Cricket 1911

242 CR IC K E T : A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une 17, 1911. ‘ ‘ Not most. T have met some of the Parsis, but don’t know so much about the Hindu members of the team, and have not met any of the Mohammedans. Meherhomji is a fine bat, stylish and aggressive. Kanga is also very good, and Mistri. I should say that Baloo, a Hindu, slowish left hand, is quite one of their best bowlers ; but I don’t think any one of them is the equal of A. H. Mehta, a Parsi, right hand medium pace, who was very good indeed.” ‘ ‘ That was the man who came to qualify for Lanca­ shire, but could not stand the Manchester climate.” ‘ ‘ I believe he did.” Here Mr. Chaplin was called away, as already recounted. He came back to finish the interview earlier than the writer, whose sympathies were all with Sussex, desired. ‘ ‘ Your leg is not quite right yet, Mr. Chaplin ? ” ‘ ‘ No. I can’t jump for a catch. There was one yesterday for which Albert Relf, knowing that, had to go. He missed it, for which he was not to be blamed ; but it would have been quite easy for me if I could have jumped.” The Sussex captain had his leg broken in a football match during the winter. That he should be able to play at all so soon afterwards is little short of wonderful ; that he should be able to put in practically a whole day in the field and never slacken is big testimony to his pluck. ‘ ‘ I have just had an appeal for continued aid to the Sussex Nursery. Will you tell me something about what the Nursery is doing, and what you think of its work ? ” ‘ ‘ It’s a fine thing, and an absolutely necessary one. We need more support, though. Already, in quite a short time, we are feeling the benefit of the systematic coaching. Jupp is very promising indeed. Charlwood ought to make a really good bat, and Street is already a capital wicket­ keeper. Then there is M. Tate, a son of the old Sussex player. The boy is only sixteen, and we can’t play him yet ; but he shows no end of promise as a bowler. The pity of it is that our members don’t give the Nursery the sort of help it needs. They will recommend a youngster as good enough for the county team. But that is all wrong. We want to make them fit for first-class cricket before we put them into the team ; and if those who recommend them would only help to pay for this—but of course some of them do, and we are hoping for continued and increased support.” ‘ ‘ What does Sussex chiefly want just now, besides help for the Nursery ? ” ‘ ‘ A really fast bowler, a slow left-hander, and better gates.” ‘ ‘ Rather a big order, that. A Richardson, a Blythe, and a return of the days when Ranjitsinhji and Fry drew crowds to Hove ! But it is quite certain that the team deserves more of the public than it gets. What do you think of the complaints as to its slow scoring ? ” ‘ ‘ They are r o t ! We are slow at times, of course, but so are all other sides. Some of the critics are very unfair to us. One in particular—I don’t mind saying I mean Mr. E. H. D. Sewell—loses no chance of taking us to task. But I wish you would just mention that at the end of last week Mr. Sewell took nearly three hours to make 129 against the Indians—and some people say they are a very second-rate lot, though I don’t agree with this personally—while Joe Vine, who is supposed to be our slowest scorer, took 117 in three hours, twenty minutes.” The actual times and figures give Mr. Sewell an advan­ tage of half-an-hour and of twelve runs, one may remark. But the old Essex player is a big hitter, and Joe of Sussex is—well, people have compared him to Job, but to my mind he is not quite so slow as he is painted. And certainly the spectators at Sussex matches have small cause for complaint when Mr. Chaplin, Mr. Charles Smith, Robert Relf, Leach, Mr. Heygate, and Killick—some or all— fairly get going. “ What of Alletson, Mr. Chaplin ? ” ‘ ‘ The best innings I ever saw, bar none ! It was simply wonderful. And the man had an injured wrist, too ! ” “ Northants showed up well yesterday.” “ Yes. I liked young Denton’s play very much. He uses his wrists so well. But our bowling was pretty plain. The men are too much alike in pace and style, and these plumb wickets have taken all the sting out of them for the time