Cricket 1911

4 2 CRICKET A WEEKLY RECORD OF TflE GAME. M a r c h 30 , tgii. In New Zealand the five leading Associations—Auckland, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, Otago, Wellington— could be played, and matches with a representative N.Z. team at Christ­ church and either Wellington or Auck­ land would complete the programme. Mr. Pelham Warner suggested a tour practically on these lines some years ago, one remembers. W it h o u t desiring to make too much of petty squabbles, one is forced to the conclusion that the South African team suffered in their folly—like the Australian teams of 1886 and 1893 in England—from the fact that they were not altogether a happy family. One man seems to have been at the bottom of it all, which is not to say, however, that he alone was at fault. South African papers which have recently reached us hint—or rather more than hint—at a decided differ­ ence of opinion between the selection committee and the rest of the team at to Vogler’s omission from the third Test. Harshness in disciplinary measures is suggested. More will be heard of the matter when the team reaches home, probably. Meanwhile one has faith in Sherwell’s justice and level-headedness. He has much in common with .Toe Darling, and no more than Darling would he swerve from what he believed the right course out of fear that he might incur some measure of unpopularity. T h e Australian Cricket Board of Control have appointed W. Findlay, the secretary of the Surrey County C.C., to represent the Board in England in succession to L. 0. S. Poidevin, who recently returned to Australia. H is R o y a l H ig h n e s s P r in c e A r t h u r o f C o n n a u g h t, K.G., has graciously con­ sented to preside at a dinner to celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of the London Playing Fields Society, which will be held at the Savoy Hotel on Wednesday, May 3. M r . C. A u b r e y S m ith , the actor—well- known some years ago in connection with Cambridge University and Sussex cricket—has put forward a scheme of cricket reform. He suggests, with a view to reducing first class matches from three days to two, and also to make ordinary club games more interesting, that the bat should be narrowed to the extent of Jin., and the height of the stumps increased 2 in. A s an experiment, he would like to see a couple of matches between good elevens played at Lord’s in September under these conditions, if the M.C.C. can see their way to such an arrangement. B. S a le , the young left-handed Derby­ shire batsman, who has secured his “ blue ” at Oxford for both cricket and football, has been elected captain of the Oxford University Association Football Club for next season. M. C. B ir d , who led the Surrey team to victory on many occasions last season, has been appointed the official captain of the side. The old Harrovian, who is probably destined to play an important part in cricket of the near fiiture. will enter upon his duties with the best wishes, not only of those to whom Surrey traditions are dear, but of very many who have no connection whatever with the county. A s h o r t time ago the announcement was made of the engagement of J. N. Crawford to Miss Marie Beakes, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reakes, of Ealing Common, and now Miss Winifred Beakes, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Beakes, has become engaged to B. T. Crawford. Miss Winifred is an accomplished musician, whilst “ B. T.” is aswell-known a tenor as he is a cricketer. “ Bless ye, my children! ” I t is doubtful whether J. N. Crawford will be seen many more times in first- class cricket, as he has resigned his mastership at St. Peter’s, Adelaide, and decided to join a friend up-country farming. His form during the past season has been excellent—the last mail from Australia brought news of a score of 182 by him in a first-grade match in Adelaide—and I note that a well-known judge of the game in Australia recently expressed the opinion that a World’s Eleven could not be representative with­ out him. English lovers of the game will long remember with pleasure the many stirring displays he gave in this country, and will rejoice to hear that the disagreement between him and the Surrey County C.C. is now a thing of the past. The County Committee rescinded their historic resolution the week before last—- a fact upon which both cricketer and club are to be congratulated. I n the course of an article in the current number of Fry’s Magazine, Mr. H. K. Foster, dealing with the question of reform of county cricket, says:—“ Where a com­ mittee chooses the county side and fails to give the captain an entirely free hand, trouble must come. I know a great side that is going to pieces because the men are playing for their places, and they cannot be expected to do anything else than play for themselves, for, after all, it is their bread and butter. I could not find out what had happened when I played against this side, until I found out that the slow play of one of the delinquents was due to the fact that it was necessary for him to get 50 runs to keep in the side. He got over 50 in two hours and lost his side any chance of winning.” A t the Eton College Athletic Sports, on Agar’s Plough on March 20th, C. W. Tufnell, the captain of the Eleven, won the cricket ball contest with a throw of 110 yards. ______ O n the evening of the 21st inst., F. H. Bateman Champain, the well- known Gloucestershire cricketer, was entertained at a banquet at George’s Bestaurant, Cheltenham, on the eve of his departure for British Columbia to take up fruit farming. The company present numbered seventy. I t is said on good authority that Albert Trott contemplates returning to Australia at the close of the approaching season. In the course of a letter contributed recently to the London Evening News, “ OldWestminster Boy ” wrote :—“ It has been the custom from time immemorial for the cook to enter the big schoolroom on Shrove Tuesday, clad in his full war paint, and toss the pancake over an iron bar. In my day the boy who succeeded in catching it and holding it for five minutes had the right to repair to the Deanery and claim a guinea. In my first year the pancake was caught by Mr. Frank Higgins-Bernard, the well-known Bucks cricketer. He had, however, previously employed a bodyguard of three others in the school eleven, and these he had briefed at 5s. per head. So when “ Time ” was called the £ 1 Is. was primarily his, maugre some 250 boys on top of the quartette.” M r . F r a n k M i t c h e l l , writing to The Times from Johannesburg, points out that in the summer of 1912 practically all the best cricketers in the Empire will be in England, and suggests to the Committee of the M.C.C. that a match be arranged between a team of England against an eleven of Colonial-born players, chosen from the Australian and South African teams then in England. Such a match, he says, would create the greatest interest in the Colonies. He would like to see the Colonial team chosen by the two captains, with the president of the M.C.C. as referee, the proceeds of the match to be given to the Cricketers’ Benevolent Fund. M r . A. L. V e r n o n , of Hilton Park, near Wolverhampton, exhibited to a meeting of the local Young Women’s Christian Association the other day a small stone which, he said, he picked up 62 years ago on Lord’s Cricket Ground. He was there watching a match, in which his brother was captaining the Harrow eleven. As he sat watching the game, he said, he silently prayed that his brother might bowl out the best batsman of the opposing eleven. The prayer was im­ mediately answered. He thereupon picked up the stone which he now ex­ hibited, and had since kept it with pride. From that time he had had faith in prayer. [The late Mr. H. Vernon was captain of Harrow in 1849, and in the score of that year’s match with Eton we find the entry:—“ W. P. Prest, Esq., b. Vernon 0.” Harrow won by 77 runs. Mr. H. Vernon died 56 years ago.] M r . A r t h u r W. Soam es, M.P. for South Norfolk, recently underwent an operation in London for appendicitis. His condition is reported to be as well as can be expected. Mr. Soames played in his time for Brighton College, Cambridge and S u s s e x . ______ I n accordance with the wish expressed by the late W. L. Murdoch to be buried in his mother’s grave at Kensal Green, his body has been embalmed and is now