Cricket 1911

MAY 20, 1911. CEICKET : A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 169 match would probably have been reversed, for events proved that the M.C.C. gained a very great advantage in batting first, because the thunderstorm burst over the ground and affected the wicket after the side had made a fine start on a firm pitch. T h e p . e was some fast run-getting in the final match for the premiership of the Stanley Cricket Association (South Australia) between Blyth and Sevenhills on the Clare Oval on April 1st. The latter were set 192 to win in an hour and a quarter and, thanks to L. Bowley (82 not out), L. Kosyloski (45), and A. Richardson (40), scored 210 for three wickets in the time mentioned. T h e premiership honours in first-Grade cricket in Adelaide during the past season were carried off by North Adelaide, who won nine of the ten games played and secured twenty-five points. Adelaide and East Torrens tied for second place with fifteen points each. The batting averages of the whole of the clubs taking part in the competition were headed by Mr. J. N. Crawford with 60-66. The same player was also second in the bowling averages. T h e r e was an extraordinary happening in a State- school match on the Fitzroy ground, Melbourne, at the end of March. Alfred Crescent school dismissed Napier St. school in 10 balls for one run. Downs, a fourteen-year-old brother of the Fitzroy second eleven player of the same name, opened the bowling for the Crescent, and his first ball was hit for the one run that made Napier St.’s total. Off the next- ball a boy was run out, the next clean bowled a boy, and off the next another was run out. Dowell, a boy of 14, bowled from the other end, and with the first ball got a wicket. The next missed, but the next three did the “ hat ” trick. Seven wickets were thus down in two overs. Downs resumed the attack at the other end, and the first ball took a wicket ; the next missed, and the third and fourth secured wickets, and the whole side was out in 16 balls for one run. Downs is a bowler who breaks from either side, and Dowell is a fairly fast right-hander. With the bat these two bowlers scored 42 and 32 respectively, while Bert Lansdowne, a brother of Lansdowne, of the Fitzroy club, got 46 not out, and when stumps were drawn Albert Crescent had lost only two wickets for 122, made in about an hour. Naturally the boys of Napier St., who were, on the whole, bigger than their opponents, were much chagrined. A t a meeting of the Victorian Cricket Association on April 10th, Mr. Rush (Treasurer) produced a statement showing that the gross receipts in the international matches played in Melbourne during the past season were £4,856. Of this the South African Cricket Association received £1,938 and the Victorian Cricket Association made a profit of £853. In the interstate matches in Victoria the gross receipts totalled £1,246, and the profit was £ 668 . The contribution of the Melbourne C.C. for the right to have first-class matches played on its ground was £925. It was estimated that there would be a dividend of between £80 and £90 for each club. Mr. F. J. M u r p h y , of Preston, Victoria, wrote to the Melbourne Herald as follows :— “ Playing for the Bot­ anic Gardens C.C. on Saturday last (April 1st) against a Richmond junior team, T. Hand took the whole ten wickets of the latter for 8 runs. The merit of the performance was enhanced by the fact that all 10 wickets were clean bowled. Instances have occurred previously of a player getting the whole ten wickets, but I doubt if any other case is recorded in which they were all clean bowled. In his fourth over, Hand’s first ball just missed the w icket; with his second and third balls he bowled two men ; his fourth touched the wicket, but did not dislodge the bails ; and he captured two more wickets with the fifth and last balls of the over. His bowling analysis read :—7 overs, 2 maidens, 8 runs, ten wickets. Last season Hand took 80 wickets at a cost of 4 runs each (on matting). He is a