Cricket 1911

356 CEICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. J u l y 22, 1911. A Chat ab ou t S t a f f o r d sh i r e Cricket and Cricketers. {Continued from page 336.) n . During the four years immediately preceding the re-construction only two matches were won out of thirty- two played : in the succeeding seasons the Championship of the Minor Counties has been gained twice, and a respectable position has invariably been secured. The re-organisation included the election of Mr. W. C. Hancock as honorary secretary, a selection which was practically a guarantee of future prosperity. The originator of the North Staffordshire and District League—the pioneer cricket league of the country—and honorary secretary of that body for twelve years, Mr. Hancock was intimately in touch with club cricket, and his accession to office meant the complete consolidation of county and league interests. A gentleman of unruffled demeanour, possess­ ing a rare capacity for work, and a master of detail and organisation, Staffordshire’s guide has worked wonders for the cause he espoused so heartily and lovingly. The clubs of the district delight in recognising his judgment and watchful regard for the game, and the county appreciate his sterling qualities to the full. The result has been the co-mingling of the aristocracy and the democracy for the good of their favourite sport. Not many years ago it was deemed the proper thing to gird at league cricket as something quite beyond the pale of “ the game for the game’s sake,” but leaguers have won their way by steadfast adherence to cricket’s noble traditions, and they have now earned the recognition to which they were entitled. Staffordshire and her leagues work in full harmony; the county respect the clubs’ Saturday half-holidays and their Whitsuntide games, and the clubs release their professionals and encourage their amateurs to assist in keeping up the reputation of the parent body. The outcome has been to the incalculable benefit of Staffordshire as a cricketing shire. Following the several black seasons which preceded 1901, progress has been marked and practically consistent, and Staffordshire is now accounted as ranking amongst the most formidable of the Second-Class Counties. The club has sustained a great loss by the relinquish­ ment of the captaincy by Mr. H. D. Stratton, who has occupied the onerous position with extreme credit to him­ self and to the great benefit of the club for a number of years. The following extract from the Committee’s re­ port is in some measure indicative of Mr. Stratton’s worth : “ Your Committee greatly regret that Mr. H. D. Stratton has intimated that circumstances prevent him from giving the time necessary to allow him to continue to act as Captain of the Eleven. On behalf of the members your Committee desire to thank Mr. Stratton most sincerely for the valuable services he has rendered to the club, and for the unselfish manner in which he has given his time and energies in acting as captain for so many years. They would recommend that he be elected a vice-president at the Annual General Meeting.” Mr. Stratton’s successor is Mr. Bernard Meakin, a repre­ sentative of a family who have behaved nobly in helping to maintain the credit of the county. So far, circum­ stances—chiefly in the nature of a zest for travelling— have prevented his giving the club the regular assistance which its officials, players and supporters are hoping for, and last season he was unable to take part in a single game —being somewhere on the other side of the world, or thereabouts. There is reason to believe, however, that in future his appearances will be something like regular—if the hopes on the point materialise Staffordshire will profit. Mr. Meakin was educated at Clifton and at Trinity College, Cambridge. At Clifton he was known chiefly as a bowler of leg-breaks, and did useful work for the eleven. At Cambridge he played in several trial matches in seasons 1904-7. In 1906 and 1907 he helped the X I. on a few occasions but never won his blue, his best feat being in a match with Dublin University, against whom he played a sound innings of 111 not out, and took three wickets cheaply. He made intermittent appearances for Stafford­ shire between 1904 and 1909, and in the last-mentioned year he was responsible for a beautiful 122 versus Northumberland—an effort which vividly reminded the county authorities of what they were suffering by his not playing regularly. A left-handed batsman, he possesses a strong defence, and his repertoire of scoring strokes is more full than that of most left-handers. He is a capable field, and on the few occasions he has led the team he has impressed his men with the conviction that he has all the qualities which go to make an excellent captain—and Staffordshire cricketers are hoping that they will get many opportunities of finding that conviction justified. Mr. Percival Briggs, first lieutenant of the eleven, was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, in the year 1874, and was educated at the High School of that ancient borough. At school he and a younger brother (now a successful player in the Transvaal) were accounted cricket prodigies, with both bat and ball. His first match of note in senior cricket Mr. P. BRIOCiS. Photo by] [H. J. Gover & Co., Hanley. was for the County Club and Ground v. Burton-on-Trent. The opposition included Messrs. S. H. Evershed, W. S. Eadie, A. C. S. Glover and J. P. Ward, and George Porter was bowling. The debutant earned high praise by scoring a grand 64. Mr. Briggs is one of the connecting links between Staffordshire’s period of decline and its later rise, for his first county match was in 1893 against a strong Notts X I., amongst whom were numbered Richard Daft, H. B. Daft and Charles W. Wright. This game was no triumph for him, since he got but three runs and was missed three times in the making of them! His most exciting experience was in a match against Northampton­ shire, for he was put on to bowl when the visitors to Stoke had two wickets to fall and wanted but 5 runs for victory. The change of bowling came off, for he got a man caught at the wicket, and, Turner bowling another, Staffordshire won by a single run. His best county seasons have been 1906, 7 innings, 180 runs, highest score 59, average 36: 1908, 17 innings, 503 runs, highest score 84, average 29'58: 1909, 15 innings, 480 runs, highest score 101, average 32 :