Cricket 1911

S ept . 23, 1911. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 535 T h en th ere are M r. E d w in G o d ley (b orn J u ly 10, 1888, a t W o rsle y , a n d ed u cated a t the R o y a l S alford T ech n ical S ch o o l), y e t an oth er w icket-keeper, a n d a cap ital ba t, w h o learn ed his crick et in com p a n y w ith E rnest T yld esley, y o u n g e r b roth er o f th e fam ou s J o h n ; M r. G. I). W o o d , th e C h elten h am ca p ta in o f a yea r or tw o a g o ; Mr. F . P . W o o d , n o t related to his nam esake, I b eliev e ; Mr. H . C. H e n le y ; M r. A . J . S n o w d e n ; Mr. J. F rancis ; Mr. J. F orrest, a n d M r. V . F . G a b y— a ll o f w h om h a v e m ade occa sion a l ap p earan ces an d sh ow n p rom ise w ith o u t d oin g a n y v e ry strik in g fea ts. A n d there are m en like th e H on . R . G orell B arn es, M r. R . L . L . B rad dell, an d M r. F . A . H . H en ley, ’V arsities B lu es w ith a S u ffolk q u a lific a tio n ; b u t as n on e o f th em tu rn ed o u t this year for th e co u n ty one m ay dism iss th em w ith ba re m en tion . M r. F . H . M ustard, n ow in E g y p t, w h o m a y p la y again n e x t year, is on e o f th e b est m en the co u n ty has ever had. F rom 1904 to 1909 in clu sive he p la y ed in 46 innings (6 n o t ou ts) fo r it , a n d a g g rega ted 1396 runs, in clu d in g th ree or fou r centuries, besides tak in g 56 w ickets. H is b roth er, M r. D . M u stard , p la y in g less regularly betw een 1904 an d 1911 in clu sive, to ta lled 479 runs in 27 com p leted innings, d oin g p a rticu la rly w ell this season, w h en he m ade 199 in nine, in clu d in g 69 an d 65 in th e tw o C am bs. m atch es. M r. W . C atch p ole, a p p earin g o n a n d o ff sin ce 1902 (on ly in one m a tch th is season ), has o fte n m ad e useful scores, a n d has aggrega ted 256 run s in 18 innings ; M r. C. C atch p ole, w h o d id n o t ap p ear a t all in 1911, scored 22 a n d 66 v. C am bs. a t E ly la st season. Mr. C. S. W ilson has p la y ed little o f late, b u t h e d id th e co u n ty g o o d service from 1905 to 1908 in clu sive. Mr. H . B assett, the o ld O x ford blu e, d id n o t tu rn o u t th is season, b u t he p la y e d useful a ll-rou n d crick e t in a few m atch es from 1908 t o 1910 in clu sive. O f th e th ree p rofessionals w h o p la y ed this season, n on e o f th em v e ry y o u n g m en , th a t g o o d reliable o ld w ar- horse, F red erick T ru d g e tt, th e B u ry an d W est S u ffolk p ro., is th e sen ior. H e w as b o rn a t B u r y S t. E dm u n d s o n M arch 27, 1868, a n d has p la y ed fo r th e co u n ty ever sin ce th e clu b w as resu scitated. In th ose 10 years a b o u t 300 w ickets h a v e fa llen t o h im a t a co st of, rou g h ly , 16 runs each, an d he still w h eels u p his fastish righ t-h a n d stu ff w ith success. N ever m u ch o f a b a t, h e o cca sio n a lly m akes a few run s b y o ff-d riv e s. H e u su ally field s at m id -on . W illiam P e n fo ld , le ft h a n d ed bow ler o f slow to m edium leg-breaks a n d righ t-h a n d ed b a t, is a S urrey m an b y n a tiv ity , b o rn a t W a lto n -o n -th e -H ill on A p ril 24, 1877, b u t he n ev er p la y e d fo r his n a tiv e c o u n ty ’s team , either first or secon d . H e has d on e rare g o o d w ork fo r S u ffolk since 1905, ta k