Cricket 1912

382 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. A ugust 3, 1912. account, and he and R ussell took over 80 m inutes to score the 61 put up for the first wicket. Perrin and Douglas added 138 for the second at a funereal pace, and put defeat out of the question ; and towards the end Fane and Freeman brightened up matters a bit. D e r b y s h ir e v . L e ic e s t e r s h ir e . — Play was impossible on Thurs­ day, owing to a heavy thunderstorm overnight, and a start was not m ade until after lunch on Friday. On a slow but easy wicket the visiting side totalled 185, John Shields who hit harder than anyone else, top scorer with 37, while five others made useful scores of from 20 to 30. Leicestershire should have made m ore, for 70 was on the board with only one m an out, and ruin from time to time kept the wicket easy and the ball greasy. There was no play at all on Saturday, owing to rain. H e r t f o r d s h ir e v . S u f f o l k . — Very little play was possible on the first day at Bushey. On a soft, easy wicket on the second nearly all the Herts, batsmen scored freely, and a total of ‘285 was put up, Coleman m aking 75. Tiudgett bowled steadily and well, and took 8 wickets. Most of the Suffolk batsmen failed before W . H . Marsh on a pitch now grown less e a sy ; but H . L. W ilson showed fine form , and ran up 113 out of 191 from the bat, no one else reaching 20. L in c o l n s h ir e v . C a m b r id g e s h ir e . — This game at Sleaford early in last week, was also a matter of first innings’ points only, no play at all having been possible on the opening day. Fine bitting by B. P. Nevile and Day, and some capital bowliug by the latter and lliley, gave Lincolnshire the points. The veteran W atts, turned 45, was top scorer for the visitors. D e v o n s h ir e v . B e r k s h ir e . — A brilliant innings of 232 by F . Hargrave Carroll overshadowed everything else in this match at E xeter. Six other Devon men m ade useful scores, and the big total of 502 was recorded. Dr. W oodburn’s 5 for 85 in such an innings meant good work. The doctor, by the way, is an Australian. G. G. M . Bennett, the old H arrovian, was top scorer in each innings for Berks, and batted well. Several others made a few in the second innings ; but in the first everybody but Bennett and Hawks- worth failed com pletely to tim e W reford, the Neasden fast bowler, who had 7 for 39. D evon’s victory by an innings and 222 against a side supposed m uch stronger than them selves was a rare good performance. S u r r e y II. v. S u f f o l k . — H . L . W ilson was again in great form , and for the second time in the week registered a century. C. M. Phillips helped him to put up 139 for the first wicket and W . Catch pole also batted w e ll; but the remainder collapsed before Spring and C. T . A. W ilkinson. W ilson ’s 131 included as m any as twenty-two 4’s, with one 5. -B efore tim e on the first day Surrey put up 227 for 3, G oatly hitting well, and F. S. Gillespie and Sandham also showing excellent form . On the Friday Spring hit out trem endously. There were four 6’s, three 5 ’s and twenty-one 4’s in his 180*. The innings was declared at 516 for 7, and Suffolk (Trudgett absent on account of a damaged hand) were put out for the poor total of 151, Harrison's slows securing 5 for 41. L in c o l n s h ir e v. D u r h a m . — T his m atch was all over in one day. Lincolnshire, who lacked W . E . Thom pson, Broughton, and others, could make no show at all against the splendid bowling of C. Y. Adam son (11 for 55) and Morris (8 for GO) on a damaged pitch, and the visitors, for whom Hubert Brooks and Kinch batted well, won by 10 wickets. C o r n w a l l v . B e r k s h ir e .— The first day’s play on a soft wicket at Camborne saw the visitors dism issed for the poor total of 94, Hawken and E scott bowling well. The hom e side replied with 210 ; but the innings was quite a one m an show, the old Leysian, W . N. Bickford-Sm ith, playing fine cricket, while others were helpless. H is 139 was 120 runs above the next highest s co re ! W hen Berks went in again W oodburn batted w e ll; but no one else could do much, and at call of time the visitors were still in arrears, with only 4 wickets left to go down. On Saturday they barely succeeded in avoiding an innings’ defeat. N o r t h u m b e r l a n d v . C u m b e r l a n d . — This m atch was outside the M inor Counties’ Championship, which Cumberland has not yet joined. It was said to be the first visit of the Cumbrian side to Newcastle for over 20 years. T he visitors numbered no fam ous n am es; but they played up very well indeed, and would have won easily had time permitted. Barber, who took 12 for 110, and Shutt, who scored 67 for once out, weie their best perform ers. The hom e side played Captain T. C . Spring, form erly of Somerset, who lately made a century for Arm y v. Navy at L ord’s, J. S. F. Morrison, the Cambridge blue, and Hardisty, the ex-Yorkshire player, whose 61 in the follow -on was top-score for his side. Y o r k s h ir e v . S u s s e x .