Cricket 1910

J une 30, 1910. CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF * THE GAME. 233 interest by followers of both counties, and it was a thousand pities that the game should have been ruined by the weather. Kent were, of course the favourites, but Surrey had been doing so well for some time previous that the majority of cricketers would not have been surprised if a close game had been seen. As it happened, only two Surrey men reached double-figures and Kent had just obtained the lead with seven wickets in hand when the rain came dow n : so far as the Championship table is concerned they might as well have been beaten by an innings and a thousand runs, but the Kent cricketers are not likely to allow such an obvious absurdity to influence them in any way. A l t h o u g h play in last week’s -game was so interfered with, Blythe found time in which to perform one of the most remarkable feats of his career. Briefly put, he obtained five wickets in ten balls without a run being made off him, taking four wickets in five balls and doing the hat-trick. On no previous occasion had he credited himself with the hat-trick in a match of note, which is somewhat remarkable considering the amount of work he has got through during the past decade. With the first and last balls of a maiden over he dismissed Hayward and Ducat, and with the second, third and fourth balls of his next over sent back Strudwick, Abel and Smith. Four of the wickets were caught and one stumped. will be held in aid of the Club’s funds. Beddington is within walking distance of Hackbridge, Carshalton, Waddon, and Wallington railway stations. To-day, by-the-way, W . Reay, one of Bedding- ton’s bowlers, will be playing against Oxford University, at Eastbourne. “ I a m inclined to think that as the result of wickets being so uniformly easy modern batsmen have earned fame be­ yond their deserts, and that modern bowlers have in many cases been under­ rated,” writes “ Balin ” in the Referee. “ At any rate, when the conditions in dry weather are at all like those to which cricketers were accustomed thirty or forty years ago the struggle been bat and ball THE UN IVERS ITY CAPTAINS . Photo by] [Stern 6c Son, Cambridge. ME. M. FALCON (CAMBRIDGE). Photo by] [ Salmon , Winchester. ME. A. G. PAWSON (OXFORD). N o t since 1897 have Surrey beaten Kent away from the Oval. Of the last thirteen matches played on Kentish ground they have lost eight and drawn five. Surrey have often found it profit­ able to have a hitter in the side when playing 1 over the border,” and if that fact had not been overlooked last week the County might have given a better account of itself. At the moment several good displays of hitting occur to me : last year, for instance, Spring made 97 out of 118 in 80 minutes at Blackheath and Smith 45 out of 58 in 35 ; in 1907 Lord Dalmeny made 70 out of 101 in an hour on the same ground and two years earlier 60 out of 87 in 55 minutes at Beckenham. T he first recorded match between Surrey and Kent took place in 1731, and of the 126 games known to have been played Surrey have won 58, Kent 38, 25 have been unfinished, and there have been two tie-matches. How the other three games ended is unknown. A l l lovers of cricket who wish to spend a few happy hours, and at the same time support a famous old club, cannot do better than visit Beddington on Saturday after­ noon next, when Dulwich will be the opposing side. Beddington have a pic­ turesque ground, and a band will be in attendance, whilst in the evening, com ­ mencing at a-quarter past eight, a concert becomes quite even and the game profits immensely. The over-marled wicket, in which so many ground-keepers delighted a few seasons back, ha3 had muc'i to answer for. It nearly killed cricket at Trent Bridge and Leyton, and its abandon­ ment is something to be thankful for. At the same time, there is such a thing as going too far in the direction of change. We want the happy mean between over­ preparation o f wickets and no preparation at all. Not so very long ago neglect of proper rolling led to trouble at Old Trafford, and only the other day the Lancashire eleven were loud in their complaints about the wicket on which they had to play at Birmingham— a