Cricket 1911

M ay 27, 1911. CR ICKET : A W EEK LY EECOED OF THE GAME. 179 I . This is a p hotographic reproduction of the C ric k e t B a t from w h ich it is tak en w ithout a n y faking w h a te ver. Have you seen a blade show ing such a m arvello u s ra p id ity o f grow th in th e tim ber ? C rick e te rs should read “ T H E EVO LU T IO N OF A C R IC K E T BAT ,” obtainable fre e upon ap p licatio n to C ric k e t D ealers o r GEO. G. BUSSEY & Co., Ltd., 36 & 38, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, L O N D O N . Cricket Notches. B y t h e R e v . R . S. H olm es . T is a matter of sincere regret that I knew nothing of poor Murdoch’s funeral until after it had taken place ; otherwise I should have been present at Kensal Green last week to do honour to a great batsman, an ideal captain and a large-hearted man. The monarch of all Australian cricketers, “ after life’s fitful fever he sleeps well.” Lightly lie the turf above him ! Another famous cricketer has just crossed the bar. Fifty years ago E. M. Grace was a name to conjure with. As a boy he was my hero, and he was the idol of every ring. What wholesome lad has not a hero on the cricket field ? I would not give a fig for a boy who was not a hero-worshipper, but would shun him as a miserable littTeprig. It does me good to watch the youngsters of both sexes at Lord’s and other groundstimidly approach a well-known cricketer and ask for his autograph. Refusal is impossible. Just a year since, when E. M. was seriously ill, I was asked to pen an appreciation. It is difficult for me at this distance to convey the faintest impression of the sensation his advent caused in the cricket world of my boyhood. He was the talk of the country by reason of his daringly unorthodox methods, which scandalized the authorises but delighted the crowd. It was an innovation at that time for a batsman to drive a fast half-volley to the boundary or pull a straight ball round to leg : such balls ought to be played back to the bowler. E. M. thought otherwise and acted accordingly;the bat was made to hit the ball, not the ball the bat ; and as he was able tomake huge scores against all sorts of bowling, he had the best of the argument and went on his way rejoicing. If ever there was a cricketing genius, E. M. was one ; he was a law to himself, a born cricketer whose vitality and enthusiasm weie contagious ; one of the most picturesque figures in the entire history of the game, who appeared at a time when batting was mechanical, and a bowlers frkill was determined by the number of maiden overs he trundled. When I saw him last—at Leeds in 1894—and had a chat with him about the past, his batting had lost much of its brilliance, but in the field, in his old favourite position at point, he was the E. M. of 1861. He never had a rival at point. Did ever a point stand so close in and make such impossible catches ? Many a batsman was made nervous by his daring stance, and the wonder is that his own profession was not enriched by a serious accident to himself. When George Parr took the second team to Australia in 1863 the invitation stipulated that E. M. must be included in it. Well, of that tour he kept a very complete record which he sent home to his mother who, as everybody knows, was an enthusiastic lover of cricket, especially of her eons’ share in it. bhe lent the mauuscript to several friends, one of whom without asking permission had a portion of it set up in print with the title “ Our Trip to Australia, by one of the Twelve.’ ’ Some ten years ago our milkman made me a present of it. As it left off at a most interesting stage I wrote E. M. expressing regret that it had not been completed. In his reply he stated that he had never seen the booklet, did not even know of its existence and requested that I would forward it. Yes, it was his, but was printed without his sanction. Since then 1 have made sundry enquiries, but cannot learn that thtre is another copy anywhere. Did the printer regret his indiscretion and destroy all copies save the one in my possession ? But enough of reminiscences to-day. Le roi est m ort: vive le r o i! Room, and plenty of it, for a man after E .M .’s own heart, who by one innings has made cricket history. For some time past nearly everybody has been croaking about the decadence of cricket; the balance sheets of the various counties have told a dismal tale; the game no longer attracts the crowd. The suggested alteration in the laws—useful as some might prove—don’t really touch the crux of the matter; nor does any change in the method of deciding the County Championship. These are comparative trities, and have no interest whatever for the man in the street. Make cricket brighter is his imperative demand, else you will have to dispense with our sixpences: as we pay the piper we have a right to call for the tune. Give us another Jessop : he’s our man. Here he is, and his name is Alletson, and he hails from a county famous for skilful but slow-scoring batsmen. Jessop’s master! Jessop out-Jessoped! And I know not what else. It is both natural and pardonable to speak of the eclipse oE the famous “ Croucher,” but he can possess his soul in patience; one swallow does not make a summer. Jessop’s fame does not rest upon one innings of a gargantuan order, but upcn a long continued series of rapid scores extending over more than a dozen years. As was said of a great boxer, he not only hits hard but he keeps at it. A batsman whose rate of scoring for years ha 3 been about 90 runs an hour can well offord to offer his congratula­ tions to the young Notts Hercules. One almost envies Killick’s good fortune in establishing a fresh bowling record at Brighton on Saturday, viz., 34 runs off one over ! The bowler must have enjoyed the fun as much as Alletson and the spectators did. How we all would like to have passed that memorable quarter of an hour on Saturday when 89 runs came from his bat. I should not be surprised to learn that every bat-maker in the country sent Alletson one or more of their “ extra-specials, signed” ; he will doubt­ less be presented with sufficient bats for the rest of his cricketing days. Personally I rejoice in his wonderful innings; it will prove more than a nine-days’ wonder. It should be an invaluable asset to his county and to other counties as well, at any rate during the present season. Everybody will want to see him now ; even those will who care nothing about cricket and know still less. Alletson is the latest great sensation and so is certain to be a big “ draw.” I don’t want eleven Alletsons or eleven Jessops in one team, but