Cricket 1911

J uly 15 ,1011 . CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECOED OF THE GAME. 331 B U S S E Y ’S W O R L D - FAMED . * A 27/6 < ^ I q 2 2 / 6 # 2 * % / V 18/6 W 16/6 Q A ^ 14/6 < J v j N l O ^ ' D E M O N ' ) 14/6 READ . . “ The Evolution o f a Cricket Bat," OBTAINABLE FREE UPON REQUEST FROM GEO. G. BUSSEY & CO., LTD ., 3 6 & 38 , QUEEN VICTORIA ST., LONDON. Factories ■I Peckham, London. lElmswell, Suffolk. A g e n t s a l l o v e r t h e W o r l d . Cricket Notches. B y t h e R e v . R . S. H o l m e s . DELIGHTFUL feature of last week’s cricket was the re-appearance of Lord Harris in the Kent eleven, and he showed much of his old skill, too, scoring more runs than Humphreys, Hardinge or Woolley. Seldom, if ever before, has an interval of forty-one years separated a batsman’s first and last matches for a county. We call a man “ too old at forty ” in sport as in all other departments, but his lordship carries the burden of sixty years very lightly. Was ever a county served quite so faithfully by one man ? Honorary Secretary, Captain, President, and at a time when Kent’s fortunes were at a low ebb. Lord Harris has his reward in the splendid position filled by his county in the cricket world during recent years. I am amused to see Hayward described as “ the Surrey veteran,” when he is in his prime. At forty no cricketer, provided he has observed the laws of health, should dream of retiring, I have no patience with men getting old before the time. W. G. at forty-seven was still the greatest bats­ man in the world. Old Charles Absolon, who died in his ninety-first year in 1908, kept on playing until he was eighty; and the “ little doctor,” E. M. Grace, wasa terror to batsmen and bowlers in local matches beyond the age of three-score. I was at the Charterhouse again last week and had a chat with W. S. Norton, a “ brother ” there. I was delighted to find that he keeps in touch with Kent cricket of to-day ; he referred enthusiastically to Hubble’s century against Leicestershire the other day. One would never guess from the nimbleness of his mind that he has just passed the eightieth stone. He told me of the pleasant hours he spent in the Charterhouse with my dear old friend, Fred. Gale, who found a resting-place in that charming old-world retreat. The fact is, some men never grow old, whilst it is difficult to realise that others were ever young. At the Gentlemen v. Players matches memory was very busy with me. I was back again in these matches of 1865, the first I saw, and never to be forgotten. I kept wondering how the elevens of 1865 would compare with those of 1911. The conditions were different, especially at Lord’s where the wickets in those days were in favour of bowlers, not of batsmen. The Oval was always famous for perfect wickets; George Freeman, the prince of fast bowlers, told me in the course of a long interview in his home at Thirsk that the Oval was his favourite ground, and just because it played the bowler no tricks; “ I always knew exactly what every ball would do there; I didn’t at Lord’s.” Well, I kept pair­ ing several of the cricketers of 1865 and 1911, and I found it no easy task to decide as to which were the stronger. And here’s the way in which they got sorted:—The captains, the present Lord Lyttelton and C. B. Fry; George Parr and Tyldesley; Tom Lockyer and Strudwick, both Surrey wicket-keepers. Tom Humphrey I bracketed with Hobbs—both of Surrey. Hayward I put alongside of his famous uncle—another Tom. Jessop and E. M. Grace go well together as unorthodox batsmen who loved to use the long handle. Two masters of style, R. A. H. Mitchell and Spooner, look well side by side. Iremonger and H. H. Stephenson, both handy with bat and ball, made up another pair : so did .1upp and Kinneir, both hard nuts to crack. Hirst called up the figure of George Wootton, with their deadly left-hand bowling, whilst George Gunn in the out-field and at the wicket reminded me of little John Smith. Brearley and John Jackson bowl at a pace which is “ very fearful,” to quote Prowse’s well-known poem on Alfred Mynn. And there 1 stopped. Alfred Shaw has certainly no successor in 1911. And what of that daring fielder of the long ago, who literally stood “ at the point of the bat,” never more than four yards away from the batsman, often much closer in ? There is no point to-day ; at least none to compare with E. M. Grace. And lastly there loomed up that strip of a lad, well over 6 feet high, although he had not then completed his seventeenth year ; not the full- bearded giant of 17 or 18 stone most of us can recall, but a boy with spare mutton-chop whiskers, weighing some 12 stone or less—the monarch of all cricketers, the one and only W.G. This was his first appearance in this time-honoured match, and for 41 subsequent seasons he was never missing. And his record in this match was 6,008 runs, 15 centuries, an average of 42 ; whilst he took no less than 271 of the Players’ wickets at a cost of 18 runs a wicket. Records both in batting and bowling. W.G.’s first innings were 23 and 12 not ou t; his last, in 1906, 74! To men of my age it-will always be a source of pleasurable pride that we followed W.G. throughout his wonderful career. There will never be his successor. 1865-1911. Any changes to note ? Several. Sight-boards and umpire’s