Cricket 1912

174 CEICKET : A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. M ay 25, 1912. game, though W. N. Riley had previously done good service by sharing in a partnership of 92 for the fifth. Kidd’s 167 in about 4 hours, despite a chance at 84, was a really fine innings, including a 6 and twenty-two 4’s, and marked by power and precision. Knight, the Leatherhead crack, bowled capitally. On the other side—H. P. Chaplin, P. Cartwright, Cox, and Butt were lacking, by the way— Killick, the brothers Relf, Vine, and Leach all did something with the bat, and their side ought to score heavily some time before lon£, for none of these men has lost his ability. The Hope of Sussex made a leg-glance for three in the first innings, and then was run o u t; in the second he showed more than a glimpse of his old form. Killick and Leach put on 57 for the last wicket on the first day. Albert Relf’s bowling analysis speaks for itself. W o r c e t e r s h ir e v. H am p sh ire. —Owing to rain, play did not begin till 3 o’clock on Thursday. Pearson was in great form again—102 in 160 minutes by the best of cricket. Bowley and Arnold supported him so well that the first wicket realised 81 (in 55 minutes) and the second 114. The most striking incident of the succeeding cricket up to the close of the innings, though W. B. Burns and Burrows hit out well, was the splendid catch by which Johnston dismissed the home side’s captain from a big hit. Hampshire replied in gallant fashion. Burrows had Bowell lbw with his first ball of the county season, and 6 were down for 177 ; but then Kennedy stayed, and helped Mead to add 80 for the seventh. Mead’s excellent, though sedate, 135 took him just over 3^ hours. On the Saturday runs had to be fought for. Hesketh-Pritchard, playing his first county match since 1907, bowled in deadly form, and the home side succumbed for 80. Hants wanted 92 to win. Presumably Worcestershire had no one capable of getting as much out of the pitch as the tall explorer, for after two wickets had fallen cheaply Bowell and Mead hit off the rest of the runs required. G lo u c e s t e r s h ir e v. W a r w ic k s h ir e . — The first day’s play was slow. Even Jessop didn’t hurry. Eight of the home side got doubles, but no one reached 40. Santall again bowled w ell; this veteran seems as good as ever. Smith, who had done nothing with the bat thus far this year, stayed nearly three hours and played an excellent innings of 99 ; Quaife and Baker also batted capably. Two more veterans, Board and C. O. H. Sewell, were chief scorers in Gloucestershire’s second. The pro. made 53 out of 91 in a trifle over an hour ; the new secretary—the crack bat of the First South African Team eighteen years ago, a fact which justifies one in dubbing him a veteran—scored 85 in 160 minutes. Willie Quaife’s slows were very effective at the end, and the little man was again prominent when his side went in to get 132 to win ; in fact, but for his steadiness George Dennett’s excellent bowling might well have upset the champions’ apple-cart. M id d le s e x v. L a n ca s h ire . — Tarrant a n l young Hearne, who had been doing fine work in other matches, accomplished little in their county's first championship game ; and Warner’s 105* (3 hrs. 25 min., the only chance one of stumping) so far out­ distanced everything else done for the beaten side that only Dr. A. R. Litteljohn’s well-got, steady 40* (in 85 minutes) and Murrell’s hard-hit 41 (the wicket-keeper helped his captain to add 81 for the eighth wicket) seem worth mentioning beside it. For the County Palatine R. H. Spooner and Sharp added 92 for the fourth wicket, and the amateur made his 71 in 100 minutes, quite in his best form. Ernest Tyldesley, who looks like justifying his brother's high estimate of his ability, scored 83 in practically fault­ less style. Huddleston bowled particularly well in Middlesex’s first innings, and Dean did good work in both. The last-named will probably play for England before the season ends. Brooke made five catches behind the wicket, and is evidently really good. Y o r k s h ir e v. S o u th A fr ica n s .— Probably the new chums in the Afrikander team have by this time had enough samples of English weather, and would like to be allowed to pick the kind they fancy— if any—and be assured of a decent continuance of it. At Hudders­ field there was 50 minutes play on the first day, and three wickets fell, all to Hirst, with only 26 runs scored. On the second morning Hartigan played a good steady innings of 57, and White (two 6’s, five 4’s) made his 49 by his usual dashing methods in about an hour. Yorkshire, going on very nicely indeed, thanks—Denton had shared in partnerships of 45 with Wilson, 78 with Drake, and 60 with Hirst, and had played a fine innings of 82 in 115 minutes— were suddenly checked by Pegler, who performed the hat trick at the expense of the Thornes man, Tasker, and Booth. But Hirst and Haigh stopped the rot. The latter seems a better bat than ever, though not quite the bowler of old, perhaps; his faultless 62* was made in 76 minutes. The County led by 147 runs. There was a period when an inning’s defeat for the Afrikanders looked quite on the cards, in spite of a capital 40 by Herbert Taylor. But Frank Mitchell presented a broad bat to the bowlers of his own county, and with good help from Pegler and Ward—the eighth wicket adding 66 and the tenth 43—took his side out of danger, though if Drake had caught Pegler with his score at 9 the result might have been different. Rhodes is not quite a spent force as a bowler even yet—or Mitchell as a batsman. Rhodes took 6 for 102; Mitchell played him quite easily, and twice hit him for six. W a rw ick sh ire v. S u ssex .