Cricket 1911

194 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 27, 1911. Club Cricket. One of the most-prominent of the younger clubs— so far as date of form ation is concerned, that is—is The Sussex Martlets, which was founded in 1905. The object of the Club which is for past or present University or Public School men or Officers in H .M . Forces, is to encourage amateur cricket, and such other games as the Com ­ mittee m ay from time to time decide, and to afford opportunities of playing them in the County of Sussex. Although only in its seventh year, the Club already possesses over four hundred members- proof that an organization representative of the County’s amateur cricket was required. The home m atches are played on the Hove ground. From the appended list of fixtures it w ill be seen that their m atch-list is a very interesting one May 27.— v. Lewes Priory..........away June 1.— v. Brighton College... away „ 3.— v. Eastbourne College away ,, 8 .— v. F. H. Gresson’s XI. away ,, 10.— v. Westminster School away ,, 15.— v. F. E. Rowe's X I. ... away ,, 22.— v. Lancing College ... away ,, 24.— v. Worthing ..........away ,, 26.— v. Oxford Authentics*home ,, 28.— v. Devon Dumplings *home July 1 .— v. Sir J. Colman’s XI. away „ 6 .— v. H. R. G. Clarke’s XI. away ,, 10.— v. Gentlemen ofEssex*home „ 13.— v. Eastbourne ..........away „ 15.— v. Christ’s Hospital... away ,, 18.— v. Old Eastbournians home July 20.— v. Horsham ..........away 21.— v. Incogniti ... +home ,, 26.— v. 4th Dragoon Guards home „ 29.— v. Seaford.................away Aug. 3.— v. Bognor.................away ,, 4.— v. Cuckfield ..........*away ,, 8 .— v. D. R. Hoare’s XI. away ,, 9.— v. Sir H.[Harbin’sXI.*away ,, 11.— v. C.G.Bridgeman’sXIaway ,, 12.— v. East Grinstead ... away ,, 14.— v. Littlehampton ...^away ,, 16.— v. G. M.-Wilson’s XI. away ,, 17.— v. Steyning ..........away ,, 28.— v. M.C.C. &Ground...*away ,, 30.— v. Madcaps ..........away Sept. 2.— v. Cuckfield ..........away * Denotes a two-days match. It is good for a cricket county to possess a club of this type. The first of its kind was the B .B . of Kent, and since their establishment over half-a-century ago other organizations have been founded on more or less sim ilar lines ; e.g., the Yorkshire Gentlemen, Derbyshire Friars, the Wanderers (of Surrey), H am pshire Hogs, Devonshire Dumplings, Cornish Choughs. Somerset Stragglers, Dorset Bangers, Ac. Un Saturday last cricket was played upon easy wickets, but in a low temperature, the blazer being discarded for the overcoat. Some batsmen gathered in a goodly crop of runs, among them being S . Douglas Jones, D. H. Butcher, D r. E . C. Hobbs, B . L . Bisgood (will Somerset kindly note ?), A. P. D ay, B . B . Brooks and F . R . D ’O. Munro. In the Pallingsw ick v. Brondesbury m atch 649 runs were scored in less than five hours’ cricket, the principal run-getters being Cocke 167, M itchell 96, Eldred 98, Fau x 82 and Buscoe 68 . No bowler could show a very flattering a n a ly sis! In other matches, however, some good performances with the ball were recorded. L . S. Wells did the hat-trick for the W anderers v. Surrey Club and Ground at the Oval, W ilfred K eay took seven for 29 for Beddington against M itcham , and Budgen seven for 35 for Reigate Priory v. G uy's. One of the finest “ knocks ” seen of late was that of F . R . D ’O. Munro at H am pstead; hitting brilliantly all round the wicket, the old Oxonian took 104 in an hour and a half, his hits past extra cover and mid-off being very fine. This lusty cricket he followed up by securing 5 “ rab b its" for 16 . Scarcely one whit inferior was the effort for Upper Tooting against Beckenham of D. H . Butcher, who drove with refreshing vigour and placed skilfully to leg. It is gratifying to note his early good form. It is not often in these days that a side is robbed of a big total through long and tough grass reducing the run-value of hits in a first-class club match. Surrey Club and Ground bad, however, this experience at Godstone on Saturday. The grass outside the wicket area (some forty yards square and a fine product of Apted’s skill) was so tough and long that all hits along the ground, however hard, were at once checked, while the ball when hit in the air almost stuck when it reached the ground. The Club and Ground made 280, yet there were only 8 boundaries in the score ! The total was made up of 2 sixes, 6 fours, 6 threes, 62 twos, 93 singles and 9 extras ! G oatly hit only three boundaries in his 9 1, but the two batsmen who suffered most were Ham ish Stuart and Jackson. They put on 77 for the last wicket. The 77 m ight have been, indeed would have been, ISO or more but for the grass. In this way they were deprived of a big last-wicket performance. Jackson ’s 60 was his largest score in an official Surrey match. As be also took seven wickets for 3 1 runs, be had a great day. It m ay be added that there was only one four—a hard hit to the on in the air off a full toss— in