Cricket 1910

454 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 24, 1910. SOME REMINISCENCES. B y G. J. B o n n o r. As you have been pleased to mention the gracious kindness of Lord Chelmsford in wishing to see me when in Orange, it may interest you to hear some incidents connected with bygone cricket which his Excellency conversed with me about. One was a memorable innings played by yours truly at Scarborough. We had beaten by 7 runs the strongest team England ever put in the field at the Oval, consisting of VV. G. Grace, Shrewsbury, Hornby, Studd, Steel, Barnes, Ulyett, Peate, Lyttelton, A. P. Lucas, Read(a), and then had to play Lord Londesborough’s team at Scarborough during carnival week, which is considered tbe gayest cricketing outing of the year. The fixture was versus I Zingari, chosen by C. I. Thornton (the great hitter of England, whose lamp of fame I extinguished), who, to avenge the Oval defeat, made the team practically England again. They batted first and scored 341, and our first effort was 146, compelling us to follow-on. This we did on the second alternoon, and lost Massie for 22, batting with Alec Bannerman. Next day Alec stonewalled all day, and my turn came at a quarter past 5, with Bannerman 95, and then the innings Lord Chelmsford referred to began. I reached 100 before Alec, and made 122 not out in three quarters of an hour, when stumps were drawn, our total being five wickets for 479(b). This innings is discussed as an evergreen topic to this day both in England and amongst old Australian players. Jack B ackham particularly likes to harp on it. 'Jhe coup-de-grace of the whole match was the attitude Bannerman assumed towards the end of the day’s play, simply stopping the ball dead at his feet or allowing ball after ball of the “ off theory” to pass uuhceded and untouched, much to the chiigrin of the Hon. A. Lyttelton, who was the gnat amateur wicket keeper, and rousing him to annoyedly throw the ball down at the end of the over, saying, “ Bannerman. hit something, dash it, old chap; fco:her it do hit something: ” but to no purpose, Leyond making the ttouewaller most obdurate. The Press, in commenting on his innings, ren.aiked: “ The Scriptures say the patience of Job, but we say Bannerman at cricket.” A. G. Steel, the great authority on cricket, writing on my innings, said it was like eleven sheep tiying to stop the cannon shots of the batsman. Another match the Governor referred to was at the Oval, when G. F. Grace caught me out in a memorable catch, also talked about to this day—a long hit, the length of the Oval, fully 150yards(c), and exceptionally high. An American reporter, giving his version of the catch, said: “ Bonnor intended to hit the ball to New York, but Grace was waiting at Sandy Hook, which is the harbour at New York, and gallantly intercepted it.” Laughable description, was it not ? Almost as bad as poor Julian a. Shrewsbury did not play in this match. The eleventh man was Barlow. b. Bonuor’s recollection does not agree with the f<icts of the case. The Australians, going in first, Ecoied 153 and 423 for six wickets and 1 Zingari (which, being an amateur club, could never be repre­ sentative of “ practically England’’) 279. Bonnor 111 a .e 122 out of lti7 in an hour aud three-quarters. c. 'Ihe catch was made 115 yards from the wicket. The distance was measured. Thomas, better known as ‘‘ The Vagabond,” who once attempted to write cricket for the Melbourne “ Argus,” and used to speak of “ square cuts to leg” and “ snicks to mid- off ” till Tommy Horan, who so ably writes as “ Felix ” in “ 'Ihe Australasian,” implored the proprietors to remove “ The Vagabond ” to a higher clerical department of the game. Such is fate. His Excfl lency also spoke of the deceptive “ poorly ’ bowling the South Africans were likely to bring along this season, and asked if I would be there to see it. I replied, “ Yes,” and regret that the “ wiles of time ” would not allow it possible for Massie, Percy McDonnell, George Giffen, or myself to have a bang at it as of yore. Mention of the famous Grace, the late King Edward, whom I often met, the glories of England, &c , brought our short converse to a close. