Cricket 1912

240 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OP THE GAME. .Tune 15, 1912. to the Jamaica Cricket Council. Arthur, who comes between these two, has been less notable on the field than in the committee room. He was secretary o f Jthe Kingston C.C. and also of the Jamaica Challenge Cup Committee (for many years the governing cricket body of the island), and only relinquished those positions when he left Jamaica for Canada. In 1902 and again in 1905 he had in his hands the arrangements for the reception and entertainment of the English teams visiting the island ; and Messrs. B. J. T. Bosanquet, E. W . Dillon, Or. H. Simpson-Hayward, A. P. Somerset, C. P. Eoley, and other members of those teams will doubtless remember him well. It was in the summer of 1906 that he transferred his activities to Winnipeg, and joined the Wanderers C.C., for which he has played ever since, being a member of the side which went through the season of 1911 undefeated. He is also a vice-president of the Wanderers. In 1908, when the Winnipeg C.A. was reorganised he became its secretary, with excellent results. In 1910 he organised the Western Canada C.A., and made it his first duty as secretary to bridge the gulf between Eastern and Western Canada. In this endeavour he met with complete success. The differences needed tact and forbearance to overcome ; but there was no real unwillingness on either side to the establishment of friendly relations. To-day, by virtue of a special arrangement of alternate headship, the West has the control of Canadian cricket, and next year the match between Canada and the United States will for the first time be played at Winnipeg. Arthur Morrison has regularly represented the Western Canada C.A. at the meetings held in Toronto during the last two years, and he made a firm stand against the proposal to drop the international match. He thinks that its success would be in no doubt if both teams were more genuinely representative. The match ought to be really Canada v. U.S., not Ontario v. Philadelphia, as has too often been the actual case. Each season the Western Canada C. A. holds an interprovincial tournament. This year British Columbia will join the three prairie provinces in the competition at Calgary, and thus the organisation of Western Canadian cricket will be completed. Cricket in the great Dominion has very real difficulties to overcome. As a rule the Canuck b om does not take keenly to the game as a boy. Baseball is a strong rival, of course ; and then lacrosse is counted by many as the national game of the country. The ground question is also serious. Though the country is a new one, land near the cities is very high-priced. The Parks Board of Winnipeg has given the other cities a fine example b y setting aside a large tract for cricket, and building a first-rate pavilion on the site. A third difficulty is that all games in the west and many in the east are played on matting. But this will be amended. There is no such cause for it as is the case in South Africa ; Canada, with proper care, can provide excellent turf wickets. In Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, much work is already being done in this Way ; and luckily the ground superintendent, Mr. Champion, is not only an expert at his work, but really keen on cricket. The fourth difficulty, never to be quite overcome but sure to be lessened in time, is distance. Toronto and Winnipeg are 40 hours apart. This must mean that matches between their clubs will never be frequent. Cricket w ill always be somewhat local in type, mainly Saturday afternoon; and of course men used only to Saturday afternoon cricket are rather at a disadvantage under big match conditions. But local cricket will improve with more play, and even now both Toronto and Winnipeg have a number of really good teams. The project of sending a thoroughly representative Canadian side to England in 1913 now engages Mr. Morri­ son’s attention. The Toronto Zingari paved the way when they made their tour ; but this projected venture would be of a more ambitious type. I t is felt that such a visit would strengthen the bonds that bind the motherland and the great western dominion, and Canadian cricket enthusiasts hope that the M.C.C. will encourage the scheme. Commissioner of Recreation for the City of