Cricket 1910

D e c . 2 2 , 1910. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 471 F r o m Ottawa news reaches me to the effect that au “ All Star English Team ” will play a series of matches in the United States and Canada next autumn, whilst Mr. F. F. Kelly, of New York, states that the Gentlemen of Philadelphia intend sending a team to Bermuda again in February. Furthermore, a report has reached me that the Germantown O.C., o f Philadelphia, wish to tour in England next summer, and that the secretary of one of the best-known county clubs is arranging their pro­ gramme. At the present time countries or clubs in almost every part of the world appear anxious to tour or receive touring sides, but the visit of an English team to South America, which at one time appeared likely to take place in the early part of next year, has been postponed. A v a l u e d correspondent, Mr. J. D. Betham, writes to me :— “ In Cricket for November I think the paragraph in Gossip concerning the Hon. John William Mansfield is incorrect, due to the fact that there were two men, brothers, named the Hon. J. W . Mans­ field at Cambridge about the same time. The Winchester and Cambridge cricketer was the Hon. James William Mansfield.” S e v e r a l friends and relatives assembled at St. Pancras and Tilbury 011 the 9th inst. in order to give V. F. S. Crawford a hearty send-off on the occasion of his departure for Ceylon. Doubtless very many more friends would have been present had the hour of his leaving been known at all generally. T h e Committee o f the M.C.C. propose to alter the rule as to no-balls, omitting the greater part of Law 16, and substitut­ ing the follow ing: “ A ‘ no-ball ’ becomes dead immediately on its being called. Two runs shall be added to the score under the heading 1no-balls.’ ” The proposed new rule is being submitted to the counties and other cricket bodies for consideration. I f it meet with favour it will be brought forward at the annual meeting of the M.C.C. in May. Its adoption will involve the omission of the words “ no-ball ” from Law 17, and it is proposed by the M.C.C. to add to the final clause of Law 13: “ Neither a 1no-ball ’ nor ‘ wide ball ’ shall be reckoned as one of the 1over,’ ” the words “ but they shall be scored against the bowler.” A r e p o r t of the Parks Committee shows a decline in the number of games of cricket played in the London County Council Parks this year. In 1908 the number was 26,820, in 1909 23,084, and last season 21,508. T h e engagement is announced o f the Hon. Hugo Charteris, eldest son of Lord and Lady Elclio and grandson of the Earl of Wemyss, and Lady Violet Manners, second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Butland. The Hon. H. F. Charteris, who was born on December 28th, 1884, played on one occasion this year for Gloucestershire. He is a Lieutenant in the Gloucestershire Yeomanry. M r. S y d n e y G a n d y , the ventriloquist, has introduced a smart sally into his entertainment. “ They say they are going to do away with the Lords. I don’t know where we shall play our cricket then ” ; to which comes the reply, “ I suppose they will have to go to the Commons.” S outh A ustralia have been showing very in-and-out running. A good win over Victoria at Adelaide was followed by a thrashing from the Afrikanders on the same ground. Then the team goes away, loses heavily to Victoria at Melbourne and brings off an excellent win over New South Wales at Sydney. Gehrs, Clem Hill, Crawford, Wright, and Boy Hill have all distinguished themselves. But those fine batsmen, Norman Claxton and Charles Edward Dolling, seem to have dropped out, Edgar Mayne has been in the background, and “ Solly ” Hill has not redeemed last year’s promise. Against Victoria at Adelaide Gehrs (136 for once out), Crawford (102 for once out) and Clem Hill (94 in two innings) made nearly all the runs, while the ex-Surreyite took seven wickets and Whitty six. The cap­ tain did little against the South Africans; but Gehrs and Crawford again scored a good many runs, and the last-named also showed up well on the Melbourne ground. At Sydney the great Clem did after his kind— 87 and 156; his brother Boy made his first century in big cricket, and Gehrs obliged with 120. Frank Iredale says Gehrs still hits with a cross bat. Gehrs must have an uncommonly good eye, one fancies. Albert Wright, who took 11 wickets for 175 in this match, had only seven for 184 in three games for South Australia last season. Two of the younger all-rounders are pushing their way to the front. Charles Kelleway has now gained international honours, and Kenny, of Victoria, may do so before the season ends. Kelleway, a club-mate and great friend of Bardsley’s, first appeared for New South Wales, with moderate results, in the season of 1907-8. In 1908-9 his batting average for the State was 19 and he took 19 wickets for just under 27 runs each. Last season, though unable to play in one or two matches, he made great strides as a bats­ man, playing a fine innings of 108 v. South Australia at Sydney, and scoring 65 v. the Best o f Australia and 50 v. Victoria. Without doing anything really big in the New Zealand tour, he performed with credit. There should, bar accidents, be little doubt of his selection for the team to England in 1912. He is a bowler of the Noble and Hopkins type—that is to say, fast medium, with a high action. K e n n y only came into big cricket last season. His first match for Victoria was v. South Australia at Melbourne. Besult: 7 and 27 and 3 wickets for 69, which was creditable but not remarkable. He did little against New South Wales at Sydney, but, going on to Brisbane, “ staggered humanity ” with 164 and 100 not out v. Queensland. Later, he made the trip to Westralia with the Victorian team, and had bowling analyses of 6 for 59 and 5 for 47 in an innings, in the first and third matches respectively. His 73 and 5 for 49 in an innings v. South Australia are evidence that he maintains his all-round form. A nd what of Warren Bardsley ? Thus far he has scored well in every match, making 70 and 45 for New South Wales v. South Africa, playing a grand innings of 191 not out in an uphill game v. South Australia, and following this up with a Test-match century. But that is Warren’s way. One expects such things of him. T h r e e successive scores in the seventies from Victor Trumper’s bat show that the old magic has not been completely lost— if anyone thought it had. But Noble remains in retirement, for which one is sorry. Australia has many fine players, but only one M. A. N. W il l Clem Hill ever accomplish the double century feat ? Perpend : he has scored 89 and 104,87 and 93 in England— v. Surrey and the Gentlemen respectively, 98 and 97 in the middle match of the 1901-2 Test rubber, 107 and 80 for South Australia v. England in the same season, 92 and 94 v. New South Wales at Sydney in 1907-8, 76 and 101 not out, for Australian Team v. Best of Australia (Sydney) and 73 and 109, South Australia v. New South Wales (Adelaide) in 1898-9. And now he had made 87 and 106 at Sydney. So near and yet so fa r! A b o w l e r named Blue, playing for Midland Junction B. v. Fremantle B., on the Association ground, Fremantle (W.A.), on October 29th, took five wickets in six balls. I n t e r v ie w e d at Fremantle, upon his return to-Australia, Dr. L. O. S. Poidevin remarked that cricket in England to-day is not so good as it was year's ago. “ W h y ? Oh, I put it down to too much county cricket. I was playing for Lancashire, and that club used sometimes to be engaged six days a week. Consequently only professionals and a small percentage of amateurs can afford the time to play. There are too many professionals and too few amateurs in English cricket to-day.” A t the Adelaide Oval on November 12th, Mr. John H ill unveiled a portrait of Sir Edwin Smith, the only man living who has been connected with the South Australian Cricket Association since its inception in 1871. “ P o in t ,” of the Adelaide Observer, says that Kortlang, who met with such pronounced success in inter-State cricket last season is “ about the size of Syd Gregory................. He is Victorian born and is 31 years old, so that he is no