— Only 35 minutes before lunch was lost owing to rain on the M onday ; but the wicket was very queer, and run-getting was slow. Yorkshire did well to stay in 4 hrs. and make 178 runs. W ilson and H irst were the principal scorers, and the best and briskest cricket of the day was seen during their partnership of 78 for the fourth wicket in 70 minutes, W ilson batted 2J hrs. in all, H irst 2 hrs. Tasker showed good defence, and B ooth and Sir Archibald W hite hit a bit. Albert R elf was on throughout the innings, and all the batsmen treated him with enforced respect. At drawing of stumps Sussex (who were without the Jam Sahib, H. L. Simm s, P. Cartwright, and Killick) had lost 2 for 28. On Tuesday and Wednesday rain prevented any play. S u r r e y v . L e ic e s t e r s h ir e . — The hom e side lacked H obbs, Hayes, H itcb, and I. P. F. Campbell. M onday’s play consisted of three balls and one run. On Tuesday Hayward and Goatly put up a stand of 106 for the second wicket, and Ducat and Sm ith made some useful runs. Goatly should have been out without scoring. King bowled well. Leicestershire topped the Surrey score with 5 wickets down. Knight and W ood began by hitting up 38 in 15 m inutes; but the chief scorer, W hitehead, made no attempt to emulate their tactics, batting 165 minutes for his 67. There was no play on W ednesday, and the visitors take points for a first innings’ lead. H a m p s h ir e v . G l o u c e s t e r s h ir e .— R ain prevented any play on Monday. A shortened period on Tuesday saw the hom e side score 101 for 6, without any feature of note. W ednesday was blank. W o r c e s t e r s h ir e v . M id d l e s e x . — On M onday the W orcester ground was under water. On Tuesday there was practically a full day’s play. Only Bowley and Cuffe did m uch for W orcestershire. Tarrant, after bowling effectively, went in and scored 69, he and W eston putting up 96 for the first wicket. H endren and Murrell added 66 for the fourth, and the visiting team, who had the best of the wicket, led by 69 runs with 4 to fall at the end of the day. No more plav was possible. M in o r C o u n t ie s v . S o u t h A f r ic a n s . — The M inor Counties had a rare good side, though one would have liked to see M. Falcon and Percy Briggs included. Barnes, of course, was playing for England. On M onday it was quite impossible to make a start. On Tuesday there was a short day’s play, the features of which were Faulkner’s bowling and a fine innings of 51 by Norman Riches, the Glam organ crack. On W ednesday, at Stoke as elsewhere, play was out of the question. The Triangular Tests. S i x t h M a t c h : E n g l a n d v . A u s t r a l i a a t M a n c h e s t e r . S o m e D a i l y I m p r e s s i o n s . B y H a m i s h S t u a r t . W e s a w E n g la n d s tr u g g lin g fo r ru n s a ll M o n d a y a fte r ­ n o o n a t M a n ch e ste r. D u rin g th e th r e e h o u rs fo r t y m in u te s o f a c tu a l p la y a fte r lu n c h (fo r ra in h a d r e n d e r e d t h e g r o u n d t o o s o d d e n fo r p la y b e fo r e t e n m in u te s t o th r e e ) E n g la n d s c o r e d 185 ru n s fo r t h e lo ss o f 6 w ic k e ts , a n d o f th e s e 185 ru n s B h o d e s m a d e 92 a n d w a s n o t o u t a t th e c lo s e , w h ile th e a c tu a l ru n s fr o m th e b a t m a d e in t h e tim e w e r e 162. T h e w ic k e t w a s t o o w e t a n d s lo w t o b e d iffic u lt d u r in g th e g re a te r p o r t io n o f t h e a fte r n o o n , b u t it b e c a m e a little d iffic u lt as it g r e w d rie r, a n d fa ste r. T h e r e w a s , h o w e v e r , a v e r y d is tu r b in g m a te ria l fa c t o r . T h is w a s a v e r y h ig h w in d w h ic h b le w to w a r d s th e C ity e n d a n d o ft e n a tta in e d t o th e d ig n it y o f a h a lf-g a le . B a t t in g in a v e r y h ig h w in d is n e v e r q u ite th e sa m e a s b a ttin g u n d e r n o r m a l c o n d itio n s , a n d b a t t in g in h a lf a g a le is lik e s h o o t in g a n d fly -fis h in g in h a lf a g a le ; it n e ce ssita te s a litt le m o re co r re s p o n d e n ce p f e y e a n d h a n d a n d f o o t a n d g re a te r s tu d y , s o t o s p e a k , o f a n gles a n d v e lo c itie s — o f s p e c ia l k in e t ic p u z z le s b o r n o f th e w in d . T h e n th e b o w le rs a ll p r o fit b o t h as t o th e ir p a ce a n d flig h t, fo r th e w in d p ro d u ce s a rtific ia l a n d u n in te n tio n a l v a ria tio n s o n th e o n e a n d u n d e r c e r ta in circ u m s ta n ce s e n h a n ce s a n y d e a d ly p e cu lia ritie s o n th e la tte r. I s h o u ld h a v e lik e d t o h a v e se e n H itc h b o w lin g fr o m th e s a m e e n d as W h it t y , w it h th e w in d b e h in d h im , a n d th e g r o u n d d r y a n d t h e w ic k e t fa st. W e s h o u ld h a v e se e n s o m e b o w lin g th a t w a s fa s t— t o o fa s t fo r m o s t fo lk . B u t W h it t y w a s b a d e n o u g h . T h e w in d ju s t s u ite d h im a n d h a d ju s t th e d eg ree o f s la n t t o e n h a n ce h is n a tu r a l s w in g a n d a t th e sa m e t im e t o a cce le ra te h is p a ce . F r o m h a n d t o p itc h , a n d e v e n o ff it, W h it t y m u s t h a v e b e e n e v e r y b it a s d ifficu lt a s h e lo o k e d a n d as m o s t o f th e b a ts m e n , b u t p a r tic u la r ly F r y , m a d e h im a p p e a r t o b e . H e s w u n g a cro s s ; h e s w u n g o n a n d ca m e v e r y q u ic k ly o ff th e p itc h a n d o ite n q u ite lo w , w h ile if h e ca m e h ig h h e s e e m e d t o h a n g t h r o u g h , p itc h in g o n a s lo w e r s p o t . H e o c c a s io n a lly b o w le d a b a ll th a t b r o k e t h e re v e rse w a y t o its a p p a r e n t flig h t— th e rea l le ft h a n d e r b a ll t h a t w a s th e d e a d lie r b y re a s o n o f h is p a ce .