medium-paced left-hander, and works from both sides. Playing on turf last season, at Fitzroy cricket ground, for Government House v. Fitzroy Police, Hand in the first innings took six wickets for 15, and in the second innings five for eleven. This was his only appearance on a turf wicket.” [There are some dozens of instances on record of a player bowling down all ten wickets in an innings. Mr. F. R. Spofforth once clean bowled all twenty in a match. — E d ., Cricket.'] T h e Barrier Ladies’ Cricket Association, of Broken Hill (N.S.W.), finished its season on April 8 th. Violets won the Premiership. Miss M. Beidy, with an aggregate of 378 runs, secured the best batting average with 28-30. Mrs. Lewsam, with an aggregate of 442 for an average of 26, was second. Miss M. Stephens, with 116 wickets for an average of 3-6, was top of the bowlers, with Miss Reidy 62 wickets (average 3-8) second. So far as District Cricket was concerned, the Hobart season of 1910-11 came to a conclusion on the first Saturday in April, leaving East Hobart premiers in A grade, South Hobart in B grade and East Hobart in C grade. Since the inception of District cricket in 1905-6 the winners of the premiership have been as follows :— “ A ” Grade. 1905-6. .N. Hobart. 1908-9 . .N. Hobart, 1906-7. .N. Hobart 1909-10 . . E. Hobart. 1907-8. W. Hobart. 1910-11 . ,E. Hobart. “ B ” Grade. 1905-6. .W. Hobart 1908-9 .. E. Hobart. 1906-7 . .W. Hobart 1909-10. .W. Hobart. 1907-8. .W. Hobart, 1910-11. .S. Hobart, “ C ” Grade. 1905-6. .S. Hobart. 1908-9 ..E . Hobart. 1906-7. .E. Hobart. 1909-10. .S. Hobart, 1907-8. .S. Hobart. 1910-11. .E. Hobart, C o u n t y captains in this twentieth century do not retain their posts as long as their predecessors used to do. Dr. W. G. Grace captained Gloucestershire for close on thirty years, and this, of course, is a record. Lord Hawke’s splendid period of leadership would come next, no doubt, though Mr. A. N. Hornby’s cannot be far behind it. Mr. John Shuter led Surrey for fourteen seasons. Mr. C . E„ De Trafford captained Leicestershire longer than that. Mr. A. J. Webbe put in fourteen years in the Middlesex command. Wifti a break of one year Mr. H. K. Foster led Worcestershire from 1897 (perhaps before that, but neither “ Wisden ” nor “ Lillywhite ” states who captained the side in 1896) to 1910. In 1901 his brother, R. E., took over the leadership temporarily. W i t h a few exceptions, the present captains of the first - class county sides are comparatively new men. Messrs. G. L. .Tessop and A. O. Jones both assumed office in 1900. At that date Mr. A. C. MacLaren captained Lancashire, Mr. J. R. Mason Kent, the Jam of Nawanagar (then K. S. Banjitsinhji) Sussex, Mr. H. W. Bainbridge Warwickshire, Mr. Gregor MacGregor Middlesex, Mr. D. L. A. Jephson Surrey, Mr. H. G. Owen Essex, Mr. S. M. J. Woods Somerset, Mr. S. H. Wood Derbyshire, and Mr. C. Robson Hants. To the skippers of Yorkshire, Leicester­ shire, and Worcestershire reference has already been made ; and Northants. had not yet been promoted to a seat above the salt. (See Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.) C o n s id e r the changes since, including those made this year, when nearly half the counties had occasion to call up new leaders ! Taking the sides in alphabetical order one finds Derbyshire led by Messrs. S. H. Wood, A. E. Lawton, E. M. Ashcroft, L. G. Wright and J. Chapman, sometimes by two of them in one season. Mr. Owen gave up the Essex leadership to Mr. C. .T. Kortright, who held it in 1902 and 1903, then Mr. F. L. Fane had three years of it, and Mr. C. P. McGahey four, and now Mr. J. W. H. T. Douglas has taken command. G l o u c e s t e r s h ir e has remained stable; Hampshire changed only once, Mr. E. M. Sprot succeeding Mr. Robson in 1903 ; Kent has had Messrs. J. R, Mason, C. .T. Burnup, C. H. B. Marsham (five seasons) and E. W. Dillon. Lancashire has made but one change, Mr. A. H. Hornby for Mr. A. C. MacLaren in 1908 ; Leicestershire, after Mr. De Trafford resigned office, had Sir Arthur Hazelrigg