Cricket 1912

A ugust 3, 1912. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 387 KENT, 1912 . Club Cricket Notes and Jottings. T he Gentlemen of Essex, under the oaptalncy of H. D. Swan, who also skippers Colchester and East Essex, visited Sussex in the early part of last week, and put up some big scoring. Their totals were 442, 151 for 8, and 843 for 9, or 936 for 22 wickets. Their opponents, however, made plenty of runs too— 328, 294 for 7, and 160 for 5, or 782 for 2 2; and both gam es—a two-day fixture with Eastbourne and a one*day game with the South Saions— were drawn. In another season the club hopes to extend its Sussex tour. The m atch on tile Saffrons was played upon the same wicket that had been used for Sussex v. Hants, and in the five days as m any as 2,352 runs were scored on that pitch. The old Oxonian, C. D. Mclver, played a delightful innings of 180 for the visitors, and theie was a century in each innings of Eastbourne. In the first C. R . Browne, after a shaky opening, settled down and showed excellent form for his 122 ; in the second H . G . Garrett, a young Australian, played capitally for 118. Charles M cGahey m ade 90 for the Essex team, and the innings of from 20 to 59 in the match numbered 15. At St. Leonard’s E. C. Coleman hit brilliantly for his 109*, and C. J. Kort­ right played finely for 89, while for the South Saxons A. W . R obin­ son ran up a very free 76. On Thursday afternoon I managed to get away from the doubtful delights of reading proofs, trying to fit a page of type into a column, and tbe like, and paid a visit to the charm ing Sutton | ground. The Sutton side was playing the fourth game of its Home W eek; when I passed in the board showed 7 down, and the Butterflies were batting. It seemed likely that I m ight have to wait half-an-hour or so before making m yself known to Mr. R. M. Bell, whom I had forewarned of m y com ing. But R. M . B . himself shortened my waiting. In one over he got the last three wickets, tbe first of the three by an excellent c. and b., taken very low. Up to date, I learn, the Sutton crack has taken something like 120 wickets this season; but as his average annual bag is nearer 200 than 100 this is nothing out of the way. The Sutton C.C. does not own the ground. It is owned by a com pany.But— the shareholders in that com pany are all members of the club. There is no danger that the speculative builder will be allowed to get his rapacious claws upon the Sutton ground. W hich is an excellent thing, for it would be indeed a pity |if this enclosure— a trifle on the small side, but with splendid turf, ' a m ost picturesque thatched pavilion, and plenty of trees (yes, I know they are a nuisance when shadows grow long, but no one who cares for beauty would wish them away)— should go the way of so m any others. I could easily write a page about those two or three hours spent in the best of com pany before the Sutton pavilion. Among those to whom I had the pleasure of being introduced were Mr. Akroyd H yslop, who captained the club’s first team from 1872 to 1893, ba ’e and hearty still, though he has given up the game now ; Mr. J. A. K night (Donald Knight’s father, as I remarked on being presented, Mr Knight replying cheerfully that his wife says that he has at last achieved a claim to distinction as the father of his son), JMr. G. R. Blades (captain from 1899 to 1906), and Mr. L. Jackson, ' one of the best wicket-keepers playing in metropolitan cricket, aud an excellent bat withal, though, as he has seldom tim e for whole- day matches, his doings (he has scored three centuries this season, I was told, though he was not m y informant) get com paratively little of the lim elight. I saw something of Jackson’s form , and I saw also C. L . Cole, a really good batsman, who has lately returned to the game after many m onths of serious illness spent lying upon bis back. He was in the Rugby eleven of 1906. One m an whom [ had hoped to meet was not playing on Thursday. This was A. Sims, the Canterbury (N .Z.) crack, who is putting in a good dfal of cricket for Sutton and the Wanderers. As yet he has scarcely reproduced his true batting fo rm ; but I learned that his fielding is splendid. Against Banstead, I on the day before, he had made four fine catches. Another man who did great work in that gam e was playing for tbe other side on Thursday. This was A. N. Jewell, lately hom e from South Africa, |where he and his brother J. E . plajed for the Orange Free State. The Butterflies needed a stumper, and Sutton gave up one o f their best men. During the afternoon a telegraph m essenger delivered a missive |to Mr. J. A. Knight, who after reading it passed it on to Mr. Bell, 1from whom it eame to me. “ Asked to play for Surrey all holes,” it read. The gender was Donald Knight, the Malvern captain ; but “ all h oles” — what could be the solution of this mysterious phrase ? Mr. Knight interpreted. “ A ll h ols.,” he said. So are , we served by an intelligent telegraph department, some member of