in g a b o u t 230 w ick ets in th e seven seasons a t a co st o f u n d er 17 each , 45 in 1909, 46 (at o n ly a little ov e r 11 ea ch ) in 1910, an d 40 th is season. H is pulling a n d d riv in g h a v e b ro u g h t h im d e ce n t scores a t tim es, to o , fo r he has av era g ed o v e r 12 p er in n ings, an d has p u t on th e score- sh eet su ch figures as 63 an d (his h igh est) 71 v . C am bs. at E ly la st y ea r. H e field s a t first slip or in th e cou n try . A re a lly cap a b le bow ler in clu b cricket— h e takes over a h u n d red w ick ets a season regularly fo r Ip sw ich T ow n , w ith w h om he has b een fo r seven years, a n d oth er clubs in th e n e ig h b o u rh o o d— F red erick W aters (b o m a t D u n ton , B ed s., in 1872) has n ev er d on e an y th in g v ery great in the few ch an ces h e has h a d o f sh ow in g his m ettle for th e co u n ty . H e h a d en gagem en ts a t B igglesw ad e, W ellin g ton (S alop ), a n d in L o n d o n before goin g to Ip sw ich , a n d his fa st m ed ium off-b rea k s h a v e b a gged m a n y h u n d red w ickets. H e also b ow ls an occa sion a l ball com in g from leg, w ith som eth in g o f th e g o o g ly a ctio n . H e can d riv e h a rd , b u t is n o t a g rea t ru n -getter. In th e field h e usually takes the m id -o n p osition . S u ffo lk has n o first-class am bition s, on e gathers. B u t in its ow n class th e co u n ty can— an d does— p la y real g oo d crick et, a n d th a t is th e m o st im p orta n t th in g. T h a t it w ill n o t fa il fo r la ck o f care or ju d gm e n t w h ile M r. G ro om is at the h elm on e feels q u ite con fid en t. J . N . P e n t e l o w . ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A.C.D.— It was to the first county match to which reference was made. Cricket Notches. B y t h e R e v . R . S . H o l m e s . O K IN G b a ck a t th e p a st season su n d ry featu res o f in terest m a y b e n otice d . One is th is : n o b a tsm a n scored 2,600 runs, th o u g h a lm ost from start to fin ish w ick ets h a v e fa v o u re d batsm en . A n d o n ly on e b a tsm a n— M ead— has m ad e as m a n y as n in e centuries. Y e t th ere has b een as m u ch crick e t as ever. N o w in p re v iou s seasons several b a tsm en h a v e p a ssed th e 3,000 m ark , v iz ., H a yw a rd (tw ice) R a n jitsin h ji (tw ice), F ry , A b e l a n d T y ld e sle y ; a n d in a d d itio n 2,600 an d m ore runs h a v e b een m a d e n o less th a n n in e tim es. W h y , H a yw a rd a lon e has to p p e d th a t fig u re in fo u r d iffe re n t years, a n d he, F ry , R a n jitsin h ji, A b e l, T y ld e sle y , H irst, a n d (o f cou rse) W .G ., h a v e all b een cre d ited w ith m o re th an e ig h t th ree-fig u re inn ings in th e cou rse o f a season , F ry h a v in g 13 in 1901, H a yw a rd th e sam e n um b er in 1906. O n ly o n on e o cca sio n th is y e a r has a C o u n ty n o tch e d m o re th a n 600 runs in a n in n in gs, L a n ca ­ sh ire— 676 fo r 6 w ick ets a g ain st H am p sh ire— e n jo y in g this d istin ctio n . S o th e n th e b ow lers, sp ite o f th e w eath er, h a v e q u ite h eld th eir ow n , an d th a t is to m e in ten sely sa tisfa cto ry , m y s ym p a th y a lw a ys bein g en listed b y b ow lers, n o t b y ba tsm en . A n d y e t on e cam sin cerely con g ra tu la te several b a tsm