Cricket 1910

F e b . 24, 1 9 1 0 . CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD O F THE GAME. 25 would be very welcome, for he is not only a most capable leader but a batsman whose hitting powers are capable of changing the whole course o f a game in a very short time. He is not a member of the House of Commons in the present Parliament, and will there­ fore no longer find it necessary to divide his attention between Midlothian and mid-field. T h e Bt. Hon. Joseph A. Pease, who was defeated in Saffron Walden Division of Essex at the last General Election, has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy o f Lancaster. He has represented Cambridge on the football and polo fields and has captained the Durham County Eleven at cricket. A t Scarborough on the 4th inst. David Hunter was presented with an illuminated address and a cheque for £150. There were over 150 subscribers to the testi­ monial, and the address was signed on their behalf by Lord Londesborough and Mr. A. Sprigg. His Lordship, in making the presentation, stated that he had received a letter from Lord Hawke, who said : “ I heard from David this morning, and am delighted to learn he is going to look after the boys at Marlborough. I shall think of you all at dinner on February 4th. You will be doing honour to a great cricketer, one of the very best I have ever known.” Lord Hawke’s telegram to Hunter read :— Best of good luck to you, and happiest of evenings. So sorry cannot join the gathering to-night in your honour. You thoroughly deserve it all. Hawke. In returning thanks Hunter described Hirst as one o f the best half-dozen cricketers who ever lived, and Schofield Haigh, on his day and wicket, the most deadly bowler he had ever known. H a ig h afterwards said that his experi­ ence of South African bowling was that you hit a lot of air. H e recalled playing against Faulkner in a Test match. H e had nine consecutive balls from him, and missed every one. They sent him in as a stop gap at night, and he did not succeed. I t will, I am sure, interest all readers of Gossip to learn that Mr. W . A. Bettes- worth will shortly re-issue in book form many of his “ Chats on the Cricket Field ” which appeared in Cricket and The Cricket Field between 1892 and 1900. The “ Chats ” will include Lord Harris, the Hon. Ivo Bligh (now Earl of Darnley), Lord Bessborough, the Bev. James Pycroft, Banjitsinhji, Prince Christian Yictor, Dr. E. M. Grace, Tom Emmett, Mr. F. B. Spofforth, H. H . Stephenson, George Lohmann and many other famous players of the past and present. The book will be published at the offices of Cricket at five shillings net and will be sent to any address in the world post free. T h e annual report of the Notts County C.C., issued on Monday last, states that the gate receipts fell from .£2,023 in 1908 to .£1,549 last season. The testimonial to the captain of the county team, Mr. A. O. Jones, amounted to ,£1,577, which has been placed in the hands of trustees and invested. The amount now standing to the account for the benefit of the six professionals selected under the Com­ mittee’s scheme is just over £ 1 , 000 . Seven hundred more members are required to keep the Club free from debt. T h e Advisory County Cricket Com ­ mittee will meet at Lord’s on Monday, March 21st, at 2'30 p.m. M r . A. C. D e n h a m , a keen student of Yorkshire cricket history, writes to me, “ I believe that H . Bobinson, who played for Yorkshire in 1879, died about Christmas, but I am unable to give you particulars, for his death (like that of so many well-known cricketers) was not noted in the local papers.” Perhaps some reader of Gossip will be able to inform me of the date and place of his death. A t a meeting of the Committee of the Lancashire County C.C. on the 2nd inst., Mr. James Horner, who retired at the last Annual General Meeting from the posi­ tion of treasurer, after eleven years’ service, was presented with a silver tray and coffee jug from his colleagues on the Committee, and with a silver match-box, on which was engraved the Lancashire rose, from Mr. A. H. Hornby. The presentation also marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Mr. Horner’s wedding. M u c h satisfaction has been experienced in the South of England by the appoint­ ment of Mr. William Carless, J.P., as Begistrar to H is Honour Judge Scully, Judge of the South-Eastern Circuit of County Courts. As all readers of Gossip are well aware, Mr. Carless has done much in the best interests of the game, and it was due almost solely to him that the Hastings Festival was established, and, under his guidance, became one of the most enjoyable of the season’s functions. A t a meeting of the Yorkshire County C.C. Committee at Leeds on January 20th the appointment of Mr. G. J. Y . Weigall to act as coach to young players at Harrogate during June was confirmed, and Lord Hawke was re-appointed captain of the first eleven and Mr. B. W . Frank o f the second eleven. It was also agreed to support a recommendation made at the secretaries’ conference that umpires be instructed to allow six runs for any hit which causes the ball to drop clear over the boundary. The appointment of Mr. Weigall has been criticised in many quarters on the ground that it is contrary to the traditions of Yorkshire cricket, and Mr. F. W . Elam, among others, has publicly taken exception to it. A f u l l - l e n g t h portrait of Lord Harris, the gift of his old regiment, the East Kent Mounted Bifles, has been unveiled in the Kent County Council Chamber, where it will hang beside that of the late Earl Bomney. Lord Harris has identified himself with the public life of the county for nearly forty years, and has during that period rendered valuable, even in­ estimable, service. H is Lordship, by-the- way, has been appointed one of the joint Masters of the Tickham Hunt for next season. S p e a k in g at the Annual General Meeting o f the Gloucestershire County C.C., at Bristol on January 27th, Mr. G. L. Jessop remarked that county cricket, with too many professionals playing, became a dull game ; when only one amateur appeared in a side one had to admit that the outlook, so far as amateur cricket was concerned, was not bright. It was announced that Messrs. F. H. B. Champain and Salter would be able to play for Gloucestershire throughout August next season, and that Mr. Brown also would be at liberty for several matches. T h e news that B. W . Hendley, for 32 years groundman to the Beigate Priory C.C., has decided to retire owing to ill-health will be received with regret by the many hundreds of club cricketers whom he must have met during the period named. In his younger days he played for the team and obtained many wickets, and, as a recognition of his services to the Club, it has been decided to organize a testimonial in his behalf. Subscriptions may be sent to Mr. M. D. Butley, Lesbourne, Beigate, or to Mr. A. H. Nightingale, Lesbournia, Beigate. A B r i g h t o n correspondent writes to me as follows : “ The Sussex Committee have allocated the matches with Kent (July 4 to 0) and Oxford University (June 23 to 25) to Hastings. The Surrey game will take place, as last year, at Horsham. Eastbourne will have the Derbyshire match (May 19 to 21) and will also have choice of the matches with Essex (August 22 to 24) or Worcestershire (August 29 to 31). In the event of Essex being selected the Brighton Week will be changed from August 8— 13 (v. Lancashire and Middlesex) to August 25—31 (v. Yorkshire and Worcestershire). Killick, being denied a Holiday or “ Festive ” game—by the original arrangement he would have had the Yorkshire fixture—has decided on the match with Lancashire (August 8 to 10 ) for his benefit. There is as yet no game at Chichester this year, though Sussex may possibly arrange a match with South Wales to take place there. It has also been decided to play a match with Somerset at Bath (August 15 to 17).” A t a meeting of the General Com­ mittee of the Leicestershire County C.C. on February 3rd, Mr. B . Bobson, the secretary, tendered his resignation for private reasons, and it was accepted with an expression of sincere regret. In 1904 he was appointed assistant to Mr. V. F, S. Crawford, and succeeded to the full secretarial duties two years later.