Cricket 1912

J une 1, 1912. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Men of the Moment. A r l in g t o n ’ s N a r r o w W in -— B eck to n a n d I lfo rd S tars — W ic k e t -K e e p e r s a n d B atsm en — B e l l ’ s D e a d l y D e l iv e r ie s — C o n n o r th e A ll - r o u n d e r — T h e C e n t u r y M a k e r s — a n d a H o r n se y P e r f o r m e r . B y S u re C a tc h . The question I asked in the last issue of C r ic k e t — who is going to be the first to make a catch off Freddy Wiles slow bowling ?— has been specially answered by Harold Halse, who in the Arlington match with Bainham, running from deep mid-off, made a fine catch from a straight drive. In this match at Bainham there were several stirring happenings. In addition to the first catch of the season being made off Wiles’ bowling, Walter Buffels, with his medium pace deliveries, surprised everyone by capturing 5 wickets for 19. J. Hoare, one of the keenest of all round cricketers, not only bowled finely, but he practically won a most exciting match for his side by one run, by playing a delightful innings of 50, and Miles showed that he can keep wicket in excellent style. No one is more pleased with Hoare’s success than I am. A most unassuming young player with abilities well above the average, Jack is a top class fielder in any position. Quite a good bowler, with a low action, and an occasional deceptive slow ball, Hoare is often successful in breaking up a troublesome partnership. At the crease he stands almost upright. His defence is sound, and when set he scores freely by means of strong driving. His off drive is particularly a stroke that earns him a number of fine fours. S ome B e c k to n a n d I lfo r d S t a r s . I doubt very much at the present moment if any player is showing better form than Swann of Beckton. Swann is an old Leyton Park player, who has improved his batting immensely since going to Beckton. For the Essex Second Eleven he has made some very big scores, and in his last three matches for Beckton he has put against his name in the scoring book nearly 300 runs. A tall, strongly- built athlete, Swann presents a real picture at the crease. He wields a very straight bat, and picks out the right ball to hit with admirable discretion. To a strong defence Swann joins remarkable driving powers, and he can also cut well and get the ball nicely away on the on side. In fact the Beckton batsman is quite up to county form, and I cannot understand why Essex do not give him a good trial in the county team. Possibly the most remarkable feature of the present club cricket season has been the exceptional match-winning qualities shown by the Ilford players. In every match some new star has come to the front. First it was Weaver, Louden and Eastwood. Then it was Hon. Sec. Spelling, and now Capt. Alf Porter has come into the limelight with a rare not out century. The styles of these men are strikingly different. For instance, Weaver is a slow left hand bowler, who makes the ball play all sorts of unexpected tricks. Louden is the exact opposite to Weaver. He bowls at a great pace and hits with such astonishing power that even so experienced a bowler as Charlie Wells had a little matter of 80 hit off 48 of his deliveries ! Louden is a giant who thoroughly believes in sixes. Eastwood is a left hander with a resolute defence and a number of fine quick scoring shots. Hon. Sec. Spelling belongs to the all-round brigade. He is a good bowler and a dashing batsman. One of the quick scorers, Spelling can defend his wicket solidly, and his driving when set enables him to score at a tremendous pace. The captain Alf Porter, is one of the steady, reliable men. He is a real leader, and although his scoring shots on the off side are not numerous he is very clever at getting the ball away to the boundary on the leg side. W ic k e t - K e e p e r s a n d B a ts m e n . In London club cricket there are some remarkable clever wicket-keepers and batsmen, who not only score a large number of runs, but perform exceptional feats behind the stumps. One of the best of these useful men is Ling, the Brentford goalkeeper, who plays regularly for Boston Park. Against Brondesbury Ling played a delightful innings of 65. A t the crease Ling is a batsman with a very steady defence and a fine variety of scoring strokes. He is also exceptionally smart with the gloves. On the leg side he takes the ball well, and if there is half a chance of stumping a batsman the bails are whipped off at a lightning pace. E. G. Bead, of Heathfield, is another clever wicket-keeper, and a quick scoring batsman. Hadden, of Beckton, bats beautifully, and keeps wicket in excellent style, and Goddard, of Southend, if not a stylish batsman, gets runs consistently and plays a reliable part behind the stumps. B e l l ’ s D e a d l y D e l iv e r ie s . For a medium-paced bowler I fancy you would have to search a long time before a better man than B. M. Bell was discovered. The Sutton leader is also a useful batsman, but it is as a bowler that Bell appeals to me most. He has a nice easy delivery, and takes only a few little steps to the crease. He bowls with a high action and puts plenty of top spin on the ball. This causes it to break quickly from the leg, and as he is a master of length it is not surprising, in two matches, even against such a strong side as Dulwich, to hear that he has captured 17 wickets for 138 runs. C o n n o r , th e A l l - r o u n d P l a y e r . London is rich in all-round cricketers this season, and one of the best of them is E. Connor, of South West Ham. Connor played a great innings of 90, and captured 0 wickets for 14, against North Paddington. This is the first intimation Connor has given this season of being in his usual form. Some years ago Connor was tried by Essex, but directly he began to get wickets and make runs he was dropped. A born cricketer with the style of a county player, Connor is a free batsman, who uses the forward stroke largely in defence of his wicket. He cuts well, drives with power, and gets the ball well away on the leg side. As a bowler he is above medium pace. With a nice easy action he keeps a good length and can at times make the ball come back very quickly from the pitch. His most dangerous delivery is that which pitches outside the off stump, and hits the leg and middle peg. T h e C e n t u r y M a k e r s . Bichmond Park have in Greig one of the most successful run getters in London. Greig scored 79 not out against Cricklewood. He has a nice style at the wicket, possesses a strong defence and knows how to make effective scoring shots all round the wicket. Ealing have in Gunning and Tolkien an excellent pair of century makers. Gunning is one of those solid batsmen who never look like getting out. He always gets the ball in the middle of the bat, and knowing how to pick out the hittable ball he is invariably to be relied upon for a big score. I regard Gunning as one of the safest batsmen in London club cricket. Tolkien is more dashing. He plays right on top of the bowler all the time, and with his steady defence and fine variety of scoring strokes he is always a most difficult man to get out or to keep from registering runs quickly. A H o r n se y P e r f o r m e r . Alf. Thornton, one of my oldest cricket friends, has come right back to his old form, and with J. Phillips he scored 100 for Manor Park Constitutional’s first wicket against West Essex. Thornton possesses a very solid defence and plays a really fine leg stroke, but on the off he is not too strong, although I have more than once seen him make lovely cuts. In North London I should say one of the greatest all-round club cricketers is G. W. Hammond, of Hornsey. Hammond is not only a dashing batsman, but he bowls with consistent success. He has an easy action, and makes the ball whip up off the pitch at such a great pace that at times he is quite unplayable. Cocke, of Pallingswicke, is another rapid scorer. He hits all round the wicket in fine style, as does Hugill, the Upper Clapton worker. Hugill plays with a very straight bat, and gets the ball away with plenty of power.