Cricket 1912

J uly 27, 1912. CKICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE ftAME, 361 boundless self-confidence, then lie has the right tempera­ ment. No one can doubt that he possesses this supreme gift. Many doubtless possess the temperament, but it is only in the few that the temperament is conjoined with the highest skill. Still without the temperament the power is vain, and there are many men of great natural cricketing ability who never do their powers justice, because nature has made them imaginative, and hence the neurotic victims of the dramatic aspect of the game and all that the said aspect implies. Fortune has doubtless favoured Hearne in most of his innings in big cricket this season, but here again skill intrudes, and temperament ekes out skill. He has the skill and coolness necessary to turn the favours of for­ tune to account, and if you give him a life it means runs against your side. Hearne’s four innings in his first two appearances for the Players v. the Gentlemen have never, so far as I know, been parallelled b y any young player. He has made 123 not out, 12 not out, 77 not out, and 48, or 200 runs for once out, an average of 260. The bowlers have, moreover, been temporarily on top each time he has come in. The fact adds to the merit of his performance, and it is necessary to mention the fact, for in cricket “ great events do not tell their own story greatly,” as Thucydides would doubtless have discovered if the ancient Greeks had played cricket. K ing’s feat of scoring two separate hundreds at Lord’s in 1904, when he made his first appearance for the Players (this was as a substitute for J. T. Tyldesley) is the only possible parallel to Hearne’s performance, yet it is not quite a parallel. Still it may fairly be compared with Heame’s deeds in 1912. Verily Hearne has made history and is so young that he should go on making it. E n g l a n d ’ s T est S id e . The match sorvod to show that England is very rich in “ class ” players, and that several sides could be selected but little, if at all, inferior to the Test eleven, who are presumably our best side, though some dispute the conten­ tion. In any case there are clearly numerous players who could be introduced into the English eleven without appreciably weakening the side, even if they did not actually strengthen it. This has always been more or less the case, though it has rarely or never been more clearly and indis­ putably the case. Y et in spite of this, one doubts whether we have any bowler of quite the same excellence as the very best bowler of certain past periods in our history as a cricket nation. We have certainly no fast bowler of the same dependability and assured and sustained excellence as Bichardson, Lockwood, Mold, or perhaps Bradley. Happily we seem strong enough in class players, if short of stars of the very first magnitude and historic class, for all test purposes. The selectors have made two changes in the twelve from whom the eleven to play Australia at Man­ chester next week will be chosen. The two changes (I am comparing the twelve with the Leeds twelve) are Hayes and Haigh for Jessop and Dean. Ever since it was obvious that the M.C.C. Australian team were not to represent England by right of conquest, I have advocated the in­ clusion of Hayes on current form and by reason of his all­ round excellence. I am glad, therefore, on this and on other grounds that Hayes has been chosen. By parity of reason­ ing, however, Denton has great claims to a place. Still, everyone cannot play. Haigh has earned his place and presumably will play if the wicket be affected by rain, j f not, Hitch will be in the actual side. The team will give general satisfaction. F O E S A L E — C ricket F ield , 1892 to 1895, complete, unbound, in good condition. What offers?— J . W. W ., c/o C ricket , 33 and 35, Moor Lane, E .C . THE AMERICAN CRICKETER. F ounded 1877. P ublished by The A ssociated C ricket Clubs of P h ilad elp h ia. An Illustrated Journal of Cricket, Association Football, Tennis, Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 114, South 18th 8treet, Philadelphia, Pa., UJ3.A. price — 18 /- p er an n u m , post p aid anyw here. Specim en copies m ailed on request. Men of the Moment in London Club Cricket. A U n iq u e S p e c t a c le — B r o w n e ’s P in e W o rk -— A B e a l G o o g l y B o w le r .— M y s t e r ie s o f h is B o w lin g — W h a t h e h a s M a s t e r e d -— T h e C o r r e c t G am e— M i t c h e l l ’s B a t t in g — P in e A l l - r o u n d e r — A S p le n d id Captain — Two C l e v e r C .’s— C e n t u r y M a k e r s. (By “ S u r e C a tc h .” ) In my reference to that splendid all-round cricketer and fine worker for the Club Cricketers’ Charity Fund, G. W. Hammond last week, it appears I was in error in alluding to him as captain for the Hornsey team. Although he leads the eleven in most of the matches, ho is not, I understand, the elected captain, and on referring to the CYRIL R. BROWNE (Clapham Ram blers). Hornsey fixture card I see no captain is given. This, with the fact that I knew G. W. H. often captained the team, led me into the slight error which I hasten to correct. A U n iq u e S pe c ta c l e . This week we are able to give another excellent photo of a well-known match winner in club cricket, viz., C. B. Browne, the famous Clapham Bamblers’ googly bowler. Browne is a West Indian, and in many of the Bamblers’ matches this season the unique spectacle of two dark- skinned bowlers opening the attack has been witnessed,