Cricket 1912

A u g u s t 24, 1912. CEICKET : A WEEKLY EECOED OF THE GAME. 439 Cricket: A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 33 and 35, MOOR LANE, LONDON, E.C. S A T U R D A Y , A U G U S T 24, 1912. Communications to the Editor should be addressed to him at 33 & 35 Moor Lane, E .C . Advertisements, Subscriptions, <fcc., should be sent to the Manager, at the same address. The following are the rates of subscription to C ricket :— Oreat Britain. Abroad. One Y ear ............................... 6 s. 3d. ... 7s. 6 d. The 24 Summer Numbers ... 5s. Od. ... 6 s. Od. The 6 W inter Numbers ... Is. 3d. ... Is. 6 d. N O T IC E . Messrs. WRIGHT & CO., of 7, Temple Lane, Tudor Street, E.C ., are AdvertisementContractorsfor C R IC K E T , and will be glad to give their best attention to any Firms desiring to advertise in the paper. Scale of Charges will be sent on application. pavilion (3ossip. The abstract and brief chronicle of the time. — Hamlet. U p to A u g u st 17, th e A u stra lia n s h av e lo st 25 w ickets th ro u g h b a tsm e n being ru n o u t, th e S o u th A fricans only nine. W h en th e S o u th A frican side w as in A u stralia, some critics said th a t it m issed m an y ru n s th ro u g h failure to b a ck u p a n d slowness b etw een th e creases. N o d o u b t th ere w as tr u th in th is, a n d one c a n n o t feel su re th a t th e A frik an d ers ru n q u ite e v ery th in g possible now . B u t one does feel p r e tty su re th a t th e o th er colonial side h as th ro w n aw ay w ickets b y a tte m p tin g to o m uch. C laude Jen n in g s has seven tim e s b een ru n o u t, n o t alw ays, of course, b y his ow n f a u l t ; a n d th is is a trifle to o m u ch for one m an in one to u r. M cL aren h as b een o u t in th is m an n e r th ree tim es in eleven com p leted inn in g s ; G regory, Sm ith , M ayne, B ard sley , a n d M in n ett each tw ice ; H a z litt, K ellew ay, M acartn ey , W eb ster, a n d W h itty each once. C arkeek, E m e ry , a n d M atth ew s a re th e only m en whose nam es a re m issing ; b u t th e re is still tim e for th em to qualify. I f George H aw k sw o rth , w ho th e o th er d a y to o k all 10 w ickets for B erks v. B ucks, were o n ly a few y ears younger, his n a tiv e co u n ty (L eicestersh ire) m ig h t be glad of his help w hen th e en d of te rm sets h im free from his d u tie s a t B ra d ­ field. S idney B arn es, th e g re atest of th em all, is n o t th e o n ly first-class bow ler p lay in g for a second-class co unty. T here can be no q u estio n b u t th a t Morris, of D u rh am , w ould be w o rth a place in alm o st a n y co u n ty side ; an d P a rk in , also of D u rh am , B u rto n a n d C olem an of H erts, C reber of G lam organ, a re o th ers w hose nam es com e read ily to m in d . H aw k sw o rth ex p lo its th e googly, b y th e w ay. A g o o d m an y of th e m en w ho p lay , or h av e late ly play ed as professionals for. m in o r counties h av e figured in first-class cricket. Am ong these a re D ay a n d B ro u g h to n (L in co ln sh ire), H o llan d a n d Sm oker (C heshire), H ack er a n d Maxwell (G lam o rg an ), D eyes, Sedgw ick, W ilson, B ucknell, N ichols, a n d F e re d ay (S taffo rd sh ire), F alconer a n d A llsopp (N o rfo lk ), Sellick (W ilts.), W a tts an d O ’Connor (C am bs.), W h arm b y (B ed s.), L ig h t (D ev o n ), D iver (Mon­ m o u th ), a n d N o rb u ry (N o rth u m b e rla n d ). B u t th e re are m an y o th ers. C ornw all’s trio (V ib art, T re v a rth e n , a n d W h itin g ), th e H e rts m en (G olding, Cole­ m an , S helford, B u rto n ), H aw k sw o rth , S h o o sm ith an d W hichelow (B e rk s), H ollow ood a n d V o st (S taffo rd sh ire), N ewm an, M itchell, O v erto n , an d S m a rt (W ilts), Penfold a n d T ru d g e tt (Suffolk), G ibson a n d W atso n (N o rfo lk ), B a n cro ft a n d C reber (G lam o rg an ), Morris a n d H arrison (D u rh am ), R ich ard so n , M ilne, and B lsey (N o rth um b e rla n d ), W alb y (D o rse t), R iley (L in co ln sh ire), Coulson (C am bs.), S ilverlock (M o nm o u th ), H o ld sto ck (B ed s.), a n d P reed y , R obinson, a n d D avis (D ev o n ) h av e n e v e r stra y e d outside th e second-class pale. O p th e am a teu rs p lay in g in th e M inor C ounties C om peti­ tio n , a considerable n um b er m ay be recognised as first- class play ers in o th e r d ay s, e ith e r for a co u n ty o r (th o u g h th is , of course, is n o t q u ite th e sam e th in g ) for one of th e U n iversities. T h e nam es of E . H . D. Sewell, A. F . Morcom , J . G ilm an, A. K . W atso n , S. H ill-W ood, M. F alco n , J . F . Irela n d , th e R ev. G. B. R aik es, F . C. H u n te r, G. G. M, B e n n e tt, H . B ro u g h am , B . M eakin, F . E . Rowe, J . H . B . L o ck h art, E . S. P h illip s, T . H . F ow ler, C. J . B . W ebb, a n d T. T. N. P e rk in s re ad ily occur in th is co n n ectio n . W h o w ill w in th e M inor C o u n ty C ham pionship ? A t th e tim e of w ritin g S taffordshire, N orfo lk a n d B u ck in g­ h am shire are all u n d e fea te d sides ; b u t Staffordshire h as h a d to p a y th e p e n a lty of w inning m atch es o n th e first innings, a n d figures below th e o th er tw o in th e ta b le . If Norfo'-k carries off th e p alm , it w ill seem to everyone ra th e r a p ity th a t a re ally stro n g side sh o u ld h av e gone to th e to p b y th e a rra n g em e n t of a w eak fixture-list. T h is y ear Norfolk gave u p its m atch es w ith th e n o rth e rn counties, N o rth um b erlan d a n d D u rh am , for financial re a ­ sons, a n d its com m ittee could n o t see th o ir w ay to p lay S taffordshire. M atches w ith Suffolk, C am bs, B eds, a n d H e rts form its pro g ram m e. H e rts is a good side ; th e o th er th re e are b y n o m oans to be despised a t full stre n g th , b u t th e y scarcely rep resen t th e stro n g est possible o pposition. I p B ucks sh o u ld w in, th e sam e th in g m ig h t be said . B u t th e case is som ew h at d ifferent because B ucks has n o t before b een in th e ru n n in g , a n d th e c om m ittee would scarcely h av e b een justified, even h a d fu n d s p e rm itte d , .in try in g to g et o n m atch es w ith all th e stro n g e st second- class counties. N orfolk w on th e ch am pionship in 19 10 , an d h a d a m ore pow erful side la st y e a r th a n th e re su lts w ould seem to in d icate. S t a f f o r d s h i r e ’s fixtures th is y ear a re w ith N o rth u m ­ b erlan d , D u rh am , G lam organ, M onm outh, a n d Cheshire. T he on ly re ally w eak side of those is C heshire. D u rh am a n d G lam organ a re c e rta in ly stro n g e r th a n a n y side N orfolk play s e x ce p t H e rts, o r th a n a n y sid e m e t b y B ucks, e x ce p t B erk s w hen p lay in g u p to form , a n d H erts. Q u it e a n in te restin g com p etitio n w ould re su lt from a full p ro g ram m e of m atch es p lay ed w ith one a n o th e r b y th e b e st seven o r e ig h t sides of th e 18 (excluding second elevens) w hich figure in th e second-class cham pionship. Staffs, D u rh am , G lam organ, N orfolk, H e rts, B ucks on th is y e a r’s form , B erks o n la st y e a r’s, w ith p e rh ap s N o rth u m b e r­ lan d , m ig h t be th e b e st choice. B u t th e re w ould be som e v e ry expensive jo urneys, a n d considerable difficulty in d o v etailin g m atc h es ; a n d I suppose a n y th in g of th e so rt is q u ite o u t of th e ran g e c f p ra ctic a l politics. M e a n w h i l e th e first-class ch am pionship is still u n d e ­ cided. T hose w ho arg u e t h a t Y o rk sh ire c an n o t be b e a te n b y th e sides y e t to be m et a re d isreg ard in g th e tim e-w o rn ax iom t h a t a t crick et alm o st a n y th in g is possible. P o in ts in h a n d a re th e on ly p o in ts it is safe to c o u n t. B u t p ro ­ b ab ilities are som ew h at in fav o u r of th e W h ite Rose team . A ssum ing t h a t N o rth a n ts b e a t Sussex— th o u g h th a t is n o c e rta in ty— t wo w ins an d a loss, one w in o u trig h t an d tw o o n th e first innings, tw o w ins a n d a gam e in w hich no decision even o n th e first innings is com e to , o r even one w in a n d tw o u n decided gam es of th is so rt, will k eep Y o rk sh ire ah ead . B u t th re e first-in n in g s’ w ins w ill n o t suffice. T here m u st be a t le a st one o u trig h t w in, w ith its co n seq u en t five p o in ts, a n d if a loss is experienced it can on ly be balan ced b y tw o o u trig h t w ins, for 93 p o in ts (8 4 + 5 + 3 ) o u t of 130 falls below 65 o u t of 90. I am inclined to th in k t h a t for th e good of th e gam e it w ould be b e tte r t h a t N o rth a n ts sh o u ld figure a t th e to p . B u t nev erth eless I c an n o t q u ite see th e m id lan d side as equal in stre n g th to Y orkshire. I t m a y be, th o u g h , t h a t we a re in clined to u n d e rra te N o rth a n ts because in th e m ain h er victories a re w on b y bow ling a n d fielding ra th e r th a n b y b a ttin g . I f e a r th e te rrib le w e ath e r causes som e of us to ta k e a jau n d ic ed view of m a tte rs generally. H ere a re a few