Cricket 1911

l i e CR ICK ET : A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 31 AY 6 , 19 1 1. losers. Yet a club needs most generous support when it is losing matches, and that is just the time when its supporters desert it. There's nothing succeeds like success. But surely almost every county has cricket enthusiasts in sufficient numbers to become members, provided, of course, the terms of membership are reason­ able. I refer here to the annual subscription ; that must be fixed at a popular figure. Kent show superlative wisdom in this respect, their subscription being only half-a-guinea. No wonder at the end of 1909 their membership numbered 3,858. And they imposed no entrance fee. No more do Yorkshire or Middlesex, to mention only two other counties : and in each county the subscription is a guinea. But Surrey have an entrance fee of two guineas and the subscription is also two guineas. I venture to remind them that a four-guinea levy for the first year of membership is prohibitive, especially during lean commercial years. When Surrey first issued their members’ book in 1884, the terms of membership were only one-half of the present rate, and yet in those days the members were entitled to a reserved'seat at all football matches ; to-day there is no final Assoc­ iation match at the Oval. I have just roughly estimated the Surrey membership at 3,250 : reduce the entrance fee and subscription by one-half, and the membership will increase by leaps and bounds up to 5,000. At any rate I know one person who still retains his membership in a Northern cricket county and who will at once forward an application to the Surrey Secretary. By reason of the constant leakage in membership through death, removal and other causes, it is far better to have two thousand members at a guinea than one thousand at two guineas ; the annual loss of members in the former class is more easily made good than in the latter class. The Norwich County Council has just initiated a forward move­ ment which all County Councils would do well to reproduce. They have voted a sum of £95 to be expended in cricket materials for their secondary schools ; this sum will provide a complete cricketing outfit for each twenty-five pupils, and then sectional matches can take place. I have little doubt that this action will result in better educational results. Many schools to-day make sports compulsory. Of course, every boy is not physically capable of playing either cricket or football, but at any rale no boy should be allowed to shirk all games. The main difficulty in large towns is to secure playing grounds of sufficient dimensions for all the boys and girls to play cricket; in many schools the younger end has to look on whilst the seniors are playing. I am of opinion that in the selection of junior masters preference should be given to the men who love sports. There is an old and well-known school in Yorkshire that has an out-of-doors master, whose duty it is to look after the boys out of school. He is a splendid cricketer, footballer and all-round athlete, and he organizes periodical botanical excursions as well. It need scarcely be added that in that school a love of sports characterizes all the pupils, and they do splendid work in the class-rooms. But it is not enough to provide “ cricket sets ’ ; a Council should also appoint a cricket coach, and a man to look after the ground as well. Of course, without a coach and in the absence of decent wickets, young lads will get healthy exercise, and that is the main thing; but it is skill in any game that produces enthusiasm, and skill requires instruction. For years I have watched youngsters cricketing in parks and other open spaces, many of whom have a natural aptitude for the game ; now and again I have ventured to give hints, although I knew well enough that as soon as my back was turned they would lapse into their old style of play. And what else could you expect when the wicket was so rough as to make indiscriminate swiping a virtue ? Dr. Johnson’s wise saw about a Scotchman is applicable to cricketers; “ Something may be made of them if they are caught young.” I have just received an interesting letter from Hanover, in Germany, on County Cricket. The writer, Mr. Harry Williams, is a complete stranger to me, but he modestly makes the following proposals:— 1. Divide all the Counties—first and second class—into three divisions. At present they total altogether 38. Put 12 in the first division, and 13 each in the other divisions. 2. Count three points for a win, deduct two for a loss, and give one for a lead on the first innings in event of a draw. 3. As there are at present 16 first-class counties, the twelve to be included in the first division should be chosen by the average of place in the* Championship table for the last five years. 