Cricket 1911

536 CEICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. S ept . 23, 1911. n o t th a t p riv ileg e b e w ith h e ld in 1912 ? W h y sh ou ld n o t every p erson p a y a t th e gate ? O f cou rse, o n ce w ith in th e g ro u n d m em b ers w o u ld still h a v e , as n o w , th e entree in t o th e P a v ilio n a n d su ch o th e r a d v a n ta g es as m em b er­ sh ip carries. S u rely th a t sh o u ld sa tisfy th em . S a y on e o f th e m atch es is g iv e n to L eed s, or an oth er tow n in Y o r k ­ sh ire. W e ll a t p resen t Y o rk sh ire C o u n ty m em bers p a y n o th in g at a T e st M atch in their co u n ty n o r d o the m em bers o f th e lo ca l clu b either. L o r d ’s w ill h a v e th ree m a tch es in 1912, th e O v a l tw o . N o w , a lth o u g h th e o ld er m em bers m ig h t resen t a n in n o v a tio n , I ca n n o t b e lie v e th e y w o u ld reg a rd a sh illin g ga te as an u n ju st ta x , e sp ecia lly as it w o u ld co n sid e ra b ly in crease th e am ou n t to b e d iv id e d am o n g th e cou n ties, m a n y o f w h om w o u ld w e lcom e this tim e ly relief t o their p resen t fin an cial strain. I am p ersu ad ed th at e a ch c o u n ty w o u ld th u s receiv e a t least £200 m o re th a n the p re se n t a rra n g em en t can fu rn ish. A n d it is in their beh a lf th a t I b eg to su b m it th is su gg estion to th e A d v iso ry B o a rd . N o b o d y w o u ld m iss th e sh illin g, a lth o u g h in th e aggregate th e sep arate sh illin gs w o u ld spell w ea lth to m o re th a n one stru g g lin g co u n ty . I am so rry th a t th e b e n e fit g iv en to R h o d e s has n o t rea lised e x p e cta tio n s ; it is a p ity th a t h e cou ld n o t h a ve b een h o n o u re d d u rin g Y o rk s h ir e ’s C h am p ion sh ip p eriod . O f la te th ere has b een a seriou s sh rin kage in th e County m em b ersh ip , a n d th a t o f cou rse m ean s few e r su bscrip tion s t o a beneficiaire. I w as p re p a re d fo r it. S ev en years ago w h en referrin g to th e in creased m em b ersh ip in th a t C o u n ty I said th a t ‘ ‘ it w as d u e t o th e series o f su ccessfu l seasons o n th e p a rt o f th e C o u n ty E le v e n . O n e d rea ds to a n ticip a te th e e ffe ct on th e C o u n ty m em b ersh ip o f a d e ca d e o f disasters t o Y o rk sh ire in th e crick e t fie ld .” A t on e tim e a Y ork sh ire crick eter w as sa tisfied if his b en efit y ie ld e d £300, b u t since P e e l h a d his m a tc h in 1894 th e m a rk has b een £2,000 as a m in im u m , H irst h a v in g n e tte d n o less th a n £3,503. T h a t, I ta k e it, w ill rem a in a re co rd fo r m a n y a y e a r, if n o t fo r all tim e. W h e n H a rry .Jupp, w h o w as S u rre y ’s grea t b a tsm a n fo r tw e n ty years— 1862 to 1881— retired , a N o r th v . S o u th m a tch w as set a p a rt fo r h im , a n d n o m o re th a n £450 resu lted fr om it. A fte r all said , a lth o u g h crick e t is n o t so p a y in g a p rofession as h orsem an sh ip or fo o tb a ll, ou r m o d e rn crick eter has a ro y a l tim e as c o n ­ tra ste d w ith his p red ecessors. M a n y o f th em o u g h t to h a v e b een b orn a t least tw e n ty years later. A crick eter ca n n ev er m a k e th e in com e o f a jo c k e y , a n d ju st becau se crick e t is a slow g am e— a first-class m a tc h ex ten d s ov e r th ree d a y s, a n d it is an a b so lu te ly clean sp ort. G am b lin g has n o t d ebased it, a n d in con seq u en ce p rofession a l cricketers n ev er sell a m a tc h , a lw a y s p