Cricket 1910

CRICKET : a w e e k l y r e c o r d o f t h e g a m e . JUNE 30 , 1910 . T o g e t h e r j o i n e d i n C r i c k e t ’s m a n l y t o i l .” — Byron. No. 8 4 4 . V O L . X X I X . THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1910. ONE PENNY . CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD.* The best thing to do on the cricket field is to play cricket. But cricket is so arranged that while only thirteen people can be actually playing, a much larger number can look on. For them the best thing is to chat, or rather to listen to the chat of the knowing ones. These never fail, the man who remembers seeing Alfred Mynn and Fuller Pilch, the man who has played against Richardson. But, surely, never was there such a collection of good talkers as in this new book by Mr. Bettesworth, to whom we already owed one of the best of cricket books, “ The Walkers of Southgate.” All sorts of cricketers may be heard talking here, men famous with bat, and ball, and glove, and pen, secretaries, national heroes, coaches, re­ porters—though that word of derogatory import is un­ worthy of men whose happy task it is to be Recorders of Cricket, historians of the game. A chat with a Hamble- don man was, of course, im­ possible to Mr. Bettesworth. But except for that age of heroes, the history of cricket is here. Here is a talk with Mr. Pycroft, the author of a cricket classic, long almost the only cricket book, who origi­ nated the regular series of matches between Oxford and Cambridge. Here are the reminiscences of men who remember Dr Grace’s earliest appearance, here are the heroes of the ’seventies and ’eighties and ’nineties, and Mr. Warner, happily still playing, and likely to go on playing into the ’twenties. More than fifty men fainous in the game have been skilfully lured by Mr. Bettesworth to bring out the best of thsir recollections, men from the famous cricketing * Chats on the Cricket Field. By W. A. Bettesworth, Author of “ The Walkers of Southgate.” With explanatory notes by F. S. Ashley-Cooper. London : Merritt and Hatcher, Limited, 108, Upper Thames Street, E.C. 5s. net. counties, from the dominions beyond the sea, men from the United States, Scotland and Holland, one from Aflie’s coral foun­ tains and two from India’s golden sands. Here is a prince who would have gained his blue but for liis title, and peers as well as coaches. There is, indeed, one very con­ spicuous absentee. For, although there is Photo by] [W. E. MR. W. A. BETTESWORTH. constant and pleasant reference to “ W.G.,” there is no talk with the champion himself. Perhaps Mr. Bettesworth has reserved this for the further volume, for which he has materials in his “ Chats ” contained in The Cricket Field and Cricket , and for which readers of this book will certainly ask. All sorts of cricket themes, too, are dealt with. There are stories of international matches, thegreat games of first-class teams, of travelling clubs, county cricktt, umpires, discussions of the championship, the laws, the changes in the game, cricket books, swerve, reporting, training young cricketers— everything that interests the cricketer, with the one and fortunate exception of the googlie. And how well all cricketers talk! For Mr. Bettesworth expressly dis­ claims any share in the book’s literary merit; so that the eye for a good story and a nice sense of the jnst use of words must come -from practice at the nets. The literary merits of Nyren have often been ex­ tolled, and the felicity of his phrases, such as that which described a longstop as being as sure of the ball as if he had been a sandbank. But is even this more graphic than tbe expression of the Hon. and Rev. E. Lyttelton, in des­ cribing the way in which Mr. Forbes, famous as a long thrower, held the ball ?— ‘•When he took hold of a cricket-ball it looked as if he were going to squeeze juice out of it.” Mr. Lyttelton records a saying of “ W.G.’s” quite monumentally clear and convincing. The question was how should a break-back from the off be played—by going forward, or playing back, or running out, or how else ? Dr. Grace was appealed to, and settled the question in a sentence, I think you ought to put the bat against the ball.” The good stories are many. None is more pathetic than Lohmann’s account of how he Sons named £10 as a fee, which he hoped would be prohibitive, for taking part in a 1 cal match. The fee was paid, he was bowled first ball, found himself hit to all parts of the ground and out of it by the local batsmen, rendered services which would have been dear at tenpence, was chased from the ground as an impostor, and followed to the station where he had to take refuge in the Ladies’ Waiting Room ! In Australia he was bowling against a twenty-two, when an