Cricket 1910

i8 6 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une g, 1910. illness, practically nothing was seen of him. I t was regrettable that Lancashire, after obtaining such a strong position at Worcester in their match with Worcester­ shire, should, by a belated declaration, have thrown away practically every chance of a definite result being arrived at. When the closure was put into force, the home side were left with only four hours and three-quarters in which to make 494; the consequence was that little interest was taken in the rest o f the play, for it was practically impossible for Worcestershire, tine side though they are, to obtain the runs against such bowling, and the time was not sufficient to enable Lancashire to get them out. The closing stages of the game were consequently very tame, and even MacLaren and Tyldesley went on to bowl. “ Or all English hitters at the present moment for pure distance,” says G. L. Jessop in London Opinion, “ Alletson, of Nottingham, deserves to be placed first. It is not necessary for him to make his best hit to clear the majority of our grounds. He gets more distance when hitting in the direction of long-on than he does in any other direction. When he has had a little more experience, it will be no surprise to me to read of big scores as well as big hits from his bat."’ T he name of a cricketer, and o f a good cricketer, too, was included, I was glad to see, in the King’s Birthday Honours list published in the latter part o f last week. In Edward W illiam Wallington, C.M.G., who has become Commander of the B.V.O ., all those whose memory carries them back thirty to thirty-five years will be able to recall a cricketer who played in his time for Sherborne, Oxford, Wiltshire and the M.C.O. He kept up the game, too, when abroad, and introduced cricket to the Fijians, who took to it to an extent which was little less than remarkable. A l l who know Mr. B. W . Frank, the popular Yorkshire cricketer, will be sorry to hear that on Friday last his father, Mr. John Frank, J.P., died at Pickering, near Scarborough, at the age of 73. He was a stalwart Liberal and a prominent Nonconformigt. “ I f short autobiographies of the great professional bowlers could be collected,” says the Morning Post, “ we should find that the vast majority o f them got very little chance of howling before the age of fifteen or thereabouts. The Public School cricketer by the time he has reached that still tender age has played for his private school in one or two seasons and for a junior eleven of his house in other two, and has learnt by experience two fatal lessons. One is that in that class of cricket you cannot trust your fielders, the other that it is the fast half-volley which most often hits the wicket. It is greatly to be feared that the consciences of some cricketers among the masters of private schools are sadly blunted. Otherwise they would not year after year allow a succession of promising boy bowlers to spoil their chances of future enjoyment and distinction by overtaxing their still flabby muscles. It seems probable that length, pace off the pitch, and action break, as distinct from finger spin, are produced by the muscles of the shoulder and back, and that overstrain in early youth makes those muscles permanently inefficient. It is a notable fact that although the most successful child-bowlers are those who can get the ball along fast, a decent amateur fast bowler is a very rare bird in the world of men’s cricket.” T h o se who are keen snappers-up of unconsidered trifles will be interested to hear that at Lord’s on Friday last 620 runs were obtained for the loss of thirteen wickets in six hours and 20 minutes. The M.C.C. made 498 in four hours and three- quarters and the opposition, the Boyal Artillery, replied with 122 for three wickets in 95 minutes. L o r d C o b h a m , the president of the Worcestershire County C.C., who was largely concerned two years ago in the effort to deal with the Club’s liabilities, has offered, as one o f the guarantors, to relieve the Club of half the remaining debt of .£1,400 if something is done to make up the balance. An appeal is being made to the members to raise the other J3700. M a n y followers of the game will be glad to know that E. G. Barlow’s book— “ Forty Seasons of First-Class Cricket ” — can now be had for Is. 4d., including postage. Copies may be obtained from the author, “ Glen M a y ,” Baikes Parade, Blackpool, Lancashire. T h o se who have any acquaintance with the history o f the game must have been amused at the number of times the doings in the cricket-field of Mr. F. G. J. Ford have been credited during the past week to his brother, the Bev. L. G. B. J. Ford, who has recently been elected head-master of Harrow. The blunder originally appeared, I believe, in a half­ penny morning paper and has since been repeated many times. Even one writer who showed his intimacy with the brother­ hood by referring to them by their Christian names made the mistake. T h is week the Navy and Army played their third annual match at Lord’s. In 1908 rain caused the game to be drawn, and last season the Army won by six wickets. On July 7th and two following days the combined Services will meet the pick o f Oxford and Cambridge Universities at Aldershot. A t the Botanic Gardens on the 28th inst. a cricket match will be played in which well-known actresses will oppose equally well known actors. The respec­ tive elevens are to be captained by Miss Yane Featherston and Mr. Charles Haw- trey. “ T a l k in g o f ‘ shekels,’ ” says‘ Felix’ in the Australasian, “ our cricket Associa­ tion has not been slow in availing itself of the opportunity afforded for promoting and developing cricket by the aid of the handsome sum to be annually received from the Melbourne Cricket Club. For a long time the Association wished to appoint a ‘ coach ’ to instruct the young idea'how to bat and bowl and field. Year after year want o f money prevented any appointment being made. But now the money will be there, and an appointment has been made. I think it will be admitted on all sides that the veteran J. Worrall is a thoroughly competent ‘ coach.’ He has had long experience in tHe first flight of cricketers in Australia, and he knows all about 1sticky ’ wickets in England, for he twice visited the old country as a member of an Australian team. It is generally conceded that he has a happy knack o f being able to impart information in such a way as to be easily and readily absorbed mentally by the young cricketer, and this, it is hardly necessary to state, is an attribute essential to successful coaching.” “ T h e work done by J. Worrall during the short period from the date o f his appointment to the close of the season may be regarded as purely preliminary,” continues the same writer. “ H e visited the grounds of the various associated clubs, and he worked hard and earnestly at the nets, advising young players to the best of his ability. But I think the future intention is to have an Association net either at Melbourne or East Melbourne, where promising colts can gather to receive instruction in all departments of the game. I dare say the off-side net will not be put up, for by that means fielding practice may be obtained and the true effect of an off stroke properly gauged. If the leg side net could also be dispensed with so much the better for the “ coach ” and his pupils. I think, too, that it would be a good thing to have a wicket­ keeper, and properly-measured popping crease and bowling crease. ‘ H ow use doth breed a habit in a man,’ is as apt and true to-day as when Shakespeare wrote it, and it is well known that bowlers who were soundly trained in their early cricket days do not add to their opponents’ score by sending down ‘ no balls.’ Promising lads from schools and colleges should, if possible, be invited to the Association net, with a view to the development of their cricket.” A sh o r t time ago Humphreys, of Kent, wrote offering his services as coach to the Canterbury Cricket Association for the 1910-11 season. He was informed that the Association had engaged their present coach, Carlton of Melbourne, for two years and therefore could not accept his offer. 708 r d n s for eight wickets in ten minutes over six hours is fast and heavy run-getting, everyone will admit. The match in which all these runs were made was played between St. Bartholomew’s