la y to w in . H en ce o n e ’s en th u siasm fo r it. S o m e b o d y th e o th er d a y rem a rk ed th a t I w as ‘ ‘ m a d o n crick e t.” I d id n o t d e n y th e s o ft im p ea ch m en t, b u t sim p ly replied th a t a m a n w a s n o t w o r th his salt w h o w as n o t en th u siastic o v e r som eth in g th a t d id n o t y ield him b re a d a n d b u tte r, a n d th a t o n e ’s d a ily w o rk w o u ld be en rich ed b y ou r h a v in g a p u re a n d w h o le som e h o b b y like crick e t. C rick et is th e m o s t harm less fo rm o f m a n ia I am a cq u a in ted w ith . B e tte r crick e t-m a n ia th a n d ip so ­ m a n ia or k le p tom a n ia , or e v e n g olf-m a n ia ; fo r g olf, n o b le sp o rt as it is a n d m o st h e a lth -g iv in g , is m o re selfish th a n crick e t ; in th e fo rm e r y o u p la y fo r y o u r ow n h a n d , b u t in th e la tter fo r y o u r side. C om p arison s, h ow ever, are o u t o f p la ce here. A t th e sam e tim e, w h a t w ith C o u n ty C ham pionsh ip a n d T e st m a tch es, crick et is fa r less o f a recrea tion th a n it u sed to be, in w h ich th e fu n w as o fte n fa st an d fu riou s, a n d has b e com e a p erh ap s t o o serious business. I t has a lm o st ceased t o b e a sp o rt p u re a n d sim ple, an d is n ow a p rofession th a t y ield s an in com e d ire ctly or in d irectly . T h ere is m o n e y in it, or, w h a t is th e sam e th in g , it m a y m a k e a re p u ta tio n fo r a n am ateu r th ro u g h w h ich h e m a y a d v a n ce his com m ercia l p rosp ects. T his w as n o t alw a ys so. T h ere w as a tim e w h en am ateurs p la y e d fo r th e lo v e o f th e gam e, p a id th eir ow n expen ses, a n d n ev er th o u g h t o f d e v o tin g a w h o le sum m er to c r ic k e t ; p la y e d n o w an d th e n fo r re crea tion o n ly , fo llo w in g all th e tim e a p rofession . A s a n a b le w riter o n ce sa id : ‘ ‘ P e o p le w ere begin n in g to realise th a t u n foreseen p ossibilities b o th o f fam e an d fo rtu n e w ere in v o lv e d in th e su ccessfu l p u rsu it o f a gam e. If{o n e g en tlem a n co u ld m a k e crick e t, season a fter season , his osten sib le p rofession , w h y n o t an oth er ? ” H en ce veiled p rofession a lism , w h ich in m y ju d gm e n t is a serious b lo t o n crick et a n d ev ery o th er sp ort. Y o u m a y call a C o u n ty ca p ta in an am ateu r a n d trea t h im as such, bu t b y g iv in g h im £15 a m a tch , n o t th e ord in a ry p rofession a l’s fee, y o u are aid in g a n d a b e ttin g a cou rse w h ic h can result in n o th in g b u t disaster to crick e t as a sp ort. A fam ous am ateur— I w ith h o ld his n am e, b u t it is a h ou seh old w ord — on ce con fessed to m e th a t h e w as th o ro u g h ly tired of C o u n ty c r ic k e t ; it w as so d e a d ly serious, a business, n o t a recreation . H e m e n tio n e d tw o w e ll-k n ow n am ateur clubs, o f b o th o f w h ich he w as a m em b er, a n d said th at w h en h e w a n ted a really e n jo y a b le m a tch h e g o t it there. A n oth er— th e ca p ta in o f a Y o rk sh ire C ou n cil C lub, and as genu ine a sp ortsm a n as ev er ste p p ed o n t o a cricket field— said that a d a y w ith th e Y ork sh ire G en tlem en ’s C lub, th e m em bers o f w h ich w ere o u t to e n jo y th em ­ selves, d id him in fin itely m ore g o o d th an a w h ole season o f in ter-clu b crick et w h ere on e h eard o f little else b ey on d w in n in g th e C ham pionsh ip or earnin g the w o o d e n sp oon . F o r all this, crick et