Cricket 1911

S kpt . 2,1911 . CEICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 48? tershire. K ing’s innings was in a way a curiosity, as, except for a cut for 2, all his strokes were fours and singles :— 1 4 1 1 4 1 1 1 4 1 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 4 2 1 4. These figures show that his not-out innings of 103 was composed of fifteen 4’s, a 2 and 41 singles. T he success o f Warwickshire in securing the Champion­ ship has been marked by an enthusiasm which has been remarkable. From all parts of the country congratulations have poured in upon Mr. Foster, and right well have they been deserved, for the enthusiasm and ability which the young captain has displayed have been the means of increasing the attractiveness and match-winning capacity of the side to an extent which it would be difficult to overestimate. After their match with Surrey at the Oval early in the season, Warwick­ shire seemed the county least likely to carry off tbe chief honours of the year, and, at the risk of being told that it is dangerous to use superlatives, we state that the whole history of the game might be searched in vain for any more dramatic incident than the recent advance of the side. It is a good thing for the game that the Championship should fall to the lot of a team which has never before experienced such success, and Mr. Foster and his men are thoroughly deserving of the many kind things which have recently been said in their praise. T h e present is an opportune moment at which to glance at the side’s doings in Championship matches since the county has taken part in the competition. W. L. D. Total. W. L. D. Total 1895 ... 6 6 6 18 1904 .......... 5 5 6 16 1896 ... 3 8 7 18 1905 .......... 5 4 13 22 1897 ... 3 4 11 18 1906 .......... 7 4 9 20 1898 ... 2 6 9 17 1907 .......... 6 5 8 19 1899 ... 4 5 11 20 1908 .......... 5 9 7 21 1900 ... 3 2 13 18 1909 .......... 3 8 9 20 1901 ... 7 4 5 16 1910......... 4 8 7 19 1902 ... 6 5 7 18 1911 .......... 13 4 3 20 1903 ... 5 4 9 18 Totals ... S7 91 140 318 This year, for County Championship purposes, results on the first innings in drawn matches were taken into considera­ tion, and Warwickshire obtained the maximum number of points possible in each of their three unfinished games. A m a r r ia g e has been arranged between Mr. G. H. Simpson-Hayward, of Worcestershire, and Miss Mary Waller Stenson, only daughter of the late Mr. W . S. Stenson and Mrs. Stenson, "of Bourton, Gloucestershire. T h o s e who were present at Lord’s on Saturday— the attendance was not large/—saw a somewhat remarkable innings played by Mr. Sprot. When he went in the position of Hampshire was altogether hopeless, and those who expected that he would hit “ ’ard, ’igh and Soften ” soon had every reason to congratulate themselves. Off Mignon he scored six 4’s from an over which contained two no-balls, and as he was not out at lunch-time one anticipated that the hitting might be continued later. But, strange to say, the batsman quite changed his tactics after the interval and, instead of hitting brilliantly, played most sedate cricket. His part tiers did practically nothing mean­ while, and he himself carried out his bat for 35. It was a tame ending. M r . J. H ealy , a journalist, has been appointed Secre­ tary to the Victorian Cricket Association in succession to Mr. E. Heather, whose resignation was announced in C r ic k e t a few months ago. He is an old inter-State player. “ P o i n t ,” writing in the Adelaide Evening Journal, says :— “ Many incidents occur in the careers of cricketers that cause delightful sensations. Here is one that will probably send the blood of our old friend and champion, George Giffen, coursing through his veins a little more rapidly. W . J. Gunn, himself no mean batsman, is the possessor of a bail around which hovers a history. By its removal George Giffen secured his 1,000th wicket with his old Australian Eleven chum Syd. Gregory as the victim. Only the one bail was removed, and when bowled ‘ ‘ Tich ” picked it up, put it in his pocket, and sent out another to replace it. This occurred in an inter-State match, and Gunn, who was manager of the South Australian team, secured the bail and has had it in his possession ever since. Feeling that the old champion would take more interest in this souvenir than any one else, Gunn has decided to present it to his lifelong friend. One is also reminded of the fact that the ball was also preserved, and, after being splendidly mounted by dear old John Creswell, was formally presented to Giffen. There may be a lot of sentiment in these things, but after all what would life be worth without sentiment ? It is just as well that some of the incidents of the past should not be forgotten, if it is only to let players of to-day know that Australia has had only one George Giffen. We are still waiting for the next.” F i n a n c i a l l y , this year’s Cheltenham Festival was somewhat disappointing, the receipts totalling only £581. Last year they amounted to £730. H. V. N o r b u r y , who has been playing for North­ umberland during the past two seasons, has been engaged for next year by the East Lancashire C.C. He is a good batsman and a fast bowler, and in 1905 and 1906 was tried occasionally for Hampshire. In Minor County Champion­ ship matches in 1910 he had a batting average of 31'22, and this year one of 24‘87. A l r e a d y the Secretaries are busy arranging next season’s fixtures, and to date the following is the provisional list for Lord’s :— MAY. May 1.— Auniversary Meeting at i p.m. and Dinner at 7 p.m. „ 1.— M.C.C. v. Notts. „ 9.— M.C.C. v. Kent. ,, 13.— M.C.C. v. South Africans. | June 3.— Middlesex v. Australians. ,, 0.— Middlesex v. Hampshire. ,, 10.— England v. South Africa. ,, 13.— Middlesex v. Yorkshire. JULY. July 1.— Middlesex v. South Africans. ,, S.— Oxford v. Cambridge. ,, 12.— Eton v. Harrow. ,, 15.— Australia v. South Africa. May 16.— Middlesex v. Lancashire. ,, 20.— M.C.C. v. Australians. ,, 23.— Test Trial match. ,, 27.— Middlesex v. Sussex. „ 30.— Navy v. Army. JU N E. June 17.— Middlesex v. Notts. ,, 20.— Middlesex v. Essex ,, 24.— England v. Australia. July 18.— Gentlemen v. Players. ,, 22.— Middlesex v. Worcestershire. 25.— Middlesex v. - ,, 31.- Rugby v. Marlborough. AUGUST. Aug. 2.— Cheltenham v. Haileybury. ” School matches. „ 9.— M.C.C. v. Egypt & TheSoudan. Aug. 22.— Middlesex v. Surrey. ,, 26.— Middlesex v. Kent. ,, 29.— Middlesex v .--------------- Three days will be given to the match between Army and N avy which commences on May 30 th. T h e wedding of Sir Abe Bailey and the Hon. Mary Westenra is to be solemnised on Tuesday, September 5th, at 2.30 p.m., at H oly Trinity Church, Sloane Street, S.W. A fte r what is for him quite a quiet period—though it did include trifles of 85 v. Warwickshire at Edgbaston, 53 not out V. Kent, 71 v. Essex, 78 v. Warwickshire at Harrogate, 75 v. Middlesex, and 87 v. Surrey—George Hirst did the sort of thing one expects of him in running up 218 v. Sussex at Hastings at the rate of a trifle over a run a minute. This is his fiftieth century in first-class cricket, his fourth v. Sussex, and his third of the season. F o rty - six of the fifty have been made for his county, two for North v. South, one for Players v. Gentlemen, and one for Under 30 v. Over 30. Hirst is one of the few players who have registered at least one century against each firso-class county except their own. He has been very impartial in the distribution of his powers of this kind for no side has suffered more than four times thus at his hands. Gloucestershire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex and Worcestershire have supplied him with four centuries each, Kent, Leicestershire, Notts, and Cambridge University with three each, Essex, Hants, Lanca­ shire, Middlesex, Warwickshire and Oxford University with two each, Derbyshire and Northants with one each. F iv e batsmen have now scored 2,000 runs each during the season. They are Mr. B. H. Spooner (who reached the total