Cricket 1912

236 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J u n e 15, 1912. Club Cricket Notes and Jottings. W ill Hon. Secs, please note that score-sheets and order- of-going-in cards are obtainable from these offices at 3d. per dozen each ? Or score-sheets needed for sending in reports to C r ic k e t only will be forwarded free, together with a supply of envelopes addressed to the Editor. Advertisements of vacant dates will be given at one shilling per insertion for four lines or less, threepence per line for anything in excess of four. Early forwarding of scores will be greatly appreciated, and so will notes as to long partnerships, good bowling analyses, and the like. Among the centuries in last week’s cricket, despite all the rain, w ere:— M. F. S. Jewell, 105, Worcestershire Gentlemen v. Shropshire Gentlemen. Hon. L. H. Tennyson, 117, 1st Coldstreams v. 2nd Coldstreams. Dr. Holton, 104, Essex Club and Ground v. Chalkwell Park. C. C. G. Wright, 170, Band of Brothers v. E.M .A. F. H. Gresson, 122*, The Grange (Crowboro’) v. Sussex Martlets. Spring, 375, Surrey Club and Ground v. Bichmond. Captain Fisher, 123, Hounslow Garrison v. Incogniti. Mansel Smith, 112, Northbrook (Lee) v. Bromley Town. Spring is a natural hitter who would have found a regular place in most county sides easily enough. His 175 against Bichmond on Thursday contained two 6’s and eighteen 4’s. Many would prefer a man who can hit like this to some of the more sedate Surrey per­ formers ; but it must be admitted that Spring has scarcely done himself justice in tbe county’s first eleven. Boston Park’s victory by 57 runs over M.C.C. on Thursday was a capital performance, A. S. Ling’s 54 and A. Underwood’s bowling being the chief factors in it. There was a good deal of club cricket during the week; but the rain washed all the interest out of most matches. Here and there biggish Scores were run up because bowlers could not keep their footing, or fieldsmen hold a slippery ball, but definite results were not very frequent. And on Saturday matters were worse than ever. Whether a side got a game or not depended upon the sub-soil. After the week’s drenching only those grounds which allow the water to get away easily were fit to play upon. Where clay is in evidence the conditions were wretched. Well, we wanted the rain, and we have had it; don’t let us grumble too much if we got a little mote than we asked for. The Sutton Club was among the lucky ones, for most of the rain had missed Sutton, and the ground was in quite decent condition. G. H. Hadfield (4 for 10), B. M. Bell (3 for 35), and Maurice Jewell (3 for 51) bowled so well that Norbury Park Wanderers could only make 119, F. S. Bussell being top scorer. , Sutton replied with 225 for 8, Hadfield, who has represented Surrey, playing an excellent innings of 67. His all-round form in this match was the more note­ worthy as it was the first time he had turned out this season. A. B. Bead, the old Sherborne captain, played a nice inniugs of 34. He will be lost to Sutton henceforth, unless for fugitive appearances, as he goes into the Army. During the afternoon all the aeroplanes in the great Air Derby went over the Sutton ground; but I understand that no one objected very strongly to the interruptions thus caused. Old Charlton lost to Blackheath by 75. The top scorer on each side made 63; but Woffenden was better supported than Lambert. As the first-named took five of the losers’ wickets he had a great hand in the win. Gradidge’s slows had five for Old Charlton, Pitt stumping three off them. A. J. Pitt (O.C.) was caught C. A. Pitt (B.), and C. A. Pitt (B.) was stumped A. J. Pitt (O.C.)— a curious coinci­ dence. “ A. E. Stoddart, did not bat.” So one reads at the foot of the Hampstead score-sheet. What memories it arouses of the days when A. E. S, plaved for Hampstead, not for Queen's Club, and did bat—just didn’ t he I In 1885 (vide p. 434 of Vol. IV ., C r ic k e t ) he went in 20 times, made 1,655 runs, and averaged 82-75—highest score, 485. In 1886 he totalled 1862, average 155-16. In 1888 he was in Australia. In 1889 his total was 874, and his average 62-42, in 1890, 4l8 and 41-80; in 1891, 979 and 42-56 (he took 105 wickets that year); in 1892, 1,053 and 65-81 (besides 80 wickets). In 1893 he only played seven innings (average 111-60), in 1894 he averaged '64-90, in 1895, 48-57; in 1897, 75-28; in 1898, 48-00; in 1899, 104 84 (1,363 runs) • in 1900, 72 ; in 1902, 48-63. But this will be regarded in these days of rush and scramble as ancient history. It is strange how seldom one sees Stoddart’s name mentioned when heroes of the past are descanted upon nowadays. Yet he