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. THE MIDDLESEX COUNTY C.C. The accounts for the past season of the Middlesex County C.C. show match re- ceipSs of £1,349 2s. and match expenses £1,489 19s. 8d., leaving a deficit of £140 17s. 8d. There was an adverse balance from 1909 of £580 10s. 8d., and a total loss this season of £701. There are still assets of £2,(300 invested to meet liabilities of £719 3s. 6d., but the situation is nevertheless a serious one. Kent will not be met on the Bank Holidays in 1911, but Sussex, whose fixture at Lord’s at Whitsuntide has been set apart by the M.C.C. as a benefit for Rawiin. From a cricket standpoint the county did well in 1910, finishing third, the efforts of several promising young players contributing there­ to. OBITUARY. W. B. H. - The list is too long for reproduc­ tion. See Cricket for November 1896 and few following numbers, and Wisden’s Almanack for 1903. L. C. D. E lio t . —(1) He is qualified for Surrey. We do not know the date of his birth, but he is not a young man. (2) Nov­ ember. 1887. (3) Mr. C. S. Hurst is qualified and c »n keep wicket. (4) We do not think it is likely that he will be chosen for the England team. E dward L. T horold .— Cricket was not played so early as the dictionary might lead one to suppose. 'Jhe earliest known reference to the game occurs in 1300. THE ENCYCLOPAED IA OF SPORT.* Mr. Heinemann has published as Volume I. the first seven fortnightly paits of the Encyclopedia of Sport which dealt fully and iu an able manner with subjects which ranged alphabetically from Aeronautics to Crick* t. Volume II. (Crocodile to Honnd- breeding) will be ready on December 15th, and one will thereby be enabled to make a most welcome Christmas present to any sportsman or sportswoman one may happen to know. The Encyclopedia has been con­ structed with the intention of giving all available information upon all games and sports in a succinct and readily accessible form. The ariicles are written by experts and are illustrated with many hundreds of 1 hotographs, drawings, diagrams, &c. Col­ oured plates by leading artists are a feature of the publication. Parts 8 to 10 of the fortnightly issues deal with a variety of subjects, including croquet, curling, cycling, deerstalking, dogs, driving ai d coaching and duck shooting. The illustrations, which include five coloured plates, are of the same high standard as those in the previous issues, which is saying a great dial. Cricketers maybe reminded that their pame was dealt with in part 7, and very many will be glad to possess the excellent coloured plate depicting a match at Hambledon in 1777, which is included in part 8. This picture alone is wo;th more than is asked for the number. * Encyclopedia of Sport. Vol. 1. (A to Cricket): Price 10/0 net cloth ; 12/(5 net half-bound. Parts 8, 9 and 10 of Vol. II, each 1/- net. London : Win. Heinemann, 21, Bedford Street, Strand, W.C. T he R ev . W. W. A rch er . The Rev. W. W. Archer, for twenty-three years President of the Hampton Wick C.C., died on Tuesday last at his Vicarage in his sixty-sixth year. M r . B. C. B olton . Mr. Benjamin Charles Bolton, who died 1 on November 18th from injuries sustained in falling from an express train a few miles from Hull, was twenty years ago a very successful fast medium bowler in the neighbourhood of his home, and played in six matches for Yorkshire, five in 1890 and one in the following season. On his first appearance, against Warwickshire at Halifax on June 19th and 20th, 1890, he took 2 wickets for 38 in the first innings and 8 for 26 in the second. Against Derbyshire two or three weeks later he had 4 for 85 in an innings of 312 ; against Gloucestershire at Dewsbury on July 28th and 29th he secured 3 for 42 and 4 for 63; and in the second innings of Sussex at Hove at the end of August he had 5 for 40, the Kent match at Maidstone being the only game in which he met with no success. In 1891 he played in but one match, v. Surrey at Sheffield (Hall’s Benefit), and took one wicket for 73 runs. Altogether he had 27 wickets for the county at a cost of 401 runs, or less than 15 each. As a batsman he met with no success, his highest score being only 14. Born on September 23rd, 1862, he was 48 at the time of his death. J. N. P. J. B rown . John Brown, at one time a well known all­ round player in the Midlands, died at Walsall in the second week of November in his seventy-ninth year. He was born at Rugby on December 25th, 1831, and was only seventeen years of age when he accepted his first professional engagement. He was a round-armed medium-paced bowler and a useful bat, and for thirty years was captain of the Walsall C.C. He played for Stafford­ shire and occasionally for eighteen’s and twenty-two’s against the All England and United All Englaud Elevens. F. D e l b r id g e . Frederick DelbriJge, a well-known figure in South Devon cricket and for three years professional to the Torquay C.C., died by his own hand at Upton, Torquay on November