Cricket 1912

386 CEICKET : A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. A txgttst 3, 1912. F a c t o r y ARTILLERY PLACE, WOOLWICH, S.E. H. GRADIDGE & SONS, Manufacturers and Exporters of all requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Squash Racquets, &c. Reblading Cricket bats and Restringing Tennis bats a Special feature. P a t e n t e e s a n d S o l e m a k e r s o f th e 66I M P E R I A L D R I V E R ” Cricket Bats made in Men’s, Small Men’s, College) 6 , 5, 4, & 3, sizes. Every other requisite for Cricket, including balls, leg guards, batting gloves, gauntlets, stumps, nets, &c. Price Lists and Special Quotations free. ALL COODS CARRIACE PAID TO ANY PART OF THE UNITED ________________________________ KINGDOM. S o l e M a k e r s o f th e “ Imper ial D r i v e r ” and “ Improved Gr ad i dg e ” Lawn Tennis Racquets. Special Club Notes. C o n t r i b u t e d b y “ T h e C h i e l . ” L a s t S a tu r d a y fo u n d m e a t R ic h m o n d . I a rriv e d t o fin d s e v e ra l m a tc h e s b o t h b e fo r e a n d b e h in d th e p a v ilio n s o n th e p o in t o f s ta r tin g . I t w a s n o t ic e a b le h o w v e r y la te t h e m a jo r it y o f t h e g a m e s b e g a n , t h o u g h in m a n y ca ses th is d id n o t m a tte r , a s w it h t w o e x c e p tio n s t h e y w ere s o o n fin ish e d o ff. T h e w ic k e ts , t h o u g h t h e y lo o k a ll lig h t , a re v e r y fa r fr o m p e r fe c t. I t is tru e th e re h a d b e e n ra in , d u rin g t h e p re v io u s n ig h t, b u t th is d o e s n o t a c c o u n t fo r t h e n u m b e r o f b a lls w h ic h k ic k e d . T h o o u tfie ld is v o r y r o u g h , a n d in s o m e p a rts p o s it iv e ly d a n g e ro u s t o field u p o n . T h e w e a r a n d te a r o f R u g b y fo o t b a ll a n d th e h o r se s h o w h e ld o n th e g r o u n d la r g e ly a c c o u n t fo r t h is , o f cou rse . S o m e o f th e c r ic k e t I w itn e s s e d w a s v e r y g o o d , a n d s o m e w a s e x c e e d in g ly b a d . T h e ca te rin g u p o n th e g r o u n d s ta n d s in n e e d o f im p r o v e m e n t. I s h o u ld im a g in e , h o w e v e r, t h a t c r ic k e t o n t h e A th le t ic G r o u n d h a s d e te r io r a te d d u rin g th e la s t fe w y ea rs. S o m e I w itn e s s e d w a s n o t u p t o th e p a rk s s ta n d a rd . T h e r e w ere e x c e p tio n s , o f co u rse . T h o t w o b e s t m a tch e s w e r e t h a t b e tw e e n F u lh a m a n d W e s t S h e e n a n d t h a t b e tw e e n R ic h m o n d T o w n a n d B a tte rs e a . I n t h e fo r m e r g a m e F u lh a m p r o v e d t o o s tr o n g fo r W e s t S h e e n , b e a tin g t h e m b y 158 t o 3 7. R . P e e l m a d e a ca p ita l 6 0 , s o m e o th e rs m a k in g u se fu l sco re s . T h e b o w lin g o f F u l­ h a m w a s t o o g o o d fo r W e s t S h e e n , w h o w e re s k ittle d o u t in s h a rp tim e . I lik e d th e fie ld in g o f F u lh a m , w h ic h w a s v e r y k e e n a n d su re . O f co u rse t h e y w e r e “ o n t o p ” fr o m t h e s ta rt, a n d th a t m a k e s a ra re d iffe re n ce . T h e o th e r m a t c h , R ic h m o n d T o w n v . B a tte rs e a , s e e m e d t o a tt r a c t th e m o s t a tte n tio n . I n th e o ld d a y s — s o m e fift y y e a rs a g o , I w a s told -— th e y h a d cr o w d s w a tch in g t h e m a tch e s , m u c h as is n o w th e ca se in