Cricket 1912

484 CBICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OE THE GAME. S e p t . 7, 1912. H. GRADIDGE & SONS, Manufacturers and Exporters of all requisites for Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Squash Racquets, &c. F a c t o r y : — ARTILLERY PLAGE, WOOLWICH, S.E. Reblading Cricket bats and Restringing Tennis bats a Special feature. Patentees and Sole makers of the “ I 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 CARRIAGE PAID TO ANY PART OF THE UNITED KINCDOM. Sole Makers of the “ Imper ial D r i v e r ” and “ Improved Gr ad i dg e ” Lawn Tennis Racquets. stance. His defence is fairly good, and he is very quick on his feet. His F avourite S troke . His favourite stroke is the drive, and on the Tidal Basin ground I have fielded while he has made some glorious hits to the boundary. He selects the right ball to hit with sound judgment, and once he decides that a delivery deserves punishment he puts his whole strength into the stroke, with the result that his drives, whether in the air or along the grass, invariably reach the boundary. But the drive is not the only stroke Cossington executes well. He can get the ball away on the leg side nicely, and when occasion offers he will cut the ball to the boundary like a flash of lightning. A T horough S portsman . To his undoubted batting abilities Cossington adds the quality of being a thoroughly good sportsman. He plays the game for enjoyment-. As a bowler he is at times more than useful, and his good length deliveries always take a lot of playing. In the field he is alive, ready to save runs, and to run a batsman out if there is half a chance. Cossington is thought highly of in South West Ham, and I do not know of any young player in London who should develop more quickly into a top class all-round club cricketer than the subject of this brief sketch. Cossing­ ton, Senior, won many a match for South West Ham years ago, and Cossington, Junior, should help to win the club many victories in tho future. W h y not T r y , W a lter ? My old friend, Walter Ruffels, has been shining at Heme Bay. One of his innings was a striking effort, and proves what I have often said that he would be a quick and prolific rungetter if he would only try to learn to play the forward stroke, and use a little more judgment in his hitting attempts in the early part of his innings. There is nothing wrong with his fielding, and although his bowling looks easy, the fact that he gets so many good men out with his medium pace deliveries proves that it is not very easy to play. C lev er G.W.R. P la y er s . I was very pleased to see an excellent photo group of the Great Western Railway team in last week’s C ricket . The railway eleven is made up of real good sporting players. Morris is a fine bat, so is Gibbs, and Badge often gets runs in nice style. F. K. Honeyball is a smart wicketkeeper, and young C. B. Honeyball is a bowler right above the average. A R emarkable F igure . A remarkable figure in club cricket is little R. Farnham, of the Metal Exchange team. Farnham is a midget, yet he is a prolific wicket taker. Unlike most little men/who, curiously enough generally bowl fast, Farnham just takes two or three steps to the crease, and sends down a medium pace ball that swerves. Against Alexandra Park he did three remarkable things. One was the hat-trick. Another was to take nine wickets for 21 runs, and win his side a victory by one run. The third was to capture his hundredth wicket of the season. Two M atch W in n er s . Another exceptionally good howler is Jordan, of Croydon. Jordan’s latest is rune for 34 against Bcddington. He bowls a fine length ball that nips up off the pitch at a rare pace, and he is always a most difficult bowler to play. Pitts, a man who plays for many clubs, is also a fine bowler. He has a very easy action, and can almost make the ball do what he likes on a pitch that suits him. S ix S tars . Six men who have been shining in the cricket^ field lately are G. L. Robinson, M. C. Farrants, Culver, C. H. Dwyer, B. Davey, and O. Phelan. G. L. Robinson has recently joined Richmond Town. He is a very tricky leg-break bowler. M. C. Farrants and Culver of the same, club, are a pair of pretty batsmen, and C. H. Dwyer, of Walham Green, is a fine medium pace bowler with an easy action. B. Davey and O. Phelan are Southend youths. Davey bats well, fields cleanly, and bowls a heady ball with a rather low delivery. Phelan is a fast bowler who keeps a good length and gets out the best of batsmen cheaply.