Cricket 1912

132 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M a t 11, 1912. Big Matches of the Week. May 1 to 8. M.C.C. v . N o t t s . The presence in the M.C.C. team against Notts, of three members of the South African side was enough to give the match more than ordinary interest ; but besides this the club side included England captains in Charles Fry and John Douglas, the novelist-explorer Hesketh- Prichard—-it is good to see him back in the cricket field— Basil Foster, actor and rackets crack, Bertie Chaplin, the Sussex skipper, and Tarrant. Never before in this game, which so often opens the Lord’s season, has there been such a total as 472 run up by a side. M.C.C. scored practically all down the list. Tancred and Tarrant— chiefly Tancred— made 93 in 85 minutes for the first wicket. Those two mighty men, Aubrey Faulkner and Charles Fry, added 191 for the third, the Afrikander batting just over 3 hours, and making eighteen 4’s, the old Oxonian 2 J hours with eight 4’s. Neither gave a chance. Foster’s 48 was special value. Iremonger did far and away best for Notts., making some of the runs that ho failed to make in his few chances down under. A level hundred for once out is a good start. A. B. Crawford, who played for Warwickshire last year, and Alletson did a little hitting ; Jones made runs, but not in real A. O. form. Ilesketh-Prichard showed in the first innings that Patagonia and Labrador have not taken away his bow ling; Tarrant bowled finely in the follow-on. S u r r e y v . N o r t iia n t s . A poor, slow start— some good bowling by Hitch—a capital century by Ernest Hayes, whom Ducat aided to the tune of 112 for the third wicket—some remarkably good googlies from John Denton, mixed with some soft stuff, which perhaps made them all the more effective— a stand of 100 for the fifth wicket by the same fine little all-rounder and George Thompson— and a draw owing to rain : so much for the first county match of 1912. Rain was badly needed ; but they have plenty of water laid on at the Oval, and could dispense with it there. Sunday would be a very good day for heavy rain. The Denton twins are going to be a big asset toNorthants cricket. William, though slow, was the best man on the side in the first innings, and John has wonderful wrists. Little “ Fanny ” Walden is another man who should be very useful— he is not afraid to hit, and is very nippy in the field. F r e s h m e n ’ s M a t c h a t C a m b r id g e . K idd and Mulholland captained and fielded, but did not bat—a veritable self-denying ordinance. Bowlers did not show up much, though thirteen men in the field slowed down the scoring. Vincent (Haileybury) played defensive cricket ; Calthorpe (Repton) hit. T. B. Wilson (brother to F. B., captain of Cambridge a few years ago), R. B. Lagden (Marlborough), Fairbairn (from Australia), Woosnam (Winchester), and Edge (Rossall) made lots of runs for K idd’s team, the latter two adding 137 together. On Saturday play went on in a cold rain, and Knight (Leatherhead) and Morrison (Charterhouse) both batted well ; but before four o ’clock everyone had had enough, and stumps were drawn. S e n io r s ’ M a t c h a t O x f o r d . There were two scores of 92 in the first innings of Crutchley’s side, the Gaekwad of Baroda showing excellent form all round, and being especially clever to leg, and G. D. Forrester shaping well. Rockliff, the Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar, bowled best. The feature of the game when Hosie’s side went in was the bowling of G. D. Wood, with whom no one seemed able to do anything. In the follow-on, however, Knott, who must surely get his blue this year, and Foljambe scored freely at the start. T r ia l M a t c h a t C a m b r id g e . Saville, Grierson, Hylton-Stewart (suffering from a strain), Turnbull, Edge and Wilson were all absentees. K idd and Holloway got most of the X V I’s wickets, and we know all about Kidd and Holloway already—neither great, but useful at any time, something more in their day, perhaps. Mulholland hit freely, and Susskind showed, something like his old school form, which he may yet justify. B. P. Nevile (Lincs.) bowled well. In the second innings of the X V I Lagden—who should be a snip for a freshman’s blue—showed up well. D e r b y s h ir e v . S o u t h A f r ic a n s . It was a great pity, for the sake of the gate, that there should have been no play at Derby on the Saturday. The South Africans’ agreement to continue the match until Wednesday ensured a finish, but did not make up for the lost shekels. On the whole, the colonial team came out of a pretty difficult ordeal very well. Derbyshire is not a specially strong side, of course ; but the rain-sodden wicket was all against men accustomed to play upon matting, often stretched over metal-hard ground. Faulkner and Carter bowled finely ; Tancred, Snooke, and Nourse in the first innings, and the last-named two, with Strieker and Faulkner (who added 77 for the second wicket) in the second, batted at least tolerably well. From the county’s point of view Cadman’s capital 53 in 80 minutes, Morton’s really fine bowling, and the stand of 71 in 55 minutes by Humphries and Warren on the Tuesday, wore the chief features. Warren’s bowling was lost to his side owing to a split finger—real Derbyshire luck th a t! E n g la n d v . T h e R e s t . Fine sides, and a fine day’s cricket on Monday! Hobbs, in great form, and Fry added 78 for the second wicket; Spooner, quite at his best, and young Jack Hearne, that boy with the old head on his youthful shoulders, put on 132 for the sixth. It was rough luck for Hearne that the tail end could not stay long enough to let him reach his century. Clarke’s analysis was nothing much, but when he first went on he bowled some very puzzling balls, and through­ out he was handicapped by a damaged finger. On Tuesday there was a short day’s play — an admirable innings by Humphreys, who may yet play for England, a capital 31 by Albert Relf, and the hat trick by Barnes, being its chief features. Seymour, c. and b. to a fine catch, Hayward, easily caught, Sharp, clean bowled—a rare haul for Sid of Staffordshire, that! When the Best followed on Humphreys again did well, he and John Sharp, also in fettle, making a three-figure stand for the third wicket. No one did anything big after they were parted, and in the end England won with an innings to spare. It is regrettable that “ Eazor ” Smith should have been injured. The last few days have been prolific of injuries to bowlers. S u s s e x v . S o m e r s e t . On what appeared to be a perfectly plumb wicket the home side gave a disappointing show against some excellent bowling by W . T. Greswelland Lewis, and looked to have • lost the match before lunch on the first day. Only Vine made any real s t a y ; and he did stay — 130 minutes for 28 ! Not that one blames him for his slowness ; he was playing the game. Both Greswell and Lewis swerved in difficult fashion. M. P. Bajana, who played a few times for the All Indian team, Braund and Lewis, who added 62 together, Poyntz, who drove finely, and Bobson, all made useful scores for Somerset. Bajana has a very nice knack of cutting. At the outset Sussex batting again, did little better than in the first innings ; but later Philip Cartwright scored 58—a big proportion of the total of 148, and an augury of a good season for the left-hander. Chaplin collided with a fields­ man, and had to retire, but finished his innings later. Lewis again bowled finely. Wanting only 56 to win, Somerset pulled it off by 6 wickets, and in spite of a blank second day the game was over early on the third afternoon. Not since 1906 has it chanced to the Westerners to lead off with a win. Greswell’s return means much to them. On the home side—which lacked Albert Relf— Street played instead of Butt, and Bowley was given a trial. M.C.C. v. Y o r k s h ir e . To start with the M.C.C. had 5 down for 16. B. S. Foster’s 41 was the only innings of note. Hirst bowled in great form. As with the club so with the county, the later batsmen did best. The longest stand of the match was the 62 by Haigh and Dolphin for Yorkshire’s last wicket. John King, always to be relied upon to get something out of a dubious wicket, bowled finely. Foster was again top