Cricket 1911

514 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME. S e p t . 16, 1911. A Chat about Suffolk Cricket and Cricketers. fe w p e o p le ou tsid e th e k een stu ­ d en ts o f crick e t lore— n o t a n um erou s b a n d , on e fan cies— are aw are th a t S u ffo lk crick e t h is to ry dates m u c h fa rth er b a ck th a n th a t o f m o s t cou n ties. I n th e d a y s b e fo re K e n t h a d risen t o g lo ry , F u ller P ilch — a son o f N o rfo lk b y birth— on e o f th e ch ie f fa ctors in K e n t ’s career o f v ic to r y , w as en ga ged a t W o o d b r id g e , a n d p la y e d fo r S u ffo lk again st N o rfo lk , M .C .C ., a n d o th er sides. M r. R a n d o lp h LI. H o d g so n , th e form er secre­ ta r y o f th e S u ffo lk C .C ., g iv es th e d a te o f th e first co u n ty m a tch p la y e d b y S u ffo lk as 1829, th e te am ’s o p p o n e n ts b e in g N o rfo lk . I n 1830 a n d fo r som e few years th ereafter S u ffo lk crick e t flou rish ed , th o u g h w h eth er u n d er a regu lar c o u n ty org a n isa tio n seem s d o u b tfu l; th e n th ere com es a lo n g b la n k— crick e t in th e co u n ty , b e y o n d qu estion , b u t n o c o u n ty crick e t ; from 1862 to 1872 th ere w ere a few m a tch es, a g ain st N o rfo lk , th e U n iv e r­ sities, a n d th e M .C .C . ; fo llo w e d a sh orter p e rio d o f qu ies­ cen ce ; th en in 1876 a regu lar co u n ty clu b w as fo rm e d , a n d fo r nin e or ten years th erea fter gam es w ith N o rfo lk , E ssex , H erts., B e d s., M .C .C ., I Z in gari a n d In co g n iti w ere p la y e d , th e clu b h a v in g som e rea lly g o o d p layers, n o ta b ly M r. F red erick E u sta ce R e a d e F ry er, th e C am bridge cra ck , th e R e v . T . S. C urteis, M r. B e n ja m in P re sto n , th e R e v . E . E . H a rrison W a rd , th e R e v . A . G . L ee, M r. W . S. G u rn ey, a n d la st, a n d b y n o m ean s lea st, M r. J . G. F ra n cis. M r. J o h n F ra n cis d eserves a p a ra g ra p h to h im self, fo r if a n y on e m a n h a d t o b e p ick e d o u t b y v o te as rep re­ sen ta tiv e o f S u ffo lk crick e t, it is lik e ly th a t h e w o u ld h a v e a h u ge m a jo rity . H e w as b o r n a t B a d w ell A sh , in 1834 ; h e p la y e d his first m a tch fo r S u ffo lk in 1855, his la st th irty years later ; h is 140 inn ings (15 n o t o u ts) fo r th e co u n ty realised a n a g g rega te o f 2,736 run s, a v era g e 2 1 ’88, sp len d id figures in th o se tim es ; a n d am o n g his scores w ere 107 n o t o u t v . H e rts., 94 n o t o u t a n d 85 v . E ssex , a n d 80 (at th e a g e o f 51) v . N o rfo lk . H e w as a b ow le r in h is early d a y s, a n d o fte n t o o k a lo t o f w ick ets. H e w as tw e lv e years ca p ta in o f S u ffo lk , a n d m a n y years secretary ; h e p la y e d in 80 m a tch e s o u t o f 94 in w h ic h th e co u n ty en ga ged d u rin g his co n n e ctio n w ith it ; h e to o k p a rt in clu b crick e t all o v e r E a st A n g lia , th e S tow m a rk e t C lub h a v in g his services m o st fre q u e n tly , a n d it is ca lcu la te d th a t a lto ­ geth er h e m a d e n ea rly 40 ,000 run s w ith an a v erag e o f a b o u t 40. A t th e age o f se v e n ty h e still p la y e d occa sion a lly ; a n d it is safe t o assum e th a t n ow , th o u g h he is n ea rly se v e n ty -e ig h t, h e retain s h is in terest in th e gam e t o w h ich h e h a s been a real orn am en t, fo r th e n am e o f J o h n F ran cis has a lw a ys s to o d fo r th e b est o f g o o d sp ortsm an sh ip in S u ffolk . F rom 1885 t o 1902— sev en teen lo n g years— S u ffo lk w as u n rep resen ted b y a c o u n ty team . B u t th en , th an k s m a in ly t o th e e n erg y o f M r. R a n d o lp h LI. H o d g so n , son o f th e in cum b e n t o f C am psea A sh , a n ew clu b w as fo rm e d . In 1902 a n d 1903 m atch es w ith N o rfo lk w ere p la y e d ; C am bs. w as m e t in th e fo rm e r y ea r, E ssex S eco n d E le v e n in th e latter ; in 1904 S u ffo lk jo in e d th e M in or C ou n ties’ C om p e titio n , a n d h a s fig u re d th erein ea ch season sin ce, w ith results as u n d er :— Won Lost Matches played. Won. on 1st inns. Lost. on 1st inns. Dwn. Tied. 1904 .............. 