have not been favoured with such weather as is needed to make the game a delight to the players and the spectators. The Yorkshire team, whilst in Scotland, experienced wind, rain, hail­ stones and some sun, but never any cricketing weather, and at Church, where a Lancashire League match was stopped whilst the players partook of coffee, we are told that “ the cricket contained as many intervals as incidents.” Further­ more, on Saturday morning, during the busiest part o f the day, there was a fall of snow in London. In some quarters the “ thusness ” of things is attributed to the late arrival o f the Gulf Stream, and in others to the approach o f the Comet.