Cricket 1911

A u g u s t 12 , 19 11. CR IC K ET : A W EEKLY EECOED OE TILE GAME. 415 B U S ® E Y ’S WORLD - FAMED. Q 0 4 2 7 /6 S i | • f r y i . 2 2 / 6 & 0 18/6 Q 0 . s £ 16/6 # 4% 14/ 6 ^ o N i o ^ DEMON ■) 14/6 READ “ The Evolution o f a Cricket Bat," O BTA IN A BLE F R EE UPON R EQ U EST FROM GEO. G. BUSSEY & CO., LTD ., 3 6 & 3 8 , QUEEN VICTORIA ST., LONDON. | Peckham, London. I Elmswell, Suffolk. r , I I Factories : j ^ A g e n t s a ll o v e r t h e W o r ld . Cricket Notches. B y th e R e v . R . S. H o lm e s . i TBOLLING round the Oval last week, as my wont is during the lunch interval, I was greeted by a man whom I could not at first glance recognise. It was B. P. Daft, the elder son of my dear old friend, Bichard Daft, who, I always maintain, was the most graceful batsman of all time. We had not met since I was his father’s guest at Batcliffe-on-Trent some eighteen summers ago. Now neither “ young Dick,” as he was called, nor his brother Harry, had their father’s genius for the game, but they inherited his enthusiasm and cricket lore. How very few cricketers talk well on the game ; perhaps they are contented to play their part on the field. It may not be generally known that B. P. Daft was Caffyn’s amanuensis in “ Seventy-one, not out.” He has an old cricket scrap-book which was given his father in the loDg ago, and which he thinks I may find useful. He was anxious to meet again an older cricketing friend than myself— the able editor of the Athletic News, whose home was once in Nottingham for a period of eight years when he became very intimate with Daft’s family and with old George P arr: and his wish was gratified in the press box. One of the charms of the cricket field are the pleasant friendships it often yields. It happened in the Lancashire match to which Spooner gave distinction by a wonderful innings— 224 out of 360, Sharp’s 35 being the next largest contribution. I was asked whether that was not a record; did ever one batsman so outstrip all his chums ? Well, Mead was almost as conspicuous later in the week, his score being 194, Bowell coming next with 40. And what of W . G. in the good old days ? Again and again it was acase of “ Eclipse first, the rest nowhere.” How firmly some of his unique performances have rooted themselves in my memory ; I could pass with honours a viva voce examination in the numerous innings I witnessed from his bat. Spooner’s great score may be forgotten : W . G.’s never will be. Here are just a few I saw : after each is the next highest scorer on his side:— 134* for Gentlemen v. Players in 18(58 ; 13. B. Cooper, 28. 268 for South v. North in 1871 ; J. Lillywhite, 36. 189* for Single v. Married in 1871 ; G. F. Grace, 31. 170* for England v. Notts and Yorks, in 1872 ; R. Carpenter, 36. 192* for South v. North in 1873 ; K. Humphrey, 41. And here’s the most remarkable of all, when I was not present: 120 for South v. North in 1876, the South scoring only 159, E. Pooley’s 14 being the only other double figure. W . G. tells a capital story of that 170 not out in 1872, when Bob Carpenter played on the same side for the first time, and wras very chirpy in anticipation. Carpenter had good reason for congratulation that for once he was not on the opposite side to W. G., for during 1871 and 1872 he had fielded at point whilst W .G. ran up such scores as 189 not out, 268, 217, 178, 77 and 112, and 117. Asked how he liked being in with him Carpenter said: “ I ought to feel happy ? If I had been in much longer I should have died. It is a deal harder to be in with him than to field against him. When fielding you do get a rest now and then, but not when you’re batting with him .” Is anything known of W. H. Moore who playing for 22 of Walsall in 1868 scored 100 against the All England Eleven, whose bowlers were Tinley, Tarrant and Jackson? I had to plead ignorance when asked the other day by the editor of Wisden’s Almanack, being under the impression that only one century was ever notched against the A. E. E , viz., 104 by J. Makinson in 1860. I reminded him that E. M. Grace scored 121 against the United All England; that was in 1865 when he figured among the 18 of the Lans­ downe Club, W . G. contributing 11. Moore, I learn, was a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, but he seems to have restricted his cricket to his native town, for he never figured on a London ground nor took part in a first-class match. A batman of one innings ; one doubtless of several cricket geniuses who from lack of opportunity never cut their name deep on the page of history. A correspondent in East Adelaide asks me to publish “ the batting averages to cate in all first-class matches of Trumper, Hill, Armstrong, Noble, Bardsley and Ransford. Years ago Australia pushed herself to the front through the agency of her great bowlers— Spofforth, Boyle, Garrett, Palmer, Giffen, Turner, Ferris and others, but recently it has been the prowess of her great batsmen which has enabled her to maintain her supremacy. Three years ago Mr. J. N. Pentelow sent me the averages of all Australian batsmen who had played 50 innings or more. Well, perhaps that well-known statistician, or the editor of this journal, both of whom are remarkable for their accuracy in compiling figures, can give the information solicited. And has anybody a copy of the 1875 Wuden for sale ? It is not for myself, but for one of the ablest of cricket writers who is anxious to complete his set. The leading incidents of last week were :—Carr’s re-appearance, and at once making his presence felt, much to the relief of Blythe, who between the heat and iron-bound wickets must have been far from happy of late. In view of their full August programme Carr’s bowling will be very welcome ; his first week’s ball-work pans out thus —19 wickets for 240 runs. Evidently the class-room must be good training for the cricket field. Mead’s great innings, 207 not out and 194, both chanceless although scored at ihe rate of more than a run a minute, deserved under scoring with at least half-a-dozen red lines. Immediately before the first of these innings Yorkshiie were di.-misscd for 58 by the same team (minus Field) as could not dislodge Mead. Those two innings lifted him to the first place in the season’s averages. Surely he cannot be left out of the