Cricket 1911

258 CRICKET : A W EEK LY RECORD OP THE GAME. J une 17 ,1911 . Club Cricket. Beddington placed four teams in the field last Saturday, and with very happy results, for three games were won and tbe fourth drawn much in their favour. For a few weeks fortune was not kind to the club, but the first eleven has recently been showing form similar to that which brought victory to the side on so many occasions last year. On Saturday they accounted for Ewell in a manner which left not the least doubt as to which was the better side, and, as on so many previous occasions, the brothers Reay claimed the chief share of the honours. Gilbert Reay, hitting four 6’s and nineteen 4’s, made 126 of Beddiogton’s 276, after which his younger brother Wilfred proceeded to dismiss Ewell for 27, taking nine wickets for six runs. Voila to u t! Of the many club festivals which claim attention during the season one of the first was that of the Clapham Wanderers, who have just held their “ Week ” on their picturesque ground at W im ­ bledon and under most favourable conditions. During the Week C. B. Cartwright has distinguished himself by exceeding the century twice. This batsman has made over 600 runs this season in nine innings. The most talked-of batsman just lately is undoubtedly A. Sandham, who is engaged on the Oval staff and one of the most promising young batsmen irr Metropolitan cricket. Playing on Wednesday, the 7th inst., for Young Players of Surrey v. Sutton, he “ took ” 111; on the following day, for Surrey Club and Ground v. Richmond, a brilliant 179; and on Saturday last 170 for Mitcham v. Banstead. In the last match his performance was remarkable, for Mitcham were set 232 to win and 105 minutes to go. Sandham won the match with five minutes to spare! On Wednesday last, at the Oval, he made 104 v. Wiltshire. With a maintenance of this standard higher honours should await him. One of the highest totals to hand this summer is that of 524 made by the Surrey C. and Ground on Saturday, Spring weighing- in with 107 ; their opponents, Upper Tooting, replied with 168. Deakin (80) and D. H. Butcher (48) were the only batsmen at all able to cope with some strong Surrey 2nd bowling. That fine side, the Wanderers, were not seen to great advantage on Monday last, the first day of the Granville (Lee) Week, which is now proceeding. Scoring 251 in four hours, their cricket was laboured and slow, and compared unfavourably with some fine forcing cricket by A. S. Johnston, who was versatile, crisp and bold in all that he did. R. S. Le May made 57 and the home team came within 50 of their opponents in half the time. In Bridger, the Wanderers possess a bowler with some pretentions to class. Imparting a goodly amount of spin to the ball, he can make it get up fast from the pitch. He keeps a fioe length and gives one the impression he could bowl and bowl “ until the cows come home ” without becoming tired. A product of club games is Elias Hendren of Middlesex. Playing at Chesham on Saturday, he hit up the mammoth score of 266 out of 414. His figures included seven 6’s and thirty-nine 4’s, and he followed up this feat by taking seven wickets. Hendren’s style is not based on the professional’s plan of caution. Blessed with the temperament of an amateur, he invites risk. Whilst at the wickets he is always entertaining and does not spare the ball. In a twelve a-side game at Hampstead on Saturday last, the home side won a fine match with Queen’s Club by 14 runs. Queen’s Club included four Indian cricketers, but the feature of the afternoon was a century from G. A. S. Hickson, the Middlesex 2nd X I. player. A very interesting club match will be North v. South at the Oval on Saturday the 24th. Two splendid sides are being got together and 22 of London’s foremost club cricketers will be on view. This whole-day game is a contest for the London inter-divisional Championship, and the proceeds are being devoted to the Club Cricketers’ Charity Fund. Mr. Thomas Arthur Fison, whose will has been proved this week at £57,574, was a very well-known figure in Metropolitan cricket circles about a quarter of a century ago. For years he was captain of the Hendon C.C., and was one of the hardest hitters of the day. Against Highgate School in August, 1879, he scored 264 not out in three hours and a-balf, hitting a 7, two 5’s, nine 4’s, twenty-three 3’s and forty 2’s. All the hits were run out, and in the score sheet it is recorded that he “ retired to catch a train for the Continent.” In a match between the same sides at Hendon in 1884 he made 201. Mr. Fison was 6 ft. 2 in. in height, and was also a good wicket-keeper. It is always a pleasure to record centuries made by Public School boys. A fine “ knock ” was that of 100 not out by C. W . Goddard for Norbury Park v. Sutton on the 10th. The old Ardingly boy is showing good all-round form this season. A very fine all-round peformance was that of six for 35 by R. H. Lambert for Leinster v. Civil Service on the 10th inst., followed up with 203 not out. In this innings Lambert hit thirty- five 4’s and one flush hit for 6. His superb driving to the off and on with a minimum of effort and his flicking a ball off his pads to the on with just a turn of the wrists have rightly obtained for him the proud distinction of being known as the “ W .G .” of Ireland. Mention must be made of some consistently good cricket from the bat of J. F. Birley, of Bromley, this summer. His 78 v. Lessness Park, on Saturday, was a characteristic effort, chiefly noticeable for some well-placed “ shots ” on the off-side. Birley is a difficult bat to dislodge. One of the largest individual innings of the season is the 258 made by the Hon. L. H. Tennyson for Household Brigade against I Zingari at Burton’ s Court, Chelsea, on Tuesday last. He made his runs out of 508 obtained whilst he was in—the side totalled 540 — in three hours and three-quarters without a chance and hit as many as forty-one 4’s. Whilst he was at Eton he did nothing to suggest that, in the course of a very few years, he might be capable of such a feat. He was in the Eleven in 1907 and 1908, being last in the batting averages in the former year but taking twenty-two wickets for 28 73 runs each. In 1908 his bowling showed a decline, but a compensating improvement was apparent in his run-getting, for he averaged 22-80. Proceeding to Trinity, Cambridge, he took part in the Freshman’s match of 1909, taking three wickets for 57 runs in the second innings and scoring 38 and 51 without being out either time. It is rather curious to recall that in 1907, when he averaged only 2*82 with the bat for Eton, he should, later in the season, contribute 251 not out to a total of 349 against Catsfield at Normanhurst. He hit fifty-one 4’s in that innings. That fine sporting side, Pallingswick, put up another noteworthy performance on Saturday against Ealing. In this game 568 runs were collected and only seven wickets fell during the day. Hargreave (102), Cocke (104) and G. L. Hebden (92) hit brilliantly. The Stoics’ June Tour is now proceeding with matches against Eastbourne, South Lynn, St. Andrew’s Masters, Lancing College and Lewes Priory. The headquarters are the Grand Hotel, East­ bourne. The following are playing :—K. F. Abbott, P. Campbell, G. H. Gadsdon, S. L. King, F. Paine, D. Robertson, N. Robertson, T. Rutter, E. H. Sedgwick, W . C. D. Turner, R. W. WTakelin and S. E. Walmisley. One of the most enthusiastic of active cricketers is Mr. E. Fletcher, of Southborough, in Kent, who completes this year fifty seasons’ un­ interrupted service as a member of the Southborough eleven. Furthermore, he is still worth a place in the side, and only a few days ago played a not-out innings of 51. Although 66 years of age, he has wonderful vitality, and had reached fifty before he gave up playing for the Southborough Football Club. He then took to hockey, and played till he was 56, when a smashed finger caused his retirement from the game. Mr. Fletcher is headmaster of Holden Park School. R. T. Crawford, one is glad to see, continues to obtain wickets at a cost which must make the great majority of other bowlers envious. On Tuesday, in the annual match at Hampstead between Artists and Musicians, he took eight wickets for 20 runs in a total of 77. The hat-trick was included in the performance. It is a pity that so accomplished a player is seen so seldom in first-class cricket. On May 31st what proved to be a very heavy-scoring game was commenced between “ C ” and “ E ” Companies in connection with the R.M.C. Inter-Company Cup. The game produced 1,255 runs for thirty-five wickets and six individual three-figure scores. For “ C ” R. St. L. Fowler made 112 and 132 and F. N. Finley 108; whilst for “ E ” J. H. Ryan scored 155, H. A. Wellesley 103 and H. J. Moran 101. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. C. I. S. W allace .— For Surrey v. Sussex in 1885 Mr. W . E. Roller played an innings of 204, took six wickets for 44 runs and performed the hat-trick. A. W. H. T. d’A .—Price 21s. from Eyre & Spottiswoode, 6, Middle New Street, Fetter Lane, E.C. TO SECRETAR IES OF CLUBS AND SCHOOLS S core - sheets and O rder of G oing - in C ards .— A dozen of either will be sent on receipt of Twopence in stamps, to cover postage. Larger quantities at proportionate rates. Address: Manager, Cricket , 168, Upper Thames Street, E .C . 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