Cricket 1912

480 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME. S e p t . 7, 1912. “ T he South Africans have played three of doubtful rank.” Here again I join issue. These matches should not be doubtful. The decision of the M.C.C. concerning them might well have been made known long ago. In Wisden and other places where they sing—I should say where records are given, the Australian figures ror all eleven-a-side matches are usually quoted, not those for so-called first-class matches only. Down under they scarcely understand our nice distinctions, as one can easily realise, and they naturally take all games on even terms as of like rank. Here and there one may find some statistician of meticulous accuracy who will mention the distinction ; but these are rare. M y view may be inconsistent; but such as it is I will give it. In the cases of sides which, like the Indian Team of last year and the West Indian combinations, play a considerable number of second-rate matches,it may be worth while to have two sets of averages ; but where, as with the Australians for years past and tho present South African Team, tho doubtful match is the rare exception, the better plan would seem to be to accord first-class rank to all their fixtures. No injustice would be done. Durham may be a minor county ; but there are at least four first-class counties on whom I would not give odds in a match with Durham’s full strength. South Wales, the Minor Counties, and the Irish sides seem to me quite appropriately ranked first-class. I d o n ’ t think I have missed “ Wanderer's ” weekly article, “ A Look Round,” for over a couple of dozen years. I began to read it while still a schoolboy, and I have enjoyed it ever since. “ Wanderer’s ” views carry more weight than mine, doubtless ; but I have a right to my own, which right I am sure he will not question. O n ly one Championship match is now outstanding, and nothing hangs upon its result except the places in the tabl e of Surrey and Warwickshire. A win for Surrey will take them up to seventh place and drop last year’s champions to ninth ; a Warwickshire win will leave matters as they were. . Here is the table : THE TIEST-CLASS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP : 1912. On 1st inns. Pts. Pts. Per. P. w . L. w . L. poss. obt’d. centage; Yorkshire 25 13 1 7 4 125 90 72-00 Northamptonshire 17 10 1 2 4 85 60 70-58 Kent ........................... 25 14 5 3 3 125 82 66-50 Lancashire 17 8 2 4 3 85 55 64-70 Middlesex 18 7 4 5 2 90 52 57-77 Hampshire 18 7 3 4 4 90 51 56-66 Warwickshire ... 17 6 4 3 4 85 43 50-58 Nottinghamshire 17 5 5 5 2 85 42 49-41 S u rre y .......................... 22 6 5 6 5 110 53 48-18 S u ssex.......................... 26 6 10 6 4 130 52 40 00 Gloucestershire 13 3 8 1 1 65 19 29-30 Derbyshire 14 2 7 2 3 70 19 27-14 Leicestershire ... 20 3 13 2 2 100 23 23-00 Somerset 14 2 8 1 3 70 16 22*85 Essex ... 14 1 8 2 3 70 14 20-00 Worcestershire... 17 1 10 0 6 85 11 12*94 The games in which no result on the first innings was obtained, as well as the five abandoned matches, are ignored here. T h e Minor Counties have completed their regular programme, though Norfolk and Staffordshire may have to play off under the rule which entitles the second side on the list to challenge the first, if they have not already met. I have not heard whether Staffordshire mean to challenge ; but I hope they will. The contest should be a good one, with slight odds on Staffordshire, luck being even. Barnes is a great match-winner ; but the Norfolk captain is also a man who might turn the tide of any game, and the Norfolk bowling has been very effective this season, in strong con­ trast to 1911. The Editor of Ayres’s Cricketers’ Companion is preparing an illustrated article on Dulwich College, and will be greatly obliged if any old Alleynian will send him along any information of interest. Mr. W. Sapte is contributing to the Companion an article on “ The Balance of Power in Cricket,” and the Editor of C r ic k e t will also be among the contributors.— Address: 111, Aldersgate Street, E.C. COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP: 1912. On 1st inns. Pts. Pts. Per- P. W. L. W. L. poss. Obt’d. centage. 8 7 0 1 0 40 38 95-00 8 5 0 3 0 40 34 85-00 6 3 0 2 1 30 22 73-33 6 3 1 1 x 30 19 63-33 9 3 1 4 1 45 28 62*22 7 3 1 1 o 35 20 57-14 7 2 1 3 1 35 20 57-14 8 4 2 2 0 40 22 55-00 8 3 2 2 1 40 22 55-00 7 3 3 1 0 35 18 51-42 7 3 2 0 2 35 17 48-57 7 2 2 2 1 35 17 48-57 7 0 3 4 0 35 12 34-28 8 1 1 3 40 11 27*50 7 4 1 1 35 9 25-71 9 ft 4 2 3 45 9 20-00 7 1 4 0 2 35 7 20-00 8 1 5 0 2 40 7 17*50 7 0 3 1 3 35 6 17*14 7 0 4 0 3 35 3 8*57 Norfolk Staffordshire ... Surrey II. Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire ... Durham Northumberland Cornwall Devonshire Glamorgan Kent II. Lincolnshire ... Dorsetshire Wiltshire Berkshire Cambridgeshire Monmouthshire Bedfordshire ... Suffolk................ Cheshire The four matches abandoned, as well as the games in which no result was obtained on the first innings, are ignored here. I h a v e set out this table in the same way as that for the first-class counties. The schemes in use are identical; but it seems customary to give the Minor Counties table in a different fashion, including all matches started in the first column, with a column for the drawn games. There really seems no object in this. A l e t t e r just to hand from Mr. Crawford Coates, the old Philadelphian cricketer, now at Victoria, British Colum­ bia, says that the Australians will probably play there on October 21—a very late date ; but Victoria will be glad to see them, even then. H e a rty congratulations to Yorkshire upon their return to the proud position of champions. There can be no disputing the fact that they have well earned the honour, and if all matches had been played to a finish they would almost cer­ tainly possess a far bigger margin than they have as it is. T his is the ninth time the White Rose county has stood first, their record in each year of winning the championship (I have treated all drawn games alike here in 1912, for the sake of comparison) being :— Season. Played. Won. Lost. Drawn. 1893 16 12 3 1 1896 26 16 3 7 1898 26 16 3 7 1900 28 16 0 12 1901 27 20 1 6 1902 25 13 1 11 1905 28 IS 3 7 1908 28 16 0 12 1912 27 13 1 13 Of 231 matches played in these nine seasons they won 140, lost 15, and drew 76. During the whole period 1893-1912 inclusive, twenty seasons in all, they have played 514, won 280, lost 65, drawn 169. Only in 1910 and 1911 did they fail to win at least twice as many matches as they lost. I t would appear that I was scarcely correct in my notion that Philip Mead was the most consistent professional batsman of recent years. Mr. John Clapton writes from Hatherden Vicarage, Andover, to say that he thinks Hobbs has a better claim to be so considered, and advances figures to prove his contention. In 509 innings in first-class cricket up to August 24 (the date to which Mead’s figures were reckoned) Hobbs had made 40 centuries, 98 scores of from 50 to 99, and 143 of 20 or more but under 50. These compare with Mead’s 23, 53, and 98 in 331 innings. If only innings of 50 and over be reckoned his are 27'1 per cent, of his total, while Mead’s are 22-9 of his. If one reckons in all scores of 20 and over, Hobbs has a percentage of 55'2, Mead one of 52‘5. Hobbs has it ! I am inclined to fancy, too, now that my error is pointed out, that possibly William Quaife, John Tyldesley, George Hirst, and Tom Hayward would need to be considered. S ince I wrote the paragraphs about the Minor County Championship I have learned that Staffordshire challenged