Cricket 1912

J u l y 6, 1912; CEICKET : A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 297 o u td o n e n o w a d a y s b y th e X - r a y s a p p lie d to a n E n g lis h c ric k e t c a p ta in . E s p e c ia lly w h e n som e p eo p le d o n o t ch an ce to lo v e h im m u c h , a n d w o u ld p re fe r to h a v e som eon e else in h is p la c e . O n M o n d a y C h arles F r y p la y e d a n in n in g s o f 4 7 fo r H am p sh ire v . S u r r e y . A s a ru le , a n in n in g s o f b e tw een 40 a n d 50 b y a n y b a tsm a n is n o t lik e ly to g e t m o re th a n a lin e o r tw o o f c om m e n t, b e it go o d , b a d , o r in d ifferen t. T h is h a d tw e n ty -tw o lin es in th e Daily Chronicle, w ith a h e ad lin e “ F r y ’s U n h a p p y In n in g s .” T h e Daily Mail g a v e i t o n ly fo u r ; b u t th e n th e M a il h a d to fin d sp a c e fo r su c h a n illu m in a tin g s ta te m e n t a s : “ D e rb y sh ire o b ta in e d a le a d on th e firs t in n in g s o f 9 ru n s, w h ic h th e y in c re a se d to 1 1 b y sc o rin g 2 ru n s w ith o u t lo ss a t th e ir seco n d a t t e m p t .” B e s id e s th e M ail h a s th e sto c k b ro k e rs to ju m p u p o n , a n d c a n a ffo rd to lo a v e C .B . alo n e. T h e Sporting L ife h a d fou rteen lines, m ore ju d iciou sly critical, a ctu a lly praising p a rt o f th e inn ings. T h e Sports- t h a t m a n ’s p e r s o n a lity d o es n o t a p p e a l t o y o u is q u ite a n o th e r m a tte r . I t is not cricket. I f y o u c a n k e e p y o u r h e a d w h e n a ll a b o u t y o u A re lo sin g th e ir s a n d b lam in g i t o n y o u ; I f y o u c a n t r u s t y o u rse lf w h e n a ll m en d o u b t y o u , B u t m a k e a llo w a n c e fo r th e ir d o u b tin g to o ; I f y o u c a n w a it a n d n o t b e tir e d b y w a itin g , O r b e in g lie d a b o u t, d o n ’t d e a l in lies, O r b e in g h a te d d o n ’t g iv e w a y to h a tin g , A n d y e t d o n ’t lo o k to o go o d , n o r t a lk to o w ise ; I f y o u c a n t a lk w ith c ro w d s a n d k eep y o u r v irtu e , O r w a lk w ith K in g s — n o r lo se th e com m o n to u c h , I f n e ith e r fo es n o r lo v in g frie n d s c a n h u r t y o u , I f a ll m en c o u n t w ith y o u , b u t n o n e to o m u c h ; I f y o u c a n fill th e u n fo rg iv in g m in u te W ith s ix t y s e c o n d s’ w o rth o f d ista n c e ru n , Y o u r s is th e E a r t h a n d e v e r y th in g t h a t ’s in it,. A n d — w h ic h is m o re— y o u ’ll be a M a n , m y so n ! THE BABY OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP. M id d lesex : “ Naughty baby! Come down at once !” N orth an ts. : “ Shan't I It’s nothing to do with you, Mid, or with Laalcy. A id the other chaps have tried, and they can’t fetch me down—so there ! ” (But the baby has come doicn now.) man g a v e o n ly h a lf-a -d o z e n , a n d d id n o t go o u t o f its w a y t o ra p th e g r e a t b a tsm a n 's k n u c k le s fo r n o t b e in g a t his b est. T h e Daily- -------b u t I th in k th is is en ou gh . A d a y o r tw o a g o I h a d fro m N e w S o u th W a le s a le tte r fu ll o f b itte r c o m p la in t t h a t F r y sh o u ld h a v e been elected c a p ta in in s te a d o f W a rn e r. I c a n n o t u n d e rsta n d a ll th is s tro n g fe e lin g , a n d a n d h a v e n o t th e le a s t s y m p a th y w ith it. T h e o ld O xo n ia n is n o t a p e rfe c t c a p ta in . W h en h a d E n g la n d a p e rfe c t c a p ta in ? U n le s s it w a s S ta n le y Ja c k s o n , w h o h a d a ll t h e lu c k g o in g . M a c L a re n m ad e m is ta k e s , a n d so d id W .G ., a n d so n o d o u b t, t h o u g h I am n o t o ld e n o u g h t o rem em b e r th e m , d id L o rd H a r r is . O n ly A u s tr a lia a n d S o u th A fr ic a c a n p ro d u c e p e rfe c t c a p ta in s. I f N o b le , D a rlin g , S h e rw e ll, T r o tt, a n d M u rd o ch h a d been E n g lis h le a d e rs, t h e y w o u ld p r o b a b ly h a v e com e in fo r p le n ty o f a b u se , th o u g h . F a i r criticism is one thing. To such balanced expres­ sions as Hamish Stuart’s in this number no one can fairly object. But howling at everything a man does because W iiA T J o n e a rth is th e fe llo w d r iv in g a t w ith th is p o e t r y ?— S o m e w ill d o u b tle ss a s k . W h a t h a s it to d o w ith C h a rle s F r y ? W e ll, it w a s n ’t w r itte n a b o u t h im , b u t a b o u t G eo rg e W a s h in g to n , a n d i t d o es n o t a ll fit, m a y b e ; a n d y e t I th in k t h a t th e re is m u c h in i t t h a t a p p lie s t o th o p o sitio n o f a n E n g la n d t e s t m a tc h c a p ta in . W e d o e x p e c t so m u c h o f h im , d o n ’t w e ? A n d som e o f u s a re so r e a d y to v ilify h im if h e d o es n o t d o e x a c t ly th e r ig h t th in g . H o n eed s to k e e p h is h e a d . I th in k C h a rle s F r y w ill k eep h is— in s p ite o f a ll th e little C rom w ells. T h b tw o U n iv e r s it y e le v e n s are fillin g u p . T h is y e a r ’s b lu es in c lu d e F . H . K n o t t, .1. N . F r a s e r , a n d G . E . V . C ru tc h le y (O x fo rd ), le a v in g o n e v a c a n c y in th e D a r k B lu e sid e , a n d W . B . F r a n k lin , J . S . F . M o rriso n , B . B . L a g d e n , G . W . V . H o p le y , a n d F . C . G . C a lth o rp e (C am b rid g e ), w h ic h m e a n s t h a t K id d h a s tw o m o re p la c e s to a w a rd . S in c e th e a b o v e w a s s e t * E . A . S h a w h a s b een g iv en th e la s t p la c e in th e O x fo rd te am .