Cricket 1910

A p r i l 2 1 , 1910. CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 75 THE SITUAT ION . [ a CONVERSATION WITH MR. CHUCKERUP, THE UMPIRE OF A THRIVING WEAK-MEDIUM CLUB.] “ Good morning, Mr. Chuckerup. Pleased to see you again. I suppose you’ve thought over the various schemes which were before the Advisory Board ? ” “ Well, sir, you may say so. Take Lord ’Awke’s scheme for instance. I dessay you’ve heard of the saying ‘ Facilis des­ census everknew.’ It’s Latin, Pm told, and is the same as our proverb, ‘ When you’re up you’re up, and when you’re down you’re down.’ Yorkshire, Lancashire and Surrey are up now. They’ve got plenty of money, and there ain’t no movin’ ’em. But let one of ’em, say Yorkshire, ’ave a bad season or two—they don’t seem to be what I should exactly call top-heavy with promising young players—What ’appens ? By the promoting scheme which was to be included, down they goes, and down they keeps. It’s my opinion that if them big counties are ever going to be fools enough to agree to a scheme of this kind, they’d better buy some sackcloth and ashes while they’ve got the money to do it with.” “ But many of the newspapers seem to be in favour of the Lancashire scheme.” “ Lemmesee! Which one’s that? There’s as many of ’em as green flies on my rose trees. Ah ! I remember it’s the ignoring losses and draws idea. Well of course me and my club has argued this out theoretical, as we generally does with any new scheme, being up-to-dater than most clubs. What we says is this. You reckons wins and ignores losses and draws. ’Ow can you ignore a loss ? Of course when a side goes ’ome with its tail between its legs after a defeat, it ain’t particularly easy to ignore its loss, but I don’t suppose the schemers have took that into their considerations. What they ’ave got on their brain is numbers and points.” “ Well, what do you think about the numbers and points ? ” “ It’s this way. Lancashire’s last match this coming season is with Northampton­ shire—so JVisdcn says. Suppose when they meet they are the only two counties that is in the running for the championship, all the other counties ’aving suffered various losses which, has been ignored—not having had any influence on the championship, so to speak, which is of course why they ’ave got the chuck. Well, Lancashire and Northampton­ shire is level percented when the match begins, so that if one of ’em wins the match it wins the championship. Very well. On the third day Northamptonshire is on top and can’t lose. Now you says you ignores losses and draws, so that it don’t matter a tuppeny whether Lancashire lose 3 or draws, since you don’t take no notice of either of ’em. But I rather fancy that when it come to that point Lancashire would suddenly discover that you can't ignore losses just by not counting ’em in a table, and you may bet your last shirt front that they would lay theirselves out for a draw as keen as mus­ tard.” “ But it is hardly likely that the cham­ pionship will' rest between Lancashire and Northamptonshire ? ” “ You never know your luck at cricket. But look at another case of a different kind —where you also ignores losses and draws. On August 29th Yorkshire have to play Somerset at Taunton and at Lord’s Middle­ sex has to meet Surrey. Now it might easily ’appen that the championship depends on how the matches turn out. Let’s suppose that it’s fine at Taunton and wet at Lord’s on the first two days. Yorkshire whacks Somerset before the end of the second day, and the win gives her the same percent, as Surrey and Middlesex. Now on the third day at Lord’s (there hasn’t been no play on the first two days) the wicket is not in what you might call a puffick state, and it looks like raining before long, but, as things is now, the teams would go into the field; and of course they ought to go if the Lancashire fakement comes in. But icould they? If only one ball was bowled it becomes a ‘ played ’ match and counts in the percent. So that if Surrey and Middlesex begins the match and don’t finish it, as they wouldn’t be at all likely to do, down they both goes in the percentages and Yorkshire comes out on top. Not much, they wouldn’t play.” “ At any rate you can’t object to the pro­ posed rule that umpires shall be on the ground half an hour before a match begins?” “ All I’ve got to say is I wouldn’t be a first-class umpire for somethink nowadays. They ’ave always used ’em as a sort of cross between an ’at rack and a umbrella stand, and now they want ’em to be a sort of early- pew-opener. You mark my words ! One of these days the first-class umpires will have to sit out in the middle of the pitch during lunch time and the intervals between the innings, in order to keep the sparrers off the craqnelures in the pitch. I’ve got that word from the art critics, who’ve been saying that the Yenus ain’t by Milo after all. Au river, sir; see