Cricket 1910

A p r i l 21, 1910. CRICKET A WEEKLY Rb-CORD OF THE GAME. 73 he had solved the problem— it must be Uriah, the Hittite. T h o s e who propose to spend their sum ­ mer holiday in the neighbourhood of Hastings or St. Leonards will be interested to hear that a ladies’ cricket club for Sedlescombe and district was formed at a recent well - attended meeting at the Sedlescombe Schools. The officers were elected, and the announcement was made that competitive dances and games would be held in connection with the club. The venue for play will be decided upon later. M a n y cricketers in all parts of the world will regret to hear that the Brunswick C.O., of Edinburgh, one of the oldest clubs in Scotland, has come to an end. It was established as far back as 1831 and re formed in 18G1. The Perth Club, which was founded as early as 1826-27 and still survives as the Perthshire County C.C., met the Brunswick for the first time in 1832. T h e com ing season will, in the absence of a touring team of the first importance, be a much quieter one than the last, when the Australians were with us. We have had so much international cricket during the last few years that a season which can be devoted solely to home cricket should prove welcome. This season some of the fixtures which figured in last year’s card have been dropped, but on the other hand a few old-time opponents will meet again after an interval of a year or two. Hampshire will again play Lancashire and Yorkshire, Essex will meet Worcester­ shire and Sussex will once more play Somerset, whilst matches with both Glou­ cestershire and Northamptonshire have again been included in the Lancashire programme. Essex, however, will not meet Gloucestershire or Leicestershire, and the Sussex v. Gloucestershire match has been dropped as well as that between Hampshire and Leicestershire. J. H u m p h rie s , the Derbyshire wicket­ keeper, was married last week at Cuckney Parish Church to Miss Annie Kirk, of Nether Langworth, his native village. Arthur Morton acted as best man, and Arnold Warren and other county cricketers were present at the ceremony. T h e report of the Dudley C.C., issued last week, states that the scheme put forward for acquiring the present ground, together with some adjoining land, in order to form a suitable enclosure for county matches, has been well supported and that the project will be carried into effect as soon as the negotiations have been completed. C. H . Grimshaw, of Y ork­ shire, has been engaged as the Dudley professional for the season. M r . A r t h u r Jam es L e d g e r H i l l , the Cambridge and Hampshire cricketer, has succeeded Mr. Charles Bobson as captain of the Trojans Club of Southampton. The latter has taken seriously to golf, but his interest in cricket is not likely to show any marked decline in consequence, al­ though he will not be seen so frequently on the field as hitherto. A l l who know him will regret to learn that Mr. P. P. Lincoln, one of the best- known and most popular of Metropolitan cricketers, has suffered an irreparable loss in the death of his eldest son, Robert, who left England in January to take up a position in Aden and died on Saturday last. It was owing to his very serious illness that Mr. Lincoln was unable to be present—for the first time for many years, I believe—at the Wanderers’ annual dinner last week. T h e match which Yorkshire should have started against Woodbrook Club and Ground at Bray, on May 9th, has been cancelled owing to the inability of Mr. S. H . Cochrane to raise a team. T h e cricketers of Western Australia deserve every credit for the excellent form they showed in their three matches with the team which visited them last month from Victoria, notwithstanding that they lost two of the three inter-State matches played. In the third game they were beaten by only a couple of wickets after leaving their opponents over 240 to win, and in the circumstances defeat was only less glorious than victory. It is, however, quite time that West Australians payed returned visits. In 1892-3 they went to Adelaide and Melbourne, but since then they have received visits from Giffen’s team, when no eleven-a-side matches were played, South Australia (1898-9), a Mel­ bourne Club team, South Australia again (1905-6), New South Wales, South Aus­ tralia a third time (1908-9), and now Victoria. Perhaps they are waiting for the trans-continental railway, but meanwhile their cricket would languish but for the players of the other States. T h e recent tour has made the reputa­ tion of Kortlang, who, in the three inter­ state games, scored 474 runs and was only twice dismissed. His innings were 197, 25 and 72 not out, 82 not out and 98 not out. It was clearly his sound play in the third match which enabled his side to win the rubber. H is companions were so delighted with his display, that when the winning hit was made they rushed on to the field to him in a body and carried him in triumph to the pavilion. Kort­ lang, as I have stated before, is Australian- born, and will, therefore, be available for the Test-matches next winter against the South Africans and for the Triangular tournament over, here in 1912 if his ser­ vices are required. T h e District cricket season ended in Adelaide on March 19th, when East Torrens (228) defeated Port Adelaide (132) and gained the premiership. J. N. Crawford took five wickets for 37 runs. S. Hill heads the batting averages for the season with 82'14, whilst A. W . Wright, who is followed by Crawford, is top of the bowling. “ T h e Victorian Cricket Association,” remarks an exchange, “ is finding that its improved financial position is bringing with it difficulties, and that some of the players who have represented the State this season consider that they should share in the increased prosperity o f the the Association. It has been the custom of the Association to pay the travelling and hotel expenses of any player repre­ senting Victoria in inter-State matches, together with an allowance of 7s. 6 d. per day pocket money. Professionals are, in addition, paid £5 per match for their services. Victorian teams have this season visited Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane, and the claims for loss of time made by players, in addition to professional fees paid, amount to nearly £'100. One claim has been put in for £ l l 10 s. by a player who has had all his travelling expenses paid and has also received 7s. 6 d. per day pocket money from the time he left Mel­ bourne until he returned. The executive of the Association has, rather than create any fresh trouble in the cricket world, paid most of the amounts claimed. Some of them are, however, considered by members of the executive as preposterous, and special inquiries are being made in regard to these. The amounts paid in the other States are not nearly so liberal as in Victoria. The South Australian Associa­ tion allows 2 s. 6 d. a day pocket money, but grants nothing for loss of time. The New South Wales Association allows 5s. per day, but does not take into account loss o f time. The Australian team now touring New Zealand is on the same terms.” “ A f r ie n d who has just returned from Sydney had a chat the other day with Victor Trumper,” writes “ Felix ” in The Australasian. “ The renowned batsman never looked better, and his numerous admirers will be pleased to learn that in addition to being in fine health he is pros­ pering in business in George Street. Victor is, beyond doubt, the most popular cricketer who ever handled a blade for New South Wales, and it is to be regretted that such a skilful, accomplished, and masterful batsman should have expressed his intention of retiring altogether from any further participation in first-class cricket. I hope that by the time the South Africans come Trumper may be induced to reconsider his determination, and consent to play for Australia.” A lm o s t at the very moment that “ Felix ” was penning the above remarks, Trumper himself was giving proof in Sydney that his powers are still unim­ paired by making 105 and 103 in the First-Grade match at Birchgrove Oval between Gordon and Balmain. Bearing in mind how many run-getting perform­ ances of a remarkable nature have been chronicled during the last fifteen years or so in connection with Sydney cricket, it is somewhat surprising that no player had been credited with two separate hundreds in a match since the introduc­ tion of the District system in 1893. Twenty-eight years ago, however, Alec Bannerman scored 111 and 104 not out