Cricket 1912

J u l y 13, 1912. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 319 Cricket: A W EEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 33 and 35, MOOK LANE, LONDON, E.C. SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1912. Communications to the Editor should be addressed to him at 33 & 35 Moor Lane, E .C . Advertisements, Subscriptions, &a., should be sent to the Manager, at the same address. The following are the rates of subscription to C ricket :— Great Britain. Abroad. One T ear ............................... 6s. 3d. ... 7s. 6d. The 24 Summer Numbers ... 5s. Od. ... 6s. Od. The 6 W inter Numbers ... Is. 3d. ... Is . 6d. NOTICE. Messrs. WRIGHT & CO., of 7 , Temple Lane, Tudor Street, E.C., areAdvertisementContractors for CRICKET, and will be glad to give their best attention to any Firms desiring to advertise in the paper. Scale of Charges will be sent on application. pavilion (Sosstp. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. — Hamlet. T h e m a tc h e s o f la s t w ee k -en d fo rm a n o th e r stro n g a rg u m e n t fo r s t a r tin g g am e s on e ith e r F r id a y o r S a t u r d a y in s te a d o f T h u r s d a y . O n ly a t D e w s b u ry a n d a t L e y to n w a s th e re a n y th in g fo r th e S a t u r d a y a fte rn o o n c ro w d to see. T h e m a tc h e s a t C h esterfield , K e n n in g to n O v a l, E d g b a s to n , S o u th a m p to n , a n d L iv e r p o o l w ere a ll o v e r on F r id a y ; t h a t a t L o r d ’s fin ish ed b e fo re lu n c h o n th e th ird d a y . I n o r d in a r y c irc u m sta n c e s, S a t u r d a y is th e "o n e d a y o f th e w e e k on w h ic h a d e c e n t g a te m a y b e h o p e d fo r. T h e s tre ss o f tw e n tie th c e n tu ry life is to o g r e a t to g iv e m a n y p eo p le a c h a n ce to p u t in a d a y on c r ic k e t g ro u n d s b e tw een S u n d a y a n d S a t u r d a y , a n d a b ig p ro p o rtio n o f th e m en o f le isu re , b e in g m em b ers o f on e o r m o re o f th e c o u n ty c lu b s , d o n o t sw e ll th e g a te re c e ip ts w h e n th e y go. I a m in c lin e d to th in k t h a t tw o -d a y c ric k e t w ill h a v e to com e. O n ly b y th is m ean s c a n a ll th e c o u n tie s p la y ea ch o th e r, w h ile w e h a v e s ix te e n first-c la ss co u n ties ; an d n o t u n til th e sid es a ll m e e t w ill th e ch am p io n sh ip be a s a tis fa c to r y c om p etitio n . R e l ie f m a y com e in a n o th e r w a y . I f th e p re se n t b a d tim e s c o n tin u e , a t le a s t th re e— p o ssib ly m o re— of th e p re se n t s ix te e n w ill h a r d ly b e a b le to c a r r y o n b e y o n d a n o th e r se a so n o r so. W ith tw e lv e o r th irte e n cou n ties a fu ll p ro g ram m e w o u ld n o t be q u ite o u t o f th e q u estion . B u t w o u ld a n y o n e lik e to see c o u n ty clu b s w ith a lo n g an d h o n o u ra b le re c o rd d ro p o u t e n tire ly ? Tom R ichardson. G o ld en h e a r t, lio n h e a r t, S u r r e y ’s stalw art, so n , Passed untimely to the distant bourne ! T h e fla g is fly in g h a lf-m a s t h ig h a t fam o u s K e n n in g to n ; C om ra d e s o f th e o ld d a y s fo r y o u m o u rn . G re a t h e a r t, h ig h h e a rt, w a rrio r un su b d u ed -— N o t sin c e S u r r e y ’s W a lte r p a id th e d eb t, D e b t w e a ll in t u r n m u s t p a y , h a th S u r r e y e v e r ru ed A n y lo ss lik e y o u rs— w e ’ ll n o t f o r g e t ! T o m , w e ’ll n o t fo rg e t y o u — w e ’ll rem em b er d a y s o f y o re , S w e lte rin g d a y s o f J u l y h e a t on O ld T ra ffo rd gro u n d , W h en th e w o n d ro u s R a jp u t p rin c e to p p e d th e E n g lis h score, W h en fo r fig h t h e ro ic w a g e d m e n m a d e y o u r p raise resou n d - F a s t o n m a n y a s u m m e r’s day^ cra sh e d th e w ic k e ts d ow n B e fo r e th e b a t t e r y o f y o u r s w ift a tta c k . So o n g re e n tu r f sh a ll c o v e r y o u , b o w le r o f h ig h ren ow n . R e s t in 'p e a c e , T o m — m o u rn e rs y o u ’ll n o t la c k ! I t is a cu rio u s th in g t h a t u p to th e p re se n t th e b u lk o f th e ru n s m a d e fo r th e A u stra lia n s h a v e b e en m a d e b y fo u r m en . I n m a tc h a fte r m a tc h th ese fo u r— M a c a rtn e y , B a r d s le y , Je n n in g s , a n d G re g o ry— h a v e d on e w e ll, w h ile th e ir com ra d e s h a v e fo r th e m o st p a r t fa ile d . S m ith h a s a c e n tu r y to h is c re d it. K e lle w a y h as b een a t h is b e st in tw o t e s t m a tc h e s, b u t h a s n o t re a c h e d 50 in a n y o th er g am e. M in n e tt