is t o m e as fa scin a tin g as it was in th e d a y s o f m y b o y h o o d . I lo v e it a n d th e m a n y friends it has b ro u g h t m e. A n d so a t th e close o f th is season of p e rfe ct w eath er a n d o f sp len d id sp o rt I g iv e all readers this to a st, “ C r ic k e t a n d C r ic k e t e b s .” W A R W I C K S H I R E v . E N G L A N D . ( Continued from page 526.) Played at the O val on September 11,12, 13 and 14 and won by England by an iunings and 365 runs.No interest remained in the match when play was continued on the fourth m orning, and before lunch the County were beaten by the m argin stated. Score and analysis : — First innings. W arwickshire . Second innings. F. G. Stephens, c Mead, b Dean ............. 13 b Hearne .......................... 24 Smith (E. JJ, b D e a n .................................... 0 lbw, b Rhodes ............... 3 Charlesworth, b Hearne ......................... 25 c and b Woolley ............... 12 Quaife, lbw, b Hearne ... ......................... 6 c Woolley, b Rhodes ... 36 P. R. Foster, c Strudwick, b Hearne ... 15b Woolley .................. 28 Baker, b Dean ... .............. ............. 25 notout ... .............20 G. W. Stephens, b Hitch ......................... 11 c Rhodes, b Woolley ... 0 Parsons, lbw, b Hearne...................................16 run out ......... 2 Santall, not o u t ............................................... 6 b Rhodes .......... 4 W. C. Hands, st Strudwick, b Dean ... 1b Woolley ... ... ... 0 Field, b H earn e............................................... 0 c Mead, b Rhodes............... 1 B S, lb 3 ....................................11 B 5, lb 2 .............. 7 Total ....................................129 Total ....................137 E ngland . R. H. Spooner, b Hands ............. 24 I Hearne (J. W.), b Santall.............. 52 Hobbs, c Smith, b Foster.............. 97 C. B. Fry, not o u t ......................... 102 Mead (C. P.), c Charlesworth, b Rhodes, not out ......................... 0 Santall ....................................101 B 5, lb 1, w 3, nb 2 ... 11 P. F. Warner, b Hands .............. 244 — Total (5 wkts * ... 631 * Innings declared closed. 1 2 3 4 5 41* 193 254 396 ’ 630 * First innings. W a r w ic k s h ir e . Second innings. 0. M. R. W . O. M. R. Hitch .............. 8 4 18 .................... . s 4 17 Dean .............. 15 4 34 .................... . 10 3 27 Hearne ............. 16-4 1 66 .................... . 8 2 20 W oo lle y...................... . 20 6 52 Rhodes ...................... . 10'3 5 14 E n g l a n d . O . M. R. W . O . M. R. Foster ............. 34 2 155 1 Quaife ... ... 18 1 63 Field .............. 48 8 181 0 Charlesworth ... 4 0 14 Hands .............. 28 4 89 2 Baker ... 4 0 30 Santall .............. 28 5 88 2 W. 0 0 1 4 4 W. 0 0 0 Foster, Santall and Charlesworth each bowled one wide and Field two no-balls. G E O R G E L E W I N «S (Established 1869.) Club Colour Specialists &A th letic Clothing Manufacturers OUTFITTERS BY APPOINTMENT To the M.C.C. West Indian XI., 1911 ; M.C.C. South African XI., 1909-10; the Australians, 1890, 1899 and 1902 ; Mr. Stoddart's XI., 1894-1895, 1897-1898; Mr. MaoLaren’s XI., 1901-1902; West Indian XI., 1900 and 1906 ; South African XI., 1901 and 1907 ; and M.C.C., Lancashire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Counties, Wanderers, Stoics, Bromley, Sutton, and all Public Schools’ Old Boys' Cluhs, and Queen’s Club.— Write for Estimates Free. WORKS CAMBERWELL. Telephone: P.O. Oity 60 7. 8, CROOKED LANE, MONUMENT, LONDON BRIDGE, E.C.