Cricket 1912

JtTLY 20, 1912. CEICKET : A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 34,1 was with Denton when time came to Kent’s relief (at 3 3 1 for 3), on Thursday evening helped to add 1 1 3 for the fourth, and Kilner, batting as if for a draw, 01 for the fifth. The partnership of Kilner and Denton was anything but exhilarating, and their tactics were really incomprehensible. Denton’s 2 2 1. though his highest in first- class cricket, was not his best. He was twice missed soon after reaching his hundred. Still, it was a fine innings, lasting 345 minutes and including two 6’s and twenty-eight 4’s. Booth, Haigh, and the skipper wasted no time in hitting up contributions of between 20 and 30. Blythe took his hundredth wicket of the season, but Dean at the Oval was before him in accomplishing the feat. Kent put up 180 for 3 before time, Hardinge, bar one mistake, batling eapitally for 80. Woolley, Hubble, and Dillon all made useful scores, and Fairservice and Blythe hit a b it; but on Friday Kent never looked like saving the follow-on, and they had to start again 233 in arrears. Only Woolley, who batted for 135 minutes fo r75, did anything notable on a wicket which had worn somewhat, though Huish, who had put up a really good defence, for a time, might bave helped Woolley to save the game if he had not been run out by his partner. N ottinghamshire v. L ancashire . —On a splendid wicket A. H. Hornby (ten 4’s) and Makepeace put up 14 1 before they were parted; later Ernest Tyldesley helped the Everton footballer to add 88 for the fourth wicket, and Brooke hit hard, scoring 54 in an hour. But everything else in the Lancashire innings was dwarfed by Make­ peace’s 17 3, his highest in big cricket, and very nearly a perfect display—indeed, he gave no actual chance He batted 3£ hrs., and hit seventeen 4’s. In so long an innings R iley’s 5 for 93 meant rare good work. When Notts batted the earlier batsmen all made runs, but no one reached 40 except Lee, who played quite his biggest and best innings for the county. After A. O. Jones, who had to bat practically one-handed, owing to a split finger, left, the tail failed to stay long enough to enable the young pro. to record his first century, but the follow-on was just saved. Hornby and Makepeace again made a big stand for Lancashire’s first wicket—19 3 this time—and the captain reached his hundred ; but the scoring was not at all fast, and the long delay before applying the closure took all interest out of the game. Notts had no difficulty in playing out time. S cotland v . A ustralians . — “ Stands Scotland where she d id ? ” On Thursday evening she stood much higher than anyone could have anticipated ; on Friday she had risen a bit more. Eight men made double figures for her on the North Inch at Perth, where in olden days Clan Quhele and Clan Chattan fought out their differences. Joe Anderson and M. R . Dickson added 72 runs for the second wicket; Jupp and Sorrie, Sorrie and Benskin, Benskin and Orr, all had partnerships of 50 or over. Benskin (formerly of Leicestershire) hit well, his 79* including a 5 and eleven 4’s. The total was 289, and only M acartney had an analysis of any note. In a short day’s play on Friday the Scots increased their advantage, only Mayne, Kelleway, and Webster, (these last two just saving the follow-on) doing any­ thing for the colonials. Sievwright again showed what a really good bowler he is. On Saturday the Scottish second innings was taken to 12(5 for 7, G . W. Jupp’s 56 its one conspicuous feature ; then Dickson declared. Matthews had all the seven wickets. Jennings and Macartney went pretty ch eap ly; but Mayne and Baidsley, though never scoring at a great pace, added 132 for the third wicket. When stumps were drawn the Australians were only 63 behind, with 7 to go. B edfordshire v . N orfolk . —Norfork has so far appeared to much greater advantage this year than last, when, after a really good season in 19 11, they were signally ineffective. They led Bedford­ shire throughout in tbe match on the Elstow School ground last week. (t. W. Birkbeck made an excellent century, and Geoffrey Stevens. E . J . Fulcher, and R . W. Thurgar were also seen to advan­ tage with the bat, while Falconer and Watson bowled well. H. R. Orr, the Beds, captain, took 5 wickets very cheaply in Norfolk’s first; Pestell was successful in the second. Morcom made up for doing little in the bowling line after the earliest stage of the game by a hard-hitting innings, and E . E . Apthorp not only kept wicket finely but played pluckily when others failed in the last innings. G lamorgan v . W iltsh ire .