h a s m a d e a 64 a n d a 49. M a tth e w s h a s p la y e d th re e o r fo u r u se fu l in n in g s. M a y n e h a s tw o o r th re e tim e s sh o w n a g lim p se o f fo rm . B u t n on e o f th e se fiv e h a s b een s a tis fa c to r y ; a n d H a z litt, C a rk e e k , E m e r y , M c L a re n , W h it ty , a n d W e b ste r h a v o d on e sc a rc e ly a n y th in g . U p to J u l y 6 th th e sid e ’s w o rk m a y b e th u s su m m arised : M a c a rtn e y , B a r d s le y , Je n n in g s , a n d G re g o ry h a v e m a d e am o n g th e m 3 ,6 8 3 ru n s in 9 3 com p lete d in n in g s— a v e ra g e 3 9 '6 ; S m ith , K e lle w a y , M in n e tt, M a tth e w s, an d M a y n e 1,4 0 7 in 7 4— a v e r a g e 19 '0 ; th e o th e r s ix 58 0 in 5 5 — a v e r a g e 1 0 '5 . A l l te a m s— o r n e a r ly a ll te a m s— h a v e a ta il, y o u m a y s a y . B u t i t h a s n o t b een u su a l fo r A u s tr a lia n te a m s to h a v o so lo n g a t a il a s th is. I n 19 0 9 , fo r in sta n c e , th e th re e c ra c k b a tsm e n o f th e sid e (B a r d sle y , A rm s tro n g , R a n s fo rd ) a g g re g a te d 5 ,4 4 3 in 1 2 2 com p lete d in n in g s— a v e ra g e 4 2 '6 ; th e n e x t s ix (T ru m p er, M c A liste r, N o b le , G re g o ry , M a c a rt­ n e y , H a rtig a n ) 5 ,2 8 5 in 2 1 4 — a v e ra g e 2 4 '7 ; th e la s t se v e n 1,8 7 5 in 15 4 — a v e ra g e 1 2 '1 . I n 19 0 5 th e re w e re tw o a v e r ­ ag e s o f o v e r 40 , th re e o f b e tw een 30 a n d 40 , fo u r o f b e tw e e n 2 0 a n d 30 , a n d th e s ix m en w h o a v e ra g e d u n d e r 20 m ad e am o n g th e m 2,6 6 8 ru n s w ith a jo in t a v e r a g e o f 1 6 '1 . O n th e ir A u s tr a lia n fo rm M in n e tt, M a y n e , K e lle w a y , S m ith , H a z litt, M a tth e w s, a n d E m e r y o u g h t to m a k e m a n y m o re ru n s in th e re m a in in g p a r t o f th e to u r th a n th e y h a v e d o n e y e t ; w h ile O ark eek , W h itty , M c L a re n , a n d W e b ste r sh o u ld a ll d o so m e th in g , fo r n o t ono o f th em is w ith o u t so m e c la im to re s p e c t a s a b a tsm a n . B u t a m a n w h o h a s g o n e h a lf- w a y th ro u g h th e se a so n w ith o u t fin d in g h is p ro p e r fo rm is in d a n g e r o f n e v e r fin d in g it a t a ll, th e in flu e n ce o f fa ilu re h a v in g a te n d e n c y to b e c u m u la tiv e . L e t u s h o p e fo r th e b e st, h o w e v e r. T h e b a ttin g o f th e S o u th A fric a n s h a s b e en fa r m o re le v e l. U p to S a t u r d a y la s t N o u rse a n d F a u lk n e r w e re th e o n ly m e n w h o a v e r a g e d 30 ; b u t e ig h t m en sto o d a t o v e r 2 0 , a n d th re e m o re w e re o n ly a trifle b e lo w t h a t fig u re. “ T h e tragically sudden death o f T om R ich ard son follow s closely on th at o f one o f the m ost fam ou s o f his old opponents, G . J . B o n n o r.” T h u s the Evening Standard o f J u ly 4. B o n n o r p layed h is last gam e in E n g la n d in 188 8 , R ichard son h is first for S u rrey in 189 2, as a m atter of fact. H a v in g pointed out som e one else’s m istak e, let m e hasten to acknow ledge one of m y ow n . I said a few w eeks ago that the first num ber o f the American Cricketer appeared in 1878 . B u t the first num ber, a copy o f w hich— torn , yellow w ith age, but valu ed— lies before m e as I w rite, w as published on Ju n e 28, 18 7 7 . It ran to on ly four pages (12 x 9). N o full score w as given . T h ere w ere sum m arised resu lts o f a dozen or m ore m atches in C an ad a and the States. T h e other contents in ­ cluded a b rief fixtu re list, a quotation from the R e v . Jam e s P ycro ft, a letter about the L a w s, sum m aries o f “ Foreign Sco res,” a list o f secretaries’ nam es and addresses, queries on um piring questions, and odd p aragraph s. O n Ju n e 10 there passed a w a y at E s s e x Street, Old Trafford, in h er 86th year, the w idow o f “ T h om as H u n t, cricketer.” A lin k w ith th e past is thus broken. H u n t, w ho had a couple of seasons earlier scored 10 2 for South v. N o rth at M anchester, w as the victim o f a fatal accident over 50 y ears ago. H e had been p layin g for 22 of R och dale ag ain st the A .E .E . on Septem ber 1 1 , 18 5 8 ; the rest o f the p layers w ent to a banquet at the W ellington H otel, but H u n t, w ho had prom ised to m eet his w ife at V icto ria Station, M an chester, b y the train leavin g R och dale at 7 p.m ., w alked alon g the ra ilw a y lin e tow ards the station . H e slipped betw een the rails as a train cam e up, and w as caught, frigh tfu lly m utilated, and k illed . T h e banquet