Cricket 1910

1 7 0 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME J un e 2, 1 9 1 0 . well, for, owing to an injury, he was off the field during the greater part of the Sussex first innings. When he had got the measure of the bowling he played a strong, forcing game, repeatedly running- in to drive. He was missed at long-on when 65, and the mistake possibly cost Sussex the match. To those who control the county’s cricket the victory of Middlesex was most welcome, for when the side was de­ feated in such hollow fashion by Kent much apprehension was felt as to the bowling proving strong enough to win many matches. And here it may be pointed out that, when Sussex were set 378 to win, they made as many as 280 although the younger Relf, Vine, Killick and Heygate scored only 23 between them. There is no getting away from the fact that J. T. Hearne is not getting younger— he played his first match for Middlesex in 1888—and that a very great deal depends on Tarrant and Mignon. Another really good bowler would seem necessary if the side is to win a majority o f its matches. M ig n o n , the Middlesex fast bowler, was married on Monday last at the Parish Church, Gunnersbury, to Miss V. Taylor. \V. A. B. writes :— I do not quite know what is the application of the fol­ lowing conversation, but, as far as I can make out from recent articles in the magazines, it seems to have some con­ nection with the idea that county cricket is too much of a business now-a-days. I was walking round the ground at Northampton during the Kent match last week when I heard a spectator say to his friend, ‘ Well, to m y mind, this isn’t real county cricket at all.’ To which his friend replied, ‘ Why, what’s the matter with it ? The bowlin’s good, the battin’s O.K., and the fieldin’s as fine as anything you ever see in your life.’ But the first speaker shook his head and mournfully said, ‘ Yes, that's all right, but they all seem to be enjoyin' theirselves too much.’ ” T h e return to the Hampshire Eleven of Capt. Greig was marked by a fine win by nine wickets over Gloucestershire on the Southampton ground. The Captain, too, had much to do with the result, seeing that, in addition to obtaining half- a-dozen wickets, he scored 44 and 64: with Mead he made 72 for the first wicket in the first innings and 124 in the second. He is a delightful batsman to watch, for he not only makes runs at a good rate but obtains them by a variety of strokes. H is cutting, and especially his late cutting, is generally the out­ standing feature of his cricket. Of the many fine things he has done so far for Hampshire probably the best have been his innings of 249 not out against Lancashire at Liverpool in 1901 and his scores of 115 and 130 in the match with Worcestershire on the Worcester ground four years later. G loucestershire , in their game with Hampshire, made 226 and 354 notwith­ standing that Jessop—he got but 4 runs in each innings—was the smallest run- getter in the match. The game, however, was played on a splendid wicket and, although Gloucestershire made as many as 580 runs in their two innings, they were beaten by nine wickets. It is worthy o f mention, too, that although 1161 runs were scored in the match, no player reached three-figures. A t Cambridge on May 25th Clare Col­ lege, playing against Christ’s College, made 350 for one wicket. The score was made up as follows :— G. H. Shaw, not out...109 R. E. B. Davcy, b Sul­ livan .......................... 16 O. Hughes, not out...202 Byes, &c..................23 Total (1 wkt)*350 ♦Inuings declared closed. The unfinished partnership realised 318. Hughes hit two 6 ’s and twenty-five 4’s, and Shaw, whose methods were quieter, five 4 ’s. Christ’s College lost seven w ic­ kets for 51 rims. The match was played on the Clare ground. I n some comments on the H on. F. S. Jackson’s prowess as a golfer, The Yorkshire Post says :— “ There is still the disposition to regard him as a sort of dark horse, who one of these days may emerge from his comparative seclusion and sweep all before him in national and county events. Mr. Jackson has the sense of humour that will enable him to enjoy this addendum to his reputation. That he could soon place himself among the foremost golfers of the country I have not the slightest doubt. Whether lie. will ever exert himself to do it is another matter entirely. He plays very little golf compared with most men who are of first-class rank . . . , He ha 3 the temperament, the physique, the natural ability for first-class golf. Only the inclination is lacking, and perhaps the explanation is that Mr. Jackson is now a man of affairs, with more desire to be useful to his country in other fields than those of recreation.” C a p t . J. W o r m a l d , who appeared for Middlesex against Sussex on Thursday last, is an old Etonian. He played a few times for the Eleven in 1898, but in neither o f the Public School matches. In the two following years, however, he played against both Harrow andWinchester, scor­ ing 43, 29 and 46 against the former and 40 and 14, and 6 and 34 against the latter. In 1899, with 70 as his highest score, he averaged 29'63 for eleven innings, being just above H. K. Longman, but in 1900 he dropped to sixth place, averaging only 11‘55. In the latter year, however, he reserved his best performances for the most important occasions, making, as stated, 29 and 46 v. Harrow and 6 and 34 v. Winchester. In 1899 it was said of h im :— “ Has become a fine batsman, playing hard on the b a ll; he is especially good at driving, but when hitting on the off-side has sometimes selected the wrong ball for the purpose. A safe field as a rule, but slow in the return. At times he has been brilliant.” A t Leyton on Thursday last S. P. Meston scored 228 for Essex Club and Ground against West Ham and District. He hit a 6 , five 5’s and twenty-eight 4’s, and in partnership with R. f i. Hudson, who made 80, put on 233 for tbe third wicket. The total of the innings was 397. Mr. Meston has played for Gloucester­ shire by residence and for Essex by birth. His highest score in a match of note is 130 for the latter county against Lancashire at Leyton three years ago. W e heard an interesting argument the other day advanced by an old professional, who is a keen observer, says the Athletic, News. He contended that there was a woeful dearth of bowlers— and he went so far as to say that we have no bowlers in England to-day compared with thirty and forty years ago, and that travel where he would he did not see men with talent in their fingers coming to the front. He argued— and there is much to be said from his point of view— that in too many instances the coaching of the young is in the wrong hands. It is true that of late years we have seen Willis Cuttell go to Rugby, John Tunnicliffe to Clifton and David Hunter to Marlborough, but he insisted that generally in the schools the cricketmaster, the University “ B lue,” was the preceptor in the games. If such men knew anything of the art of cricket it was generally batting— and not too much of •that, flow could these men teach bow l­ ing ? His point was that fewer amateur coaches should be appointed— and that old bowlers, practically conversant with all the tricks of the trade, should try to impart the secrets of bowling, and endeavour to communicate some enthusiasm to the youths of the country, for bowling was an essential part of the game. He declared that England was to-day a “ manufactory for batsmen.” To a very large extent his remarks are incontrovertible. Where are our coming bowlers ? W . M. B r a d l e y , the old Kent fast bowler, turned out for the Wanderers against Norbury Park on Saturday and took six wickets for 38 runs. Three of his victims were caught and three bowled. The total of the innings was 123. T he similarity of the Denton twins has often led to an amusing situation. On Thursday last J. S. went in first wicket down, and W . H . fifth. On the next day they changed places, but scorers, Press­ men and spectators were all deceived. W . H. batted for nearly three-quarters of an hour, and almost every one present thought he was his brother. It was not until J. S. had rattled up 20 later in the innings that the mistake was discovered. A t Wembley Park on Saturday London and North-Western Railway won their match with Stamford Hill in great style. They declared their innings closed with­ out the loss of a wicket— L. a n d N.W. R a il w a y . A. E. Wilson, not ou t.................................. 142 H. J. Paris, not out .................................. 53 Byes, &c............................ 16 Total (no wkt) 211