Cricket 1910

CRICKET: A weekly record op th e game. AUGUST 4 , 1910 . “ T o g e t h e r j o i n e d in C r i c k e t ’s m a n l y t o i l . ” — B y r o n . No. 849. v o l . xxix. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1910. o n e p e n n y . A CHAT ABOUT E. HUMPHREYS. The executive of the Kent County C.C. have been particularly fortunate during the last decade in the acquisition of young players of more than ordinary ability. Blythe and Humphreys came to the front iu 1899, Mr. E. W. Dillon, Fielder and Mr, C. H. B. Marsham in 1900, Fair­ service, Hardinge, Mr. Ken­ neth Hutchings and Seymour in 1902, Hubble in 1904, Mr. A. P. Day in 1905 and Woolley in 1906. Several other cricketers of much promise have been accorded a trial for the County since the last-mentioned year, but those whose names have been recorded have appeared regu­ larly for the side in more than one season and have played a prominent part in placing Kent at the head of the first-class counties. In a quiet way Edward Humphreys has done a lot of good work for Kent since his debut eleven years ago. For five seasons he was little more than an occasional member of the team, but commencing with the season of 1901 he has played in almost every match, alike with credit to himself and advantage to the side. A Kent man by every tie, he was born at Ditton on August 24th, 1881, and was one of the first great players turned out by Capt. McCanlis from the Tonbridge Nursery. Possessed of many fine strokes, he invariably obtains his runs by bright cricket and is always an interesting batsman to watch. In 1903 he averaged only 15-23 runs an innings, but in the follow­ ing year came right to the front, aggregating 1,528 runs and averaging 34'72. His personal triumphs have been many. To his credit stands the highest innings ever played for the County during the two hundred years of its cricket history—a matter of 208 against Gloucestershire at Catford last year. In the Tunbridge Wells Week last month he scored 69 and 29 v. Somerset and 77 and 200 not out v. Lancashire, who bad Dean, Whitehead, Sharp, Huddleston and Make­ peace to bowl for them. His performance in the latter match recalls the fact that against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 1904 he made 97 in his first innings and 131 in his second, thereby in all probability saving his side from defeat after Notts had scored 602. Humphreys is a batsman whose best qualities are most in evidence when the position is critical, and on that account perusal of the score-sheet is often apt to lead one to under-estimate the value of what he has accomplished. His comparatively steady (though always interesting) play at the commencement of an innings has frequently paved the way for some of the rapid-scoring feats of the “ star” batsmen later, or, in the event of failure on the part of the latter, has prevented the side from going to pieces. In his scoring he is most consistent, beiDg no fair-weather batsman who is help'ess when the attack is assisted by the state of the ground, but obtaining his runs on every class of wicket and against all kinds of bowling with delightful impartiality. At times, too, he has shown in unmistakable fashion that he is able to score quite as fast as most people, as, for instance, when, agninst Somerset at Taunton in 1906 —the annus mirabilis of Kent cricket—he aud Mr. Burnup put on 116 for the fifth wicket in the short space of thirty-five minutes. It is no exaggeration to say that if Humphreys had not been a great batsman, he would probably have de­ veloped into a fine bowler, for he has frequently shown himself possessed of that amount of skill with the ball which needed only practice and opportunity to bring him to the fore. But his efforts have been restricted to a great extent to bat­ ting, and very wisely so, for there can be no doubt that the policy has proved tbe best thing not only for him­ self but for the side. Against Northamptonshire at Catford in 1907 he took five wickets —those of Mr. Vials, Cox, Mr. Pool, Thompson and East—for 26 runs, and other good analyses have been seven for 33 v. Middlesex at Tonbridge in 1906 and four for 13 v. Somerset at Taunton three years before, whilst against Nottinghamshire at Graves­ end in 1905 he obtained four wickets in seven balls without a run being made off him. Inasmuch as he has not yet completed his twenty-ninth year, Humphreys should be a valuable member of the Kent team for several seasons to come. Photo by] [Hawkins, Brighton. EDWARD HUMPHREYS.