8 2 0 5 0 1 0 1905 .............. 8 2 1 3 1 1 0 1900 .............. 8 2 1 8 2 0 1907-............. 8 2 1 4 0 1 0 1908 .............. 8 4 1 3 0 0 0 1909 .............. ... 10 2 1 3 3 0 1 1910 .............. 8 5 1 1 1 0 0 1911 .............. 8 2 2 4 0 0 0 Totals ... ... 06 21 8 26 7 3 1 F a llin g s h o rt o f b rillian ce, th is is a re co r d b y n o m ean s d iscred ita b le, esp ecia lly w h en on e con sid ers un der w h a t d ifficu lties th e c o u n ty has la b ou red . S u ffo lk has se ld om h a d m u ch p rofession al a id , a n d th e personn el o f the team has flu ctu a te d g rea tly ; d u rin g th e eig h t years th e coun ty has fig u re d in th e M in or C ou n ties’ C h am p ion sh ip well over a h u n d red p layers h a v e tak en p a rt in its m a tch es, an d it says m u ch fo r th e d iscrim in a tion o f th e secreta ry— as also fo r th e sta n d ard o f crick et in th e co u n ty— th a t few o f these h a v e fa iled en tirely to ju s tify their selection . Am on g th e profession als— besides th ose to b e d ealt w ith presently — th ree o ld first-class p layers in W a lte r Q u a ife, Charles B a ld w in a n d F ra n k Sm ith m a y b e m en tion ed , though o n ly Q u aife o f th is trio p la y e d in m a n y m a tch es ; am ong th e am ateu rs con sp icu ou sly g o o d crick et has b een show n a t v a riou s tim es b y Messrs. F . H . M ustard, H . F . F o x , C. W . A lex a n d er a n d ' O. H . W a lters, n on e o f w h om has p la y e d fo r th e co u n ty q u ite re ce n tly , th o u g h th ree o f the fou r m a y reap pea r, since it is o n ly ab sen ce a b ro a d th at has k e p t th em o u t o f th e side. F iv e years or m o re a g o M r. H o d g so n w as jo in e d in th e secretarysh ip b y M r. H . A . G room , o f F elb rigg e, Cam ­ brid ge ; a n d th e la tte r gen tlem an , tak in g o v e r fu ll charge Photo by] [Gill, Colchester. Mr. H. L. WILSON. a y e a r la ter, has sin ce m a n a ged th e affairs o f th e co u n ty clu b w ith great skill a n d ta ct, a n d w ith su ch d e v o tio n of tim e a n d en ergy as it w o u ld b e h a rd t o exaggera te. In its eig h t years o f M in or C ou n ty w arfa re S u ffolk has p la y e d 16 m atch es w ith N o r fo lk , 16 w ith C am bridge­ shire, 10 w ith B e d ford sh ire, 10 w ith H ertford sh ire, s ix w ith S ta fford sh ire, fo u r w ith L in coln sh ire, a n d fou r w ith O xford sh ire. O u tside th e C h am p ion sh ip few gam es h a ve been p la y ed , b u t K e n t S econ d E le v e n an d o th er sides h a ve been m e t a t tim es. T h e ca p ta in o f th e team fo r th e last tw o years, su cceed ­ in g M essrs. F . H . M u stard a n d H . F . F o x , h as b een Mr. H erb e rt L a n g ford W ilso n , w h o w as b orn a t G u ilsborou gh H a ll, N o rth a n ts., o n J u n e 27 th , 1881, a n d learn ed his crick et a t F ram lin gh am C ollege. F irst p la y in g fo r the team in 1905, h e a v erag ed o v e r 25 b o th in th a t an d the n e x t season ; in 1907, w ith 2 7 '4 p er in n ings, a n d in 1908, w ith 29, h e d id e v e n better ; th ere w as som e fa llin g o ff in his fo rm in th e n e x t tw o seasons ; bu t d u rin g th e cam paign ju st clo sed h e sco re d 172 runs in seven in n in gs, an d , w ith