Winnipeg— that is Arthur Morrison’s latest appointment. One feels that the City fathers have done wisely— not only in making such an appointment, but in their choice of a man for it. They could have chosen no one more full of energy, zeal, and practical knowledge than A. R. M. The season is now well under way in Canada, but up to the present there is little of note to recount. Six clubs have challenged for the John Ross Robertson Cup, which the Toronto C.C. holds. These are Rosedale, Eaton’s, Simpson’s (all three of Toronto, the latter two representing big stores), Hamilton (Ont.), Lachine (Quebec), and the Wanderers of Winnipeg. Rosedale and Simpson’s opened the ball on May 24th ; the winners in that match will try conclusions with the victors in Hamilton v. Eaton’s (to be played June 15) ; then the survivors will meet the holders Lachine will play the winners of that round ; and finally Lachine or its conquerors will meet the Winnipeg men in the beginning of September. Something like a thousand miles divides Lachine, the easternmost club entered, from Winnipeg, whence comes the most westerly entry. Eaton’s went down for 13 runs v. St. David’s on May 18, two brothers W. (7 wickets for 4) and C. Muckleston (3 for 6) dismissing them. This does not look like cup form. But Eaton’s had two teams in the field that day ; perhaps the other was the cup team. On the same day Rosedale declared at 205 for 7 (W. Swan, 45*, highest scorer) v. Aura Lee. Hamilton ran up 130 for 6 (A. H. Gibson 54) v. Upper Canada College. Gibson will be remembered here as a member of the Toronto Zingari team a couple of years ago. Toronto (99—W . McCaffrey 38) beat Parkdale by 62 runs. The Rev. F. W. Terry still plays for Mimico Asylum. Winnipeg clubs only started the season on June 1. Among the new comers in Toronto cricket are A- F. Pringle, who has played for Rossall, Pembroke (Camb.), the Crusaders, and for Burma v. Madras— Frank Swain, formerly of Leicester Town, Gainsborough, and Doncaster clubs— and Fred Fletcher, of Rawtenstall (Lancs. League.) Rosedale beat the Robert Simpson Club iu the John Ross Robertson Cup Competition on May 24. The scoring was small, G. M. Baines’s 30 for Rosedale the highest. H. G. Wookey, the Rosedale captain, an international player, bowled very finely, taking 11 wickets for 38 runs, and T. Swan had 9 for 45. The scores ware 97 and 1 for 0 against 43 aud 54. St. George’s (Hamilton) got out the Brantford team for 10 and 28. C. N. Stewart had 7 for 4 in the first innings, H. Quibbell 6 for 15 in the secoud. F. C. Evans, who was such a heavy rungetter a few years ago, made 32 for London Asylum v. Guelph. Toronto had two teams in the field on May 25, and both went down heavily. That playing against the University could only total 53, the reply to which was 188 (J. S. Beatty 44, J. R. Woods 37, and six other doubles). That against Rosedale made 58. Here again H. G. Wookey was to the fore— 8 for 25 this time, which gave him 19 for 63 in two successive matches. Rosedale ran up 153 for 5 (Swan 69, H. G. W ookey 48). In few other matches was the hundred reached by any side. Some recent centuries in good cricket in Australia have been :— April 13— S. Hill, 131, North Sydney v. Gordon. , 20—J. S. Norton, 136, and P. Newton, 105, Peter­ sham v. Sydney. „ 20—W. J. Scott, 128, South Melbourne v. Colling- wood. „ 20—A. Lampard, 156*, Richmond v. Essendon (Melbourne). Soott’s innings was faultless ; he hit two 6’s off successive balls, and made 20 runs off one over. But it was not quite as rapid as Norman Brown’s 81 for Northcote v. Fitzroy, made in 50 minutes, and including a 6 and sixteen 4’s. Lampard’s big score held twenty 4’s. His figures to April 20 in pennant cricket were 13-3-553. As he is also a capital wicket keeper, and can bowl at a pinch, he is a rare useful man on a side. Solly Hill, who started so well for South Australia, but fell away greatly in later matches, seems to have struck form in Sydney. He made his 131 by fine forcing cricket in under two hours. None of Clem’s brothers has been quite in the same class as the champion left-hander ; but Roy, Solly, Harry (dead some years), and Arthur ( “ Farmer” ) are or were more than useful men even in first-class cricket. The Rev. P. S. Waddy, an Oxford Blue of fifteen years or so ago, scored a level 100 for Diocesan Clergy v.