Cricket 1910

O c t . 27, 1910. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 441 The New South Wales Selection Com­ mittee for 1910-11 consists of the Rev. E. F. Waddy and Messrs. E. Hume and Warren Bardsley. M. A. Noble tied with Bardsley, but on a second ballot the latter secured the position by one vote. The other defeated candidates were F. A. Iredale and F. McMullen. Last year the Selection Committee comprised Messrs. G. P. Barbour, who is now head­ master of Toowoomba Grammar School, in Queensland, E. Hume and F. A. Iredale. O f the suggestions to popularise cricket there is no end. One of the latest and most novel comes from a Sydney corres­ pondent, who writes as follows to a local newspaper :—•“ Of all the suggestions, I do not remember to have read any like one which I would propose. It would be rather a startling innovation, but that I cannot see would interfere with the scientific points of the game, and would tend to save a very considerable amount o f time. The greatest time-waster in the way the game is now played is the changing of the bowler from one wicket to the other, necessitating an alteration o f the fieldsmen. Now, what is to prevent the rule being altered to allow two bowlers to operate at the one end, each bowler to send down six balls, without changing ends ? In this way we could have more variety in the bowling, and ends need only be changed every twelve balls. Under such a rule, a captain could have four bowlers carrying on the attack. How often do we see captains throwing away a game through keeping a pair of bowlers on too long ? I f he had two bowlers going at each end, he would soon discover which were doing the most. Of course he need not bring on four bowlers. He could put the same two bowlers on at the other end. But what a saving of time there would be under such an arrangement, by only changing the field once every twelve balls instead of half a dozen as at present. It is quite time the musty old rules of cricket were altered in some such a way as I have suggested, and why should not Australia take the lead ? ” In some reminiscences contributed to the Orange Leader, G. J. Bonnor, the well-known Australian cricketer, refers to “ C. I. Thornton, the great hitter of England, whose lamp of fame I ex­ tinguished.” This statement is charming, but altogether inaccurate. In the opinion o f many impartial judges in a position to express au opinion—-Lord Harris and the late Mr. W . J. Ford were of the number —no one has ever seriously threatened Mr. Thornton’s reputation as the greatest hitter the world has ever seen. reach his ambition of a trip to England. . . . . N. Dodds, the wicket-keeper, is now in the north o f the island, and I don’t think he will play much more first-class cricket.” From the Tasmanian M a il :— “ Talking about cricket,” S 3 id Private Pate —of course they hadn’t been—“ I recall a match I once took part in duiiDg the late Boer War. We’d made a bat and some wickets, and were having a game among ourselves, quite unaware of the enemy’s presence in our vicinity. I was batting, and as I saw the bowler raise his arm a shell came with tremendous speed towards my wiuket. Like lightning I raised my bat and struck it and it went for six, and--------- ” “ Do you mean to tell me,” exclaimed one o f his listeners, “ that you hit a live shell ? ” “ Oh, dear me, n o ! ” replied the private. “ It was only an oyster-shell the bowler had sent down instead of the ball.” A t Bangalore on September 24th, B. Jayaram scored 103, retired, for Banga­ lore Gymkhana against St. Joseph’s College. Exactly a week later, when playing against Madras United, he made the highest score (25) for his side and took seven wickets for 59 runs in a total of 154. The match between Canada and the United States, which had been arranged to take place in Philadelphia on Sep­ tember 12th and 13th, was scratched by the Canadian Cricket Association as they were unable to get together a representa­ tive team. There was, I am told, some friction over the selection, Ottawa, who expected at least three of their players to be asked, not being satisfied with only one (Johnston) being invited. More often than not the match is really a Philadel­ phian team v. Toronto and District with a Montreal and Ottawa player occasionally included. M r. F. F. K e lly , I hear, will edit the American Cricket Guide for 1911. This is good news, for he is probably the most keen snapper-up o f cricket trifles in America, and any work to which he puts his hand is certain to be performed both conscientiously and thoroughly. Good reports reach me of a young player named Allen Evelyn, of Brooklyn, who recently scored 108 for Benson- liurst B against Prospect Park B. He hit a five and thirteen 4’s, the majority of which were run out. As he is only about seventeen years old, there is plenty of time for him to come to the front. 139, total runs 1224, average 47-07. His bowling showed 653 overs, 202 maidens, 1511 runs, 110 wickets, average 13-73. W . H . W ilkinson, the Yorkshire cricketer, has been engaged for next season by Mitchell and Butler’s, a Birmingham League club. Two years ago he scored 1,111 runs for his county with an average o f 28’48, and as he is now only twenty-nine years of age should have many seasons’ cricket before him. F o r Hanwell Asylum this year Dr. A. R. Litteljohn, the Middlesex cricketer, scored 1336 runs with an average of 70'31. His highest score was 120, and he had only two not-out innings to help him. He also headed the bowling figures with a record of 55 wickets for 10'50 runs each. I t has been definitely decided that county matches will be played next season at Dudley. Yorkshire will be met there on May 22nd and following days, Lan­ cashire on June 12th, and Gloucestershire on August 28th. F o r the North of Ireland C.C. during the past season W . Pollock commenced eight innings, was not out on three occasions and, with 173 not out as his highest score, made 560 runs. His average thus worked out at 112. D uring the past season, it will interest all cricketers to learn, “ W .G .” played in seventeen matches, and in fifteen com ­ pleted innings made 418 runs with an average of 27'86. His highest score was 71. He bowled in only a few matches, but took over twenty wickets. S. H e a tle y , the captain of the Foles- hill Albion C.C., o f Coventry, has proved the winner of .£10,000 in the Hungarian State lottery. He is employed in the office of a chartered accountant. A t the Annual General Meeting of the Melbourne C.C. on September 9th, Major Wardill was proposed, and unanimously elected, a life member of the Club. “ Felix ” wrote :— “ The sustained volume o f plaudits and cheers was something you rarely hear, and must have made the Major thrill with pleasure. When he got up to speak there was more cheering, and when he sat down, after making a nice little speech, the cheering was vehemently renewed. It was in every sense not only an acknowledgment of his personal worth, but a splendid testimony to the remarkably able manner in which he has managed the affairs of the Club during his many years of office as secretary.” J. V . S a u n d e r s , the Australian cricketer, has been appointed coach and groundman to the Wellington Cricket Association of New Zealand for a period of three years. A v a l u e d correspondent, W ritin g to me from Hobart last month, sa id :— “ We have lost our fast bowler, A. C. Facy, who has gone to Melbourne, where he will play with South Melbourne. If he develops his talent as a bowler, and gets into the big teams, I think he will P laying for Brokers v. C.C.C. “ A ” team at Colombo on September 16th and 17th, W . T. Greswell, the ex-Somerset cricketer, scored 122 and took eight wickets for 70 runs in a total of 170. A week earlier he obtained nine wickets in an innings for 26 runs against a strong Malay team.