— There was not much between the two sides on the first innings in this match at C ard iff; but the visitors could do little with Hacker and Creber when they went in acain, and Glamorgan won a game somewhat devoid of incident by 10 wickets. Hacker had 12 for 95, and is bowling in fine form this season. E ton v . H arrow . — Some people say Eton v. Harrow is much more of a society function than a match. It can hardly be disputed that it would not fill the space in the papers that it does fill on its merits as a match ; but nevertherless the eighty-seventh game between the two great schools was a very good match indeed. Eton were strong favourites, but Harrow played up gamely, and went down fighting. To begin with Harrow made only 188 on a fast pitch, Heathcot-Amory’s pace being too much for most of them. Buller, highest scorer with 32*, batted 80 minutes. Eton lost 3 for 00; the fourth wicket nearly doubled the score, Wigan and Freeman-Thomas added 56, the sixth (Davies and Hamilton- Fletcher) added 9 1, and the last (Bawatorne and Naylor) 77. W ith a deficit of 1 to face, the earlier Harrow batsmen played a great game. Dickinson went in for defence pure and simple ; Blount combined aggression with his defence. These two put on 129 together for the third wicket in 140 minutes, and with Buller in Blount hit so hard that 80 were added for the fourth in 45 minutes. Dickinson batted 3 h. 35 m. for 59, Blount half an-hour less for 137. Harrow had to 266 up for 4 ; the innings close for 295 ! Eton went for the runs, and the winning hit was made at 7.18 , play as usual in the match being continued up to 7.30 if necessary for a finish. Harrow’s fielding in the last stage was poor, and this helped Eton to make the runs in the tim e; but the final inuiugs was full of excitement. S ussex v . N ottinghamshire . — A great part of the first days’ play was occupied by the stand betweeu Robert Relf and Vine for the first wicket, which lasted over 3 hrs., and realised 252 runs. After rather a slow start Relf hit brilliantly, his driving being great. He was first out for 109, including two 0’s and twenty-two 4’s. He gave no chance whatever. Vine was patience itself, and took 3& hrs. to make 83, nine 4’s his chief strokes. He was missed at 78, Riley damaging his hand in trying for the catch. Jones had also to seek surgical aid, and the Notts bowling was thus badly depleted. Iremonger kept on with undiminished pluck but somewhat diminished pace for three hours or more, and near the end of that time bowled the Jam Sahib ! Apart from the first-wicket pair only Albert Relf, who carried his bat for a faultless 77, made in 115 minutes, did anything notable. Going in at 12 .3 5 on Tuesday against a total of 435, Notts had 49 up for one wicket, 00 for two ; then John Gunn and Hardstaff made a long stand, adding 192 in about 150 minutes. Gunn wc.s in great form , made no mistake, and hit thirteen 4’s. Hardstaff, though slow and shaky at the start, improved later, and when time came was still there, he and Payton having added 98 unseparated. Hardstaff did not add to his score on Wednesday ; the partnership for the fourth wicket realised 102 in all. Not quite at his best, Hardstaff still batted well, hitting thirteen 4’s. Payton was eighth out at 428 for a capital 107, made in 2£ h rs., and including a 6 and seventeen 4’s. This is the first instance this season of three centuries in an innings. At lunch Jones declared; but a collapse by Sussex was needed to give the visitors any chance, and there was no collapse. Ro&ert R elf made 82 in 13 5 m inutes; but Simm s quite outdid this rate of scoring. H is innings was reminiscent of Alletson’s last year. In 86 minutes he hit up 126, 64 of them coming from four overs, and his score included ten 6’s and ten 4’s. Robert Relf hit one 6, and Fender two. When Sussex had made 312 for 7 stamps were drawn. The match realised 1,308 runs for 26 wickets. H ampshire v . W orcestershire . —There was nothing to enthuse about in the Worcester batting on a perfect wicket, bowley and Pearson put up 92 before they were parted ; Collier, missed at 36, stayed nearly 3 hrs. for 72, his highest for the county; Simpson- Hayward hit up 27 in 20 minutes, and Ponsonby and Cuffe made a few. The total of 272 took 4 J hrs. Brown was the most successful bowler. A. C. Johnston batted in his very best form for his 116 , which, however, only included five 4‘s, and Newman, sent in first wicket down to play out time on Monday evening, made 63, his highest in county cricket, in capital style, he and Johnston adding 159 in 140 minutes. Only Captain Barrett, whose 55 was also a first-rate innings, did much of the rest, and the home side’s lead was no more than 37. Worcestershire’s second innings was even less distinguished than their first. Arnold batted well for 2 hours for 64, and Simpson-Hayward again made a useful score ; but the total was under 200 ; and Hants made light of the task set them, Mead batting in his best style for 69*, and Johnston running up another good score. Brown’s fast bowling had 10 for 148 in the match. Y orkshire v . L eicestershire . —None of the midland county’s bowlers troubled the Yorkshiremen much at first. Rhodes and W ilson made 67 for the first w icket; at lunch the score was 128 for 1. Afterwards Shipm an, bowling like a giant refreshed, quickly took three wickets. Drake and Kilner stopped Shipm an’s career of success, and later Booth, who hit very powerfully, and Haigh added 8 1 in an hour. Curtis finished off the innings by taking the last three wickets in the course of five balls. Against a total of 350, Leicestershire cut up badly. Only Wood, Riley, and Whitehead did anything. Booth bowled in deadly form, and took 8 wickets. Leicestershire followed on, and Knight and Wood played the pluckiest and sternest of uphill games for their side. In 200 minutes they sent up 18 3 for the first wicket, the only m istake being made by