jtou later.” W. A. B ettesw or th . THE IND IAN TEAM FOR ENGLAND . PROGRESS OF THE SCHEME. We are glad to learn that the project of sending an Indian team to England is pro­ gressing exceedingly well, and there is now little doubt entertained of its becoming an accomplished fact. About Rs. 45,000 have already been subscribed, and the Selection Committee expect more to come in in the next few months. This, together with the prospect of good gate money, makes the financial position quite safe. The final decision whether or not to send a team will be arrived at iu August, and it will be communicated to Mr. Lacey, Secretary of the M.C.C., who will submit it to the meeting of secretaries of different counties in December. There is little doubt that a favourable decision will be arrived at by the Committee, although it will depend to some extent at least on the Jam Sahib’s reply. The Committee’s hands would be immensely strengthened if they get an affirmative from “ Ranji,” and his presence in the team would contribute in a variety of ways to the success of the tour. The “ waverers,1’ as those who have not yet sent in a final answer might be called, would not hesitate to join the team if ‘‘ Ranji ” consented to be the skipper. Again, the Jam Sahib’s presence would attract the attention of the cricket public of England in a greater degree than would be possible in his absence ; and it would materially strengthen the chances of success of the tour. With the Jam Sahib to skipper the side and Mistri of Patiala, Balu, Kanga, Mehta, Bulsara, Warden, H. H. the Maharajah of Patiala and Prince Ajit of Cooch Behar to form the nucleus, the team could enter upon the tour with no small degree of confidence. It is earnestly hoped the Jam Sahib will see his way to consent to join the team and lead it at least against the White and Red Roses, Middlesex, Sussex and Kent, which are likely to prove Ihe most formidable opponents of the tesim. A CARNIVAL IN SEPTEMBER. In the event of the Committee finally deciding to send an Iudian team to England, a cricket carnival will be arranged for Sep­ tember in Bombay, when to the attractions of the Presidency matches will be added that of a Patiala team, and, perhaps, of a Cey­ lonese team. W \3 learn from a reliable source that H.H. the Maharajah of Patiala intends to bring down a team to Bombay in the beginning of September, and, as the Patiala team is one of the strongest combinations in India, the visit should provide some very good sport in Bombay. It is not yet finally decided whether to include Ceylon players in the team. The general feeling seems to be against asking the Ceylonese to join the team, and, as the Committee expect sufficient Indian talent to come forward, there is little chance of their being invited to join the tour.. WHO WILL JOIN THE TEAM? Invitations have alreadybeen issued to about 80 to 35 representative Indian cricketers, the majority of whom have not yet sent in a reply. The Committee, however, expect that Mistri, of Patiala, will join the team if H. H. the Maharajah of Patialia, whose private secretary he is, will consent to make the tour. Mistri is, bar the Jam Sahib, the finest bat in India to-day, and is besides a good change bowler and a fine field. H. H. the Maharajah himself is a fine dashing bat, and his presence would materially strengthen the powers of defence of the team. Two other Princes are also among the probables of the team, Prince Ajit of Cooch Behar and Prince Sivajirao of Baroda. Balu, the pre­ mier Hindoo bowler, is looked upon as a certainty, and so are Meherhomji, the Palairet of the Parsis, Manek Bulsara, the only bowler in India who can “ swerve,” and Warden, whose prowess with the ball is too well-known to be recapitulated here. Mehta, who, at his best, was the finest bowler in India, still possesses attacking powers of no mean order and would be a valuable member of the team if he could make a tour to England. But the Committee have not heard anything definite from him as yet. P. K. Telang, the Jessop of the Hindus, would be another very valuable member of the team, but his chances of making a tour are, like those of Mehta, somewhat remote. The six or seven players who are certain to be included in the team will not be asked to come down to Bombay in September or November and December as tbe Committee are familiar with their form; but the re»t of the players will have to come down to Bombay to satisfy the Committee as to their abilities. The nucleus of the team will be formed in August, and the rest of the team will be selected after their form has been tested. About 14 to 15 will be the full strength of the team, and the secretary will be Mr. J. M. Divecha, the popular secretary of the Parsi Gymkhana, than whom there could be no happier selection for the post, especially as he has already made a similar trip to England .—The Bombay Gazette.