Cricket 1910
CRICKET : a w e e k l y r e c o r d o f t h e g a m e . APRIL 14, 1910. “ Together joined in CricKet’s manly toil.”— Byron. No. 833. VOL . XX I X . THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1910. ON E PENNY . A CHAT ABOUT MR. G. A. FAULKNER. Of all the worthies who have figured on “ the front page of Cricket ” none has ever been better entitled to that honour than Mr. G. Aubrey Faulkner, the famous South African all-rounder. For, if it were necessary at the present moment to select a team to represent the British Empire, nobody can doubt that this gentleman would be the first pick out of the South African Dominions, which have now thoroughly vindicated their claim to a share in the history of the first-class game. Of Mr. Faulkner’s personal concerns it is not material to us to know more than that he was bnrn at Port Elizabeth on 17th December, 1881, and so will still be only thirty years of age when the great “ trian gular” contest of 1912 is entered upon, and that for several years past he has been engaged in secretarial duties upon the Rand. But it is no secret that if he had cared to listen to the voice of the charmer he might have been settled nearer to the centre of the Empire long ere this. Of his cricketing abilites, the _man who can point to having made the top score in each innings for his own side, and to having taken the most wickets in each innings of his opponents, as Mr. Faulkner did in the Currie Cup Final of 1909, is ostensibly equipped to shine in two principal depart ments of the game ; whilst a man who has held a drive from Mr. Jessop in the long- field, when “ the Croucher ” had warmed up to within a degree or two of his century, must certainly possess some qualifications in the third — and chief — department. Mr. Faulkner’s triumphs in all three respects are nearly as many as his appear ances in important matches. But perhaps they are nowhere better exemplified than in the matches which the Transvaal has played against touring M,C C. elevens. At Johannesburg, in December, 1905, he scored 10 not out and 63 not out, took 3 wickets for 46 runs and 3 for 62, and caught out two men for other bowlers. Mr. Warner’s XI., after leading by 130 runs, first innings, lost by 60. In the corresponding match of December, 1909, he scored 46 and 148 not out, to >k 4 for 49 and 5 for 34, and again Photo by] [Hawkins 1 0 Co., MB. 0. A. FAULKNEK. caught out two other men. Transvaal won by 308 runs, and these are the only two matches that the M.C.C. have lost in South Africa, except against the full strength of the combined colonies. And who shall say that Mr. Leveson-Govver’s XI. would have won the last match by 50 runs if Mr. Faulkner had not been an absentee ? Some particulars of Mr. Faulkner’s scores appear below and his batting feats in the recent South African season have lately been chronicled in Cricket, where the freedom of his play, his hard hitting, his placing all rounl the wicket, and especially his fine cutting and the chanceless character of many of his long innings have been duly com mented on. The sincerest flattery is conveyed when one states that we, at this end of the cable, always felt relief when Faulkner’s wicket was no longer signalled as among those in hand during the pro gress of the last five “ Tests.” It is not for an “ arithme tician ” to attempt any elabo rate explanation of Mr. Faulkner’s manner of bowl ing. Fortunately it is not necessary. An expert au thority, in Mr. R. E. Foster, summed it up in his analysis of “ South African Bowling ” in the 1908 Wisden, wherein he remarks : “ His perform ance at Leeds, in the first innings against England, is surely the greatest that has ever been achieved in this un orthodox style of bowling.” At that date Mr. Foster described Mr. Faulkner’s delivery as being similar to that of a common leg-break bowler, except that the ball rose from the pitch with accelerated velocity and— “ the terrible wrong’u n ! ” This latter was, of course, the famous “ googly ” that, de livered with a leg-break action, broke in from the off — and broke “ quite a lot.” The same judge surmised that the spin of the ball was imparted solely by finger and wrist action and that accomplished Brighton. batsmen might soon be ex pected to distinguish the different balls from themanner of delivery. Perhaps Mr. Leveson-Gower’s jury have discovered whether that is so. Mr. Faulkner’s first-class cricket has not been confined to the South African wickets, which are held to atone for the shortcominas of all who are not familiar with them. He came home with the team of 1907 and managed to score three several centuries on
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