en o n tak in g fu ll a d v a n ta g e o f th e sou n d w ick e ts, F ry , H a yw a rd , K in n eir, M ead , H a rd sta ff, J. W . H ea rn e a n d F o ste r h a v in g raised th eir a v erag e tw e n ty (m ore or less) p o in ts a b o v e th a t o f th e p re ce d in g season , w h ilst R h o d e s an d D e n to n a n d a few oth ers can sh ow m u ch b e tte r figures. M ead has a t la st fu lfilled e x p e cta tio n an d is n o w an E n g la n d b a tsm an . I f T y ld e sle y ’s figures sh ow a sm all sh rin kage, ow in g in p a rt to a d am a g ed a rm , w e m u st rem em ber th a t his a v era g e in 1911 is high er th a n in 1909. O ne re jo ice s th a t ou r vetera n cricketers ca n still h o ld th eir ow n a g ain st y ou n g e r riva ls, a lth o u g h it is desir­ ab le th a t fo r th e com in g A u stralian to u r th e la tter sh ou ld h a v e th e call. H a yw a rd , H irst an d T y ld e sle y can n ow rest o n th eir laurels. M a y th e y ou n ger gen eration be able to com p le te a career as distin gu ish ed , n o t o n ly fo r su sta in ed a b ility , b u t a lso fo r keen sp ortsm an sh ip . T h e n ou r n a tion al gam e is safe. I w a n t t o o ffe r a few su ggestion s w h ich h a v e o ccu rre d to m e w h ilst w a tch in g th e g am e th ro u g h this season. O f “ le g g in g ” on e has seen v e ry little in d e e d , a n d its disa p p ea ra n ce fr om first-class crick et is a d ecid ed gain. A t th e sam e tim e I am a n x io u s fo r an en la rgem en t o f th e l.b .w . law , a n d w o u ld in clu d e in it e v e ry ba ll, whether pitched on or o ff the w icket, w h ich w o u ld h it th e stum p s if th e b a tsm a n ’s legs w ere n o t in th e w a y . T his w o u ld be bare ju stice to ‘ 1breakin g ” bow lers a n d it w o u ld b e n o m o re d ifficu lt fo r um pires to g iv e a d ecision th a n it is fo r th em to sa y w h eth er a b a ll th a t p itch e s, sa y on th e o ff- stu m p , is break in g t o o m u ch t o h it th e le g stum p . O v er-th row s cred ited to a b a tsm a n are n o t sa tisfa cto ry : in m a n y cases h e does n o t d eserve th em , n o r o u g h t th e b o w le r’s an alysis to su ffer fr o m th em . H e re ’s a com m o n occu rren ce : a b a tsm a n p la y s a ball a n d his p artn er risks his w ick e t fo r th e sake o f m a k in g a ru n . A field er shies a t th e la tte r’s w ick e t, m isses it, a n d th e ba ll tra vels t o th e b o u n d a ry . N o w , if th a t o v e rth ro w sh o u ld b e cred ited to a b a tsm an , th e n on -strik er o u g h t to cla im it, he bein g ch ie fly resp on sible fo r it. B u t th e b ow le r is n o t to blam e fo r it. H e n ce m y d ecision th a t an o v e rth ro w sh ou ld co u n t as an “ e x tr a .” T h a t w o u ld b e fa ir b o t h t o b a tsm an and b ow ler. Y e t an oth er su ggestion . N e x t yea r w e shall h a v e th e T ria n gu la r C on test o v e r h e r e : T h ere w ill b e a ltog eth er n in e T e st m atch es p la y e d . N o w in th e cou rse o f three d ays w e m a y re a son a b ly estim a te th a t th ere w ill b e p resen t 5,000 m em bers o f th e clu b o n w h ose g ro u n d the m a tch com es o ff, or, a to ta l o f 45,000 m em b ers fo r th e w h ole series o f m atch es. ITp till n ow all th ose m em b ers h a v e e n jo y e d free adm ission , th eir tick e t co n ce d in g this p rivilege. M igh t