B a tte rs e a P a rk . D o u b tle s s th is is tru e ; b u t n o w a d a y s th e re is little in t h e w a y o f c o m fo r t u p o n th e g r o u n d t o a tt r a c t s p e cta to rs . B a tte rs e a w o n th e to s s , a n d w e re a ll o u t fo r 110 . D a w d r y , S w a in a n d H is c o c k w e re th e o n ly b a ts m e n t o p la y w ith a n y co n fid e n ce . T h e w ic k e t w a s o n t h e s o ft s id e , a n d su ite d th e s lo w b re a k b o w lin g o f R o b in s o n . A d iffe re n t ta le was t o ld w h e n R ic h m o n d T o w n b a tte d . G . P la tt , th e S u rre y m a n , a n d F. T . C u lv e r o p e n e d th e b a ttin g , a n d ru n s ca m e q u ic k ly , e s p e c ia lly fr o m P la t t ’s b a t. T h e s c o r e was ta k e n t o 114 fo r th e first w ic k e t a n d C u lv e r h a d o n ly m a d e 14" o f th ese w h e n h e w a s o u t . C u lv e r is a m a n o f g o o d b u ild , a n d p o ss e s se d o f a fin e re a ch . W h y h e s h o u ld g o o n p la y in g h a lf-v o lle y a fte r h a lf-v o lle y b a c k t o th e b o w le r p u z z le d m e c o m p le te ly . T h is w a s a lso n o tic e a b le in th e b a ttin g o f R . P e n n e ll, th o u g h h e m a d e 52. H is w a s a m o s t la b o r io u s in n in g s. P la t t p la y e d g o o d a n d c o r r e c t c r ic k e t ; h is o ff-d r iv in g w a s v e r y s tr o n g , a n d o n e o f h is o n -d riv e s o ff S w a in c o u n te d 8 (a ll ru n ). R ic h m o n d T o w n m a d e 251 fo r 7 , th u s tu rn in g th e ta b le s u p o n B a tte rs e a , w h o d e fe a te d th e m e a rlie r in th e sea son . O f th e o th e r m a tch e s th e re is n o t m u c h t o te ll. T h e A th le tic G r o u n d is s o v e r y d iffe re n t t o a n y o th e r p la c e . Y o u c a n n o t fin d o u t a n y th in g , a n d it is d iffic u lt a n d a w k - 'w a r d t o m a k e y o u rs e lf k n o w n . O n e n e e d s a b o ld fr o n t t o g o u p t o th e little g r o u p s o f m e n a n d la d ies in th e co rn e rs o f th e p a v ilio n s a n d s ta n d s. “ T h e C h iel ” w it h h is u su a l m o d e s ty , trie d t o p lu c k u p th e n e c e ss a r y co u ra g e , b u t fa ile d . H e t o o k n o te s , h o w e v e r , tru e t o h is n a m e , a n d h e d esires t o ex p re ss h is s tr o n g d is a p p r o v a l o f s o m e v e r y d a n g e ro u s a n d u n th in k in g b o w lin g se e n in a g a m e fa c in g th e te a ro o m s . T h e b o w le r s im p ly s lu n g th e b a ll d o w n , irre s p e ctiv e o f d ir e c tio n o r le n g th , a n d n e a rly e v e r y b a ll fa ile d t o p itc h h a lf-w a y . T h e b a ts m a n a n d w ic k e t-k e e p e r (w h o w o r e gla sses), h a d m o s t o f th e ir tim e o c c u p ie d in d o d g in g th e h ig h fly in g b a lls. S u ch b o w lin g as th is is n o t cr ic k e t. I f a ll is w e ll, “ T h e C h ie l,” w ill b e to u r in g th e S o u th C o a st d u rin g B a n k H o lid a y w e e k . T h e fo llo w in g w e e k h e h o p e s t o d e v o t e e n tire ly t o th e g ro u n d s o f L o n d o n C lu bs. H e h a s n o d e fin ite p la n m a p p e d o u t. T h e fix tu re lists in th e m o rn in g p a p e rs w ill b e his g u id e , a n d h e w ill e n d e a v o u r t o lo o k in a t th re e o r fo u r g ro u n d s a d a y . A n u m b e r o f clu b s w ill b e o n to u r , b u t th e re w ill b e p le n t y le ft in to w n fo r h im t o v is it.