Cricket 1911

J u l y 2 9 , 1 9 1 1 . CR ICKET : A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 3 7 9 no harm done. But it would be interesting to learn who made the mistake, and how it came to spread so widely. I t was only natural that with Yorkshire wanting less than 200 to win at Sheffield against Northants their victory on Saturday should have been looked upon as a moral certainty. But those who tipped the White Rose for victory were badly hurt. ‘ 1A fine chance lost— the tables turned on Northants.,” said one contemporary. Another, less inclined to plunge, merely remarked that Yorkshire’s chances of victory were “ very rosy.” Which was correct. But— thanks to the bowling of Thompson, East and Wells, and some fine fielding— the last-promoted shire pulled through after all. Bravo, Northants. ! T h o se who neglect the Minor Counties’ matches miss much that is quite as interesting as the play in the County Championship proper. Without paying any special regard to chronological order, or pretending to exhaustiveness, let us run over a few of the more notable happenings in the matches played thus far. I n the first place, one observes ample evidence that some of the cracks are keeping up their fine form of recent years. Mr. Norman Riches, 159 v. Monmouthshire, 150 v. Carmarthenshire at Llanelly and (55 against the same side at Swansea, 90 v. Wilts., 71 v. Surrey II. ; Mr. G. A. Stevens, 123 v Herts., 108 v. Bedfordshire, in successive matches ; Silverlock, 102 v. Bucks., 07 not out v. Wilts., and 102 and 113 not out v. Bucks., at Slough ; Mr. T. A. L. Whittington, 176 v. Carmarthenshire at Swansea ; Mr. C. F. Stanger-Leathes, 96 and 67 v. Durham, 122 v. Cheshire at Newcastle ; Mr. J. O. Anderson (of Argentine fame) 101 and Golding 139, Herts, v. Norfolk ; Wharmby, 52 and 51 and 9 wickets for 81, Beds. v. Herts., on the Elstow School ground— all these are cases in point. S il v e r l o c k ’ s double-hundred against Bucks. has only one parallel in Minor County cricket, Mr. J. A. Gibb having made 103 and 122 not out for Berkshire v. Oxfordshire at Reading in 1902. D e y e s and Barnes have been doing some sensational bowling for Staffordshire. Hollowood (25 and 38) was highest scorer in each innings for the same side v. North­ umberland at Newcastle, and Nicholls, who has played for Worcestershire, made a century in the return game at Stoke. Sandham, Harrison, Vigar and young W . J. Abel (who ought before long to get a regular place in the first team) have run up three-figure scores for Surrey II. ; Morfee (he will have to drop that sort of thing— it is not allowed in a fast bowler) and Mr. L. H. W . Troughton for Kent II. Shoosmith hit 123 (two sixes, thirteen fours, and several chances, but with all that hard hitting he may well be forgiven the chances) against Bucks. at Bletchley. B u t the most sensational item of all is the big score piled up by Mr. L. (or E.— one is not sure which is correct, for both initials have been given) Burdett for Devon v. Cornwall at Tavistock. Mr. Burdett was 115 not out when the first day’s play ended, and added 108 in about an hour next morning. The Cornwall bowling may not be deadly, but this is a fine performance even allowing for that. Was it Mr. Burdett’s first match for his county ? His name is not to be found in the Devon averages of the last three years, but there is reason to suspect that these are not quite complete. The minor county averages in “ Wisden ” sometimes leave out the names and figures of the men who played only once or twice, which is a pity. We should like to know more about this free and ^enter­ prising batsman. Will some Devonshire reader oblige ? A t Grantham on June 2nd— it is some time ago, but the fact is still worth noting in this chapter of incidents— Herts, beat Lincolnshire by the desperately narrow margin of two runs. Mr. R . B. Cowley, of the Harrow eleven of 1907, hit four sixes in his second innings of 67, and no one else on his side reached 20 in either innings, so that the win must have been very largely due to his slamming tactics. On .Tune 27th Beds, beat Herts, at Bushey by nine runs, Wharmby and Mr. A. F. Morcom pulling out of the fire by their deadly bowling what had looked like a lost game. For the beaten side young Burton (son of George, the Middlesex slow bowler of many years) had 11 wickets for 80. This youthful bearer of a good ci'icket name seems a real class bowler. T h e Minor County season is now in full swing. We are doing our best to give all the matches ; but, if in some weeks we fall behind, we do trust that our friends in the second-class shires will hold us excused. Lack of space will be the only cause, and the scores left out one week will be given next. In a few cases (Herts, v. M.C.C. at Bushey, Wilts, v. Glamorgan at Swansea, Norfolk v. Durham at Norwich, Lincolnshire v. Durham at Grimsby, Glamorgan v. Carmarthen at Swansea, and Devon v. Cornwall at Tavistock) we have not been able to give bowling analyses. Will not the secretaries help us ? Local papers do not always print the analysis, and we want it in every case. In fact, we should be glad if secretaries would send us the score and analysis of each match played directly it is over, as errors in initials of players and other Photoby] [Ilaickini tC* Co.,Brighton. R. D. BURROW S. such slips, to which the daily papers are all too prone, might thus be avoided. Me. L. J. R e id , who scored 132 for Cambs. v. Herts., at St. Albans last Friday, was at King’s College Choir School, Cambridge, before he went to Aldenham, where he had a distinguished athletic career, being five seasons in the cricket team, and captain both of cricket and football for three years or thereabouts. In 1904 he was fourth in