being.” “ You had rather hard luck lately on tour ? ” “ I don’t think so. We played very badly two or three times. At Stourbridge, in the Worcestershire match, the wicket broke up ; but I can’t say that we had the worst of it. We did suffer a little in that way at Coventry, owing to rain ; but the fine fight before a real crowd on the last afternoon made up for that. At the Oval we played rank badly on an easy wicket, where the ball hardly turned a bit. No, I don’t think on the whole the luck was against us.” This is a true sportsman’s attitude, I think. The captain of whom Sussex is proud—and there can be no doubt about Mr. Bertie Chaplin’s popularity—does not want to take refuge behind excuses of ill fortune. He is one of those who can accept good fortune and bad with a smile, and of these surely are the best captains made. “ You hold pretty strong opinions on the subject of the County Championship, I think ? ” ‘ ‘ Yes. I don’t consider it a Championship at all under the present system of unequal programmes.” “ WTould you be willing to have two-day matches, as would seem necessary if full programmes are to be played ? Mr. Warner is strongly against this ; Mr. Jones, on the other hand, favours it.” ‘ 1 I agree with Jones. You must consider the gate, and for that, two-day matches and a full programme would certainly seem better. We don’t play Derbyshire, Somerset, or Gloucestershire this year ; but that is not our fault.” Space for going into detail as to Mr. Chaplin’s doings for Sussex is lacking. It is hardly likely that, with the handicap of his lame leg, he will show such brilliant form this season as he did last, when he developed greatly in power and scoring strokes. WThen he first played for Sussex, in 1905, the cut was his chief asset. I remember seeing him cut four 4’s in quick succession off Bill Howell in the Australian match. In the second innings of that game, he tells me, he was caught by McLeod, whom he hit hard on the shoulder with the stroke—and very creditable conduct on the part of 1 ‘ Lightning ” McLeod it was to catch him after that ! Now, while still cutting better than most, Mr. Chaplin drives powerfully, and scores all round the wicket. He is a good field, too, never sparing himself. Outside cricket, he is quite an all-round man—keen on hunting and motor­ ing, playing football and hockey with skill and zest, and spending most of his life in the open air. A broken leg must have been a sore trial to a man of this type ; but one who has seen him meet reverses and ill-fortune with a cheerful face can easily believe that he bore it well. J. N. P e n t k l o w . LUDGROVE v. NORTHAW.—Played at Ludgrove, New Barnet, on June 10. Score:— L udgrove . N orthaw . R. N. Curzon, b Bendle................... 14 J. Me. W. Bampfield, b Forster... D. M. Lees, run out.......................... 3 R. A. Radcliffe, b Barry ........... 0 D. G. Buxton, b Radcliffe ........... 3 M. S. Bendle, c Llewelyn, b G. J. O. Bridgeman, b Radcliffe ... S Forster .......................................... 10 A. H. Forster, c Bendle, b Bamp- C. G. G. Nicholson, c Baring, b fie ld .................................................. 11 Barry ........... ................... 22 C. M. V. Llewelyn, c Rougier, b W. A. Twysden, not out ........... 36 Alfrey .......................................... 6 T. D. Lewis, lbw, b Barry ........... 4 V. J. Ferguson, b Radcliffe ........... 21 W. D. Porter, b Barry ................... 0 E. Wodehouse, c Bampfield, b R. Bampfield, c and b Lees........... B. H. Alfrey, run out ................... 5 Bendel .......................................... 7 23 A. F. St. V. Baring, not ou t........... 26 M. G. Roddick, n otou t................. . 0 Lord Porcliester, not out ........... 7 Byes ................................... 3 B 6, lb 3, w 1 ........... 10 — — Total (8 w k ts.)........... 107 Total (8 wkts)* ... Ill G. R. Rougier did not bat. * Innings declared closed. H. W. Barry did not bat. G E O R G E L E W I N < (Established 1869.) C lu b C o lo u r S p e c i a l i s t s & A t h le t ic C lo t h in g M a n u fa c t u r e r s 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 r e e . WORKS CAMBERWELL. Telephone: P .O . City 607. 8, CROOKED LANE, MONUMENT, LONDON BRIDGE, E.C.