the Godstone score of 106. Congratulations are due to the Brixton Wanderers upon their win over the Private B an ks. Tbe redoubtable E . C. K irk made 70 and captured six scalps (five cleanly taken). The Wanderers, thanks m ainly to 47 by C yril Sm ith, won by 8 runs—a great finish this. B ichard Brooks, of the Wanderers, probably the finest wicket­ keeper “ stum ping” in club cricket, has been promoted to No. 4 in the batting order. H e marked the occasion by taking a crisp century on Saturday at the expense of Uxbridge. Although be reaped the reward of his opponents’ laxity, his hitting suggested that he had a fine driving bat. The W anderers, by the w ay, have won their first six matches off tbe reel. Glancing through a book almost a hundred years old the other day, we were much amuspd at the quaint accounts of cricket matches which found their way into print in those far-off times. They were not so entertaining as those which Mr. Fitzgerald furnished to Hell’a Life about forty years later, but they were frequently amusing. One may obtain a very good idea of tbe style generally employed from the following :— “ On Monday, Ju ly 8 , a match was played at Newark between the Grantham and Newark clubs. On the Sunday evening, and early the next morning, on the road, coaches, gigs, and horses passed in terrible succession from Grantham , interm ingled with tax-carts and foot-passengers, conveying company, of the most varied description, to the field. The Granthamers, in the first innings, played in a m anly style, and got a good number of notches right a-head— whereupon tbe Newarkers began to look blue, and the bets were ultim ately 10 to 1 on the G rantham ers; though previous to the day, they were currently 2 to 1 on the contrary. Nothing cou'd exceed the astonishment of all present—how easily the Grantham ites put so sudden and complete a finish to tbe game. The Newarkers were shockingly down upon their ill-luck, and woefully exhibited “ pockets to let.” In the field were several dashing Corinthians, and many of the composite order, as sporting parsons, m agistrates, lawyers without end, and several other gentlemen ; besides a sprinkling of a few swells of the 1 st water, as well as m any a peep o’-day boy. Newark 1st innings ... S3 | Grantham 1st innings... 84 2 nd ,, ... 62 2 nd ,, ... 12 — Buns 95 I — Runs 90 And 8 wickets to go down. W hat has come to be regarded as an annual fixture between publishers and authors w ill take place at Lord’s this year on Tuesday, August 22nd. The Authors’ X I. will be got together by Mr. R . J . B . Scott and be captained by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whilst the Publishers, chosen by Sir Home Gordon and Mr. Arthur Waugh, w ill be led by Mr. S. S. Pawling, of Hampstead and Middle­ sex fame, who is a partner of Mr. Heinemann. We should say that every London club, and provincial, too, welcomes the young cricketer, but how few of them are at any great pains to secure and cultivate the young idea ! The club to which the writer belongs is the happy possessor of a vice-President-cum- playing member who, with an eye to the future welfare of his side, is willing to pay half the subscription of any lad showing promise whose purse will not bear the strain of it. The result is that soon there will be a body of young fellows of fifteen to seventeen who will be acquisitions first to the “ A ” X I., and afterwards to the first team. This splendid kind of spirit cannot be expected to exist in every club, but it has always been a m atter for wonder to us that clubs do not put themselves a little more out of the way to infuse young blood and cultivate talent. A ll cricketers learnt with regret that on Saturday last the one and only “ E .M .” joined the ever increasing m ajority. He was a batsman of delightful methods ; snapping his fingers at stereotyped style, he was one of the most popular and attractive of cricketers. One could write many columns concerning him, but as a memoir of him appears in another portion of this journal nothing need be added here. I ^ l ^ t h e . BLYTHE WILL BE THIRTY-TWO YEARS OF AGE ON TUESDAY NEXT. We know him well on many county grounds The Kent slow bowler, Blythe. A ll ye who love The greatest game e’er made by mortal man Do ye not all know Blythe ? The cheery glance The ready laugh that shows him “ B lythe ” well-named F rail form and long thin hands so blest with skill, Who knows not Blythe ? That hesitating run With quaint short steps . . . then over comes the bail W ith cunning twist that makes it break—perhaps— O batsman, have a care ! that crafty hand H as often tricked a better man than y o u ! This is the Great M agician. Ask Northants If they remember Blythe four years ago ! He’s just as good to-day. O Blythe ! when time H as called your last great over—as it must Some day, howe’er we grieve to think it—B lyth e! We never shall forget. What, you have done, What you have been, “ Boy Blythe ” ! O star of Kent We never shall forget.