4. Every county to be compelled to play all the others in the same division. On these lines he shows that the first six counties last year would be Kent, Surrey, Lancashire, Middlesex, Notts and Hampshire. I may here remark that at the present time the twenty-two second- class counties do play in two divisions, and that the leaders in each division contest for the Championship. I have sometime thought that the plan observed in football might be tried in County Cricket. How would it be if the two counties at the bottom of the first-class list exchanged places with the two counties at the top of the second- class list? As I mentioned recently, the difference between Kent and Somerset in 1910 proves to a demonstration that a match is a walk-over for the former ; it is no match at all. But it does not follow that the strongest second-class county would fare any better at the hands of Kent. After all, we must never forget that form in cricket is not absolutely reliable. When Yorkshire lost only two matches in the course of three seasons— 1900-1-2—their conquerors both times were the despised Somerset. I don’t imagine that county cricketers care very much as to what method of placing the counties is adopted ; nor does the average spectator either. For the former the game is the thing. As for the man in the street he wants brighter cricket; and at the risk of being dubbed egotistic I would once more urge that next year first class matches be limited to two days and that only one innings a-side be played. THE NO-BALL LAW On the day following the publication of the last issue of C ricket the appended circular was issued to the Piess : — Sir,—At the forthcoming general meeting of the M.C.C., it is proposed to alter the law regarding “ no balls ” in such a way that ‘2 runs shall be added to the score and that the “ no ball ” shall be “ dead ” on its being called ; in other words, that there shall be no more scoring off no balls. This is the result of the impasse created last year by certain umpires’ decisions, under which a batsman was given “ run out ” when in playing at a “ no ball ” he had gone out of his ground— in other words, he was given “ run o u t” —when, if “ no ball ” had not been “ called ” he would have been given out “ stumped.” Whatever is to be said in favour or otherwise of such decisions, it is too late to enter upon the discussion now, but the fact remains that under the new proposals a very drastic alteration is to be made in the conduct and playing of the game, and we feel that this old- established and unique feature of cricket should not be abolished. The cricketers of all grades to whom we have mentioned the matter unanimously condemn this suggested change in the laws of cricket. While a few agree with the aforesaid decisions, a very large majority are equally emphatic that they were wrong and deserving at least of censure. Nearly all, however, confessed that they were unaware of what was proposed, and so we hope to be allowed through your columns to appeal to cricketers who may be similarly ignorant of the change in the spirit of the game that may be imminent to do what they can to retain a popular feature of the game. Notice of an amendment has been given by Mr. A. P. Lucas to the effect that the laws affecting “ no balls ” shall remain as before with the additional words added to Law 16 :—“ He shall not be given out ‘ run out ’ under any circumstances under which—had the ball not been a ‘ no ball ’—he would have been given out stumped under Law 23 ” —and. consequently, the necessary alteration in Law 23 (the “ Run-out ” Law) to refer back to this. In this way a solution of the difficulty is provided, and it is the one which the majority of cricketers with whom we have come into contact feel is the only reasonable one. There must necessarily be some sentiment in the matter; all cricketers now playing have learned the game under the laws that admit of scoring off “ no balls ” with almost complete immunity of dismissal, and they naturally do not like to see this sporting feature abolished ; it is popular alike with players and spectators; it is peculiar to the game and for that reason alone worthy of retention. Accordingly we hope that all members of the M.C.C. who are interested in maintaining the old traditions and spirit of the game will find it possible to support Mr. A. P. Lucas’s amendment, at Lord’s, on May 3, at 6 p.m .—We are, Sir, your obedient servants, B. J. T. B osanquet , J. W . H. T. D ouglas , H. K. F oster , C. E. G reen , A. P. L ucas , E. C. M o r - daunt , W . E. R oller , A. W. F . R u tty , G. J. Y. W e ig all . G E O R G E L E W I N & C O . , (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists SiAthletic Clothing Manufacturers OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the M.C.C. West Indian XI., 1911 ; M.C.C. South African XI., 1909-10; the Australians, 1896, 1899 and 1902 ; Mr. Stoddart’s XI., 1894-1895, 1897-1898 ; Mr. MacLaren’s XI., 1901-1902; West Indian XI., 1900 and 1906 ; South African XL , 1901 and 1907 ; and M.C.C., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Counties, Wanderers, Stoics, Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys’ Clubs, and Queen’s Club.—Write for E stim ates F ree . WORKS :-CAMBERWELL. Telephone: P .O . City 607. 8, CROOKED LANE, MONUMENT, LONDON BRIDGE, E.C.