— Not a great match. Sussex cannot get going yet, and the champions were not extended. Again Philip Cartwright was highest scorer for his side ; Simms, Vine, and Robert Relf made a few runs, but in general the batting was terribly dis­ appointing. T. H. W. Curtis, of the Martlets, made his first appearance for the county, but did nothing. Smith again top-scorer for Warwickshire in their first innings ; Charlesworth, Baker, and E. B. Crockford did very well also. Field—the best fast bowler in England, to my mind—bowled finely in both innings, and Quaife puzzled all the batsmen in the second. Oh, buck up, Sussex! Y o r k s h ir e v. K e n t. —No play at Leeds on Monday, owing to rain. On Tuesday Yorkshire failed before fine bowling by Woolley on a wicket that was dead and slow, but not really difficult. Wilson batted 105 minutes for 36, Tasker 70 for 17. Humphreys aud Hardinge began slowly, but later the former hit well, and the York­ shire total was passed with all ten wickets in hand. But Kent only scored first innings points, for rain on Wednesday again prevented play. D e rb y s h ir e v. L a n ca sh ire . —The home side lacked its captain. The first day’s play was limited to 2£ hrs., during which Lancashire ran up 175 for 5, Hartley batting 80 minutes for an excellent 55. On Tuesday the total was increased to 294, Ernest Tyldesley carrying his bat for a very steady 63. Only Morton did much for the Peak County; his 70, chanceless, and made in 90 minutes, was rare value. Derbyshire saved the follow-on, and had one wicket outstanding at call of time, which hindered Lancashire from bagging first innings’ points, as rain closured the match on Wednesday. S u r r e y v. G lo u c e s t e r s h ir e .— Hayes—345 overs, 101 runs, 13 wickets—8 for 22 in the first! Amazing! Pretty useful bowler, E. G . H., but no one would have expected such a performance from him It overtopped everything else in the match, though Ducat and his captain added 187 runs in 105 minutes, and Harrison and Strud­ wick put on 89 for the eighth wicket. Ducat batted just over 2£ hours, was missed in the slips at 26, drove grandly, and hit two 6’s, three 5's, and fourteen 4’s. Bird only took about 2 hours to make his level century, gave no chance, played splendid dashing cricket, and hit a six and thirteen 4’s. His batting just now is England form ; but—is his fielding? One would like to see him a little more strenuous in that branch of the game. An interesting first appearance for the Western County was made by W. W . Hoskin, the Rugger crack; but he did nothing. Except young Dipper and C. O. H. Sewell—the pro. batted steadily and well in both innings, and Sewell hit finely for his 55 in the follow-on, he and Dipper adding 106 runs in an hour for the second wicket— indeed, no Gloucestershire player did much, a 30 by Huggins being the only other score over 20. Oxford University v. South A fricans.—Rain robbed the Dark Blues of what might have been a notable victory. It was quite A. J. Evans’s match ; he has never shown finer all-round form. He and the Gaekwad of Baroda were the principal run-getters in Oxford’s first. Naumann, the Malvernian, helped the Indian to add 60 runs for the seventh wicket; but the best partnership was the 68 of Vidler and Lister-Kaye for the last. Pegler bowled best. Nourse alone did much for the Afrikanders ; he was as solid and safe as ever, making 94 in 2£ hours. Campbell helped him to add 49 for the ninth wicket. Evans had 5 for 73, aud bowled really well. Three Oxford batsmen went for 20. Then Evans came to the rescue. Knott gave capital aid, and these two added 128 for the fourth wicket in 100 minutes. .Colman, the Eton freshman, helped to add 96 more before Evans was out for 107, including eighteen 4’s, and made in 2£ hours. The innings was declared next morning, the colonials being set 343 for victory. Rain prevented a finish, but Taylor batted very well indeed. It was good to see Cox getting a chance at last, and taking wickets. M.C.C. v. A u s tr a lia n s .— The premier club put a strong team into the field, but its first inning’s show was very dissappointing. Fry and Douglas put up 49 for the first wicket, which was quite the best stand of the innings; after lunch seven wickets went down in 80 minutes before Kelleway and Hazlitt for 58. Again the Australians had mainly Macartney and Bardsley to thank for their good score. Coming together with 2 down for 15, the brilliant pair added 190 in less than 2 hours. Macartney’s 74 included eleven 4’s ; he gave only one chance. Bardsley batted just over 3 hours, showing splendid cricket on what was never a plumb wicket, and hit eighteen 4’s, be­ sides a 6 off Littlejohn. In the second M.C.C. innings Fry and Douglas sent up 80 for the first wicket, and nearly everyone else