was one of the very greatest, a far finer bat than some of those who are named more often. The feature of Saturday's play at Hampstead was a really fine innings of 76 by B. G. D. Howell, the old Felstedian, Cantab, and St. Andrew’s, Eastbourne, master. A friend of mine who was a junior at Felsted in Howell’s time as a senior remembers B. G. D. as the pattern perfect, an example to his house and to the school, and wielding powerful influence as the athletic prefect always does if of strong character. Throughout his Felsted days, I am told, Howell only once came up for punishment, and then he was guilty merely by a technicality. Some of the fellows in his house had come back from a mudlarking game of footer, and proceeded to amuse themselves by picking the mud off their boots and throwing it at the ceiling. Howell took no share in this, was not even present, I believe, but was held to have sinned in not preventing it. “ Oh, you nasty, dirty fellow ! ” said Mr. Dalton again and again as he laid into the mud-slingers. My informant still wriggles his shoulders as he tells the story. Old Merchant Taylors—with S. A. Trick and John Baphael in the team—put up an excellent score of 223 for 7 at Chigwell, E. N. Fuller scoring 82, and then, thanks chiefly to G. W . Foreman, dis­ missed the home side for the paltry total of 31. Old Whitgiftians had a fine win over Catford. G. A. Ellis and Carter Pegg, the captain and hon. Bee.—or the skipper and the mate, shall we say ?— put up 66 for the first wicket. A. G. Newcombe and Ellis made another stand for the third, the former hitting very hard indeed. Ellis’s excellent 82 came principally from hard driving and cutting. At 200 for 8 he declared; and W. B. Bannerman (4 for 41) and H. J. Warner (4 for 46) bowled so well that Catford were dismissed for 114. The O. W .’s have not had too much luck lately, and this victory over a good side must have been very welcome. On a very slow wicket at Fulham the home side, Goldsmith and Fryer bowling, disposed of Addiscombe for 69, and then made 82, the famous footballer top scorer with 20. At Dulwich the home side —P. H. Slater a fine 80, Bridger 7 for 14—were all over Hampton Wick. They declared at 190 for 4, and disposed of the W ick for 58. Honor Oak beat Crofton Park in very similar fashion, except for the absence of a declaration— 182 to 50. But Crofton Park had two men absent. Albemarle and Friern Barnet, against Townley Park, at Dulwich, were four short. This sort of thing should not happen. A man ought to turn up unless told definitely his match is off. No play was possible till past four o’clo ck ; then Townley Park tumbled out for 38 (W. Walton 6 for 23, Lyon 4 for 13); and the noble seven made 56, Lyon, after a let-off, top-scoring with 21. Arlington and Leytonstone, whose luck is dead out, lost by 25 runs to Wickford, in spite of having first innings. Here also four men failed to materialise, and substitutes were, played—a fact which probably cost the visitors the match. There had been a lot of rain in town, but none since early morning at Wickford. Walter Buffels batted well for his 24, and Winmill’s 45 for Wickford was quite a good innings. C. Beal finished off the home team’s innings by taking the last four wickets for three runs in the course of 16 balls. A. G. Lucy played right through the innings for 54 (West Kent Wanderers A v. Crescent). He is in rare form just now. Allan Cleaver hit lustily for 38, and was well caught on the boundary from a characteristic slam. Arthur Lugg, with 29 and four wickets, did good all-round work. Crescent, two short, went down to some good bowling and really fine fielding, for 114, and lost by 34 runs. At Crickiewood, Greville beat Coningsby by 30 runs—97 to 67— the feature of the game being the bowling of A. G. Jannings—8 for 6 1 Battersea played a draw with White House—crowd better than the weather. That was wretched ; but the spectators turned up in spite of it. A. Jeacocke, P. Burke, and A. Cole scored so well that White House were able to declare at 150 for 3, and then A. and P. Jeacocke bowled so well as to give their side quite the best of the draw. Our representative visited the L. & N. W. B. ground on Saturday, but fouud the match with Wolverton had been scratched —rather a pity, as it happened, for the afternoon was fine, though there had been little promise during the morning, and it had not seemed worth while to bring a team so far for nothing. Alec Houghton, the railway team’s captain, chanced to be there, and C r ic k e t ’ s emissary had a good talk with him, and was shown the new pavilion—a solid, roomy structure on the opposite side of the ground to the old one. The