Cricket 1911

APRIL 2 2 ,1 9 1 1 . CR ICKET : A W EEK LY RECORD OP THE GAME. 79 Sharp is m a k in g a ca p ita l re co v e ry from his o p e ra tio n fo r app en d icitis, an d w ill p ro b a b ly b e fo u n d d o in g d u ty for L eicestershire early in th e season. H e has b een recu per­ atin g a t B rig h ton . E v e r y crick eter m u st h a v e h eard o f th e Ito b in so n fam ily, o f B a ck w ell H ou se, w h o h a v e certa in ly p la y e d m ore m atch es th a n a n y o th er fam ily eleven. T h ree o f the brothers— C. J ., A ., a n d T .— p la y e d in th eir tim e fo r S o m e r s e t; three m ore— I’ . G ., F . G ., a n d D . C .— h a v e in recen t years fig u red in th e G loucestershire eleven . M r. Jessop has la te ly expressed a h ig h o p in ion o f th e w ick e t- keeping ab ilities o f M r. D ou gla s Charles R o b in so n , on e o f th e y ou n g e st o f th e ba n d , w h o p la y e d in a few m atch es fo r G loucestershire in 1906 a n d 1907, represen ted E ssex un der the residen tia l q u a lifica tion in 1908, an d reap pea red fo r his n a tiv e c o u n ty in 1910. I t is lik ely th a t this gen tlem a n w ill figure m o re fre q u e n tly in the w estern c o u n ty ’s elev en in 1911, b u t m ilita ry duties w ill p re v e n t his tu rn in g o u t a t all regularly. H e has re ce n tly b e com e a m em b er o f the M .C.O., a n d w ill p la y fo r th e p rem ier clu b in tw o o f its earlier first-class m a tch es— th ose v . Y ork sh ire a n d K e n t. A . K e r m o d e , th e A u stralian w h o qu alified fo r L a n ca ­ shire som e years ago, tu rn ed ou t o n S atu rd a y la st fo r B acu p against A c cr in g to n an d m a d e his p resen ce fe lt b y tak in g five w ick ets fo r 24 run s in a to ta l o f 62. B a cu p replied w ith 73 fo r eig h t w ick ets, H a rry D ean , th e C ou n ty b ow ler, havin g to b e co n te n t w ith a n analysis o f tw o fo r 33. A t the end o f the season Northam ptonshire w ill meet Norfolk, the winners o f last year’s M inor Championship- Originally it was arranged for the m atch to be played at N orw ich, but it was decided later to give the gam e to Yarmouth. M e. B . C. G r e l l e t t , w ho has been engaged at the Oval as cricket coach, is an Old Bedfordian and Oxonian. Although better know n as a Rugby footballer— he is an old B lue— than as a cricketer, he has played with success for H ertfordshire, and last year ran up 137 against the M .C.C. at W atford. N e w s o f the death o f the ninth E arl of Carlisle, at H indhead on Sunday last, recalls the fact that his fam ily has produced more than one great enthusiast o f the game, though the late Earl him self was neither m uch interested in cricket nor a member o f the M .C.C. The fourth E arl— H en ry H ow ard (1694-1758)— learnt the gam e at E ton and was a keen player, though his name w ill not be found in any matches o f note. H e was a friend o f the cricket-loving Frederick, Prince o f Wales, and did m uch to raise the game from a pastime for the lower classes to one in which gentlemen m ight indulge w ithout loss o f dignity. E ven when at M annheim he w rote to George Selwyn that he was up, playing at cricket, before he (Selwyn) was out- o f bed. I t was in a letter addressed to the fourth E arl, from Petersham on August 13th, 1751, that R obert Ord, Chief Baron o f the E xchequer in Scotland, told an amusing anecdote concerning a m atch prom oted by the Duke o f Cumberland (‘•‘ Butcher ” ), the second son o f K ing George II. The reference to the game was in the follow ing w o r d s:— “ Y ou see in the papers that L ord Sandw ich has w on his m atch at cricket against the Duke, but what I think the best part o f the story is not told there. The Duke, to procure good players on his side, ordered 22 who were reckoned the best players in the country, to be brought to play before him , in order for him to choose 11 out of them . They played accordingly, and he chose 11. The other 11, being affronted at the choice, challenged the elect to play for a crown a head out o f their ow n pockets. The challenge was accep ted ; they played before the Duke, and the elect were beat all to nothing.” T he seventh E arl o f Carlisle was also fond o f cricket, and whilst L ord Lieutenant o f Ireland showed his interest in the game in m any ways. In the m atch at the V ice-R egal L odge, Dublin, in August, 1856, betw een the M .C.C. and 16 o f the V ice-R egal L odge he kept the score during part o f the time on each day. M r. F. R . F o s t e r , w ho has succeeded Mr. H . J. Goodw in as captain o f W arw ickshire, has already established him self as one o f the best all-round gentlem en players of the day, not­ withstanding that he has not yet attained his m ajority. Last season, when he was chosen for the Gentlem en v. Players matches, his form was so good that, if an Australian or South A frican team had been in this country then, he w ould have Photo by] [Hawkins , Brighton. Mr. FRANK FOSTER. stood a good chance o f being chosen for E n glan d— provided, that is, the Selection C omm ittee had exercised sound judgm ent. D uring the last year or two he has developed his batting con ­ siderably, but it is probable that for som e seasons to com e his