Cricket 1912

S e p t . 14, 1912. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 505 As I close I hear that Alberta has won the Western Canada inter-provincial tournament at Calgary. It is a curious fact that in each season since tho competition started, the home team—Manitoba in 1910, Saskatchewan iD 1911, Alberta in 1912—has proved victorious. I have no details as yet ; but these will turn up later, I hope. Special Club Notes. C o n tr ib u t e d b y “ T h e C h ie l .” For once in a way we had a clear and fine afternoon for cricket last Saturday, and judging from the long list of results, club cricket for a week or two is and will be very m uch alive. After the soaked wickets experienced for so long, it must have been a pleasure to play again upon a fast one. Many batsmen found the pace of the wickets too muoh for them . Little or no practice can be obtained of an evening now, and a fast bowler com ing quickly off the pitch form s a difficult proposition for a man short of practice. Scores generally appear to have been on the small side, and this can be put down chiefly to this cause, and to a hard wicket after so m any soft ones. At this period of the year the side losing the toss is at a great dis­ advantage, and it is a pity clubs cannot make it a hard and fast rale to start at 2 sharp during September. Ciub cricketers will shortly be finishing their season, and the care of their belongings for the winter months apparently does not enter the m inds of m any m en. Many cricketers are content to leave their belongings in the pavilion, and expect to find them in their usual place at the start of the next season. T he usual cry will be raised: “ My gloves are m issing,” or “ my boots,” or “ m y flannels.” This could be avoided by a little thought. Nothing is more annoying to club officials than to hear these repeated com ­ plaints of m issing articles. Another thing that is very noticeable is that members losing their property are apt to replace it out of the materials of the club. W hen the officials come to take stock of material, things are m issing in many cases, and very often traced to the members This is not at all the thing, as all will admit, if they give the subject a m om ent’s thought. There exists a growing demand for practice during the winter m onths. The public authorities are subletting the baths, and fitting them up with nets, etc. B eyond keeping a cricketer in con diton , I am doubtful whether the practice obtained would be of much use to him in the long run. The conditions in every way are so different from those of a cricket ground, and in m any cases men who have patronized these places for practice feel stale before the season starts. I do not wish to dissuade cricketers from obtaining practice during the winter. But you may have too m uch of a good thing, and in many places they have a professional coach whose advice as to your play upon that particular fast pitch may be anything but useful to you when you return to the turf. For keeping you in condition there is nothing better, I allow, and the young and keen cricketer m ay spend some of his time profitably in this manner during the winter m onths. But don’t overdo i t ! T he question often arises, how are we going to keep the members together during the winter m onths? T o keep in close touch with your members is a great advantage to your club. In London club cricketers are differently placed to their brother cricketers in the provincial towns. There you meet nearly every day. But in town cricketers are widely scattered, and very often difficulties arise in gett ng them together. Social functions may not appeal to all. At the same time m ost clubs of any standing have some means or other of meeting and cem enting that feeling of good fellowship which is so happy a part of good club cricket. I am a strong advocate of social gatherings, wheth»r in the way of the annual dinner, of smoking concerts, or of anything else that will tend to keep up the enthusiasm of a cricketer for his club. During the winter months the club officials are very busy arranging fixtures for the next season. It is a good thing that all the members should be made aware what their comm ittee are doing for the future of the club. By meeting, say, at least once a m onth, all the members can be kept inform ed of such matters. T he man who knows his club is prospering is m uch more likely to obtain new m embers. W ithout enthusiasm no club can prosper, nor does it deserve to. Create sociability of the right kind, and enthusiasm will fo llo w ; new members will be brought in, and your club will prosper as it deserves. R i c h a r d d a f t ’ s N o t t i n g h a m s h i r e m a r l . —Particulars apply Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts.—(A dvt .) Cricket in Scotland. B y H a m i s h . W hat a m elancholy finish ! Those clubs which prolonged their programme into September had little to be thankful for, as rain again put almost an absolute veto on the game. Only in a few matches on Saturday was any play attempted, and not a single one was brought to a definite issue. But this is an old story now. W ell, it sha’n ’t be told again this season. In the fixture between Ayr and Poloc at A yr— the final m atch in the W estern U nion Championship—play was limited to the batting of one side, Ayr, who were at the crease alm ost all the afternoon. Shortly after their innings closed, rain put a stop to the game, but, as P oloc had only an hour to get the runs, no difference can have been made to the actual result. Ayr were apparently bent on escaping defeat at all costs, for their methods in this match were in striking contrast to the dashing displays they had served up in the bulk of their other matches this season. After three hours’ batting their total showed but 110 for the toss of 9 wickets. Rain then fell, and the rem aining two taking every advantage added a useful 52 in forty minutes. J. R. Moffat, who was top scorer, was left not out with 42, while W . H . A. Dinsm ore (6 for 42) bowled exceedingly well for Poloc. At this point the m atch had to be abandoned as a draw, and thus for the first time Ayr finished at the head of the W estern U nion Championship, a position which their play throughout the season has amply justified. The present has been far and away the m ost successful season in the history of the Ayr Club. Out of 27 m atches played, they have won 19, drawn 6, and lost 2. Of thirteen players from whom the eleven has been usually chosen, nine have batting averages over 20. In this department J. J. Maybin (average 31) has done best, and Ayr will be sorry to lose his services. H e has accepted a mastership at W atson’s College, and will no doubt play with the form er pupils of the College in com ing years. In bowling, Turner, the professional, has secured 113 victim s at a cost of 7 73 apiece, and of the others W . R. Drinnan has given him valuable assistance. The club has scored 23 runs per wicket to its opponents’ eleven. Though the individual figures, Turner excepted, m iy not be out­ standing, as a com bination, under the able leadership of T . C. Dunlop they played brilliantly, hence their success. I bracket Ayr along with Drumpellier and Perthshire as the most successful sides of the year. The latter two, however, had much stronger fixture lists thau Ayr, who are unfortunate in their geographical situation. Drumpellier’s averages are not yet published, as they have still a m atch to p la y ; but so far they have only lost to Kelburne in their opening match, notwithstanding that they frequently fielded two elevens. Perthshire, the winners of the Scottish Counties Championship, are largely indebted to two players for their success, viz., J. A. Ferguson and Benskin. Ferguson has had a great season. For the County his figures a re: Tim es Highest Innings. not out. Score. Runs.Average. 16 ... 9 ... 117* ... 664 ... 94 85 H e will probably head the Scottish averages for the second year in succession. H e was not so successful in representative matches ; but his time will com e. Benskin has taken 79 wickets for 9*10 each. He has been re-engaged for next season. Consider that each of the three clubs I have mentioned owes a tremendous amount for its success to professional assistance, aud a lot of the gilt is taken off. And they are all strong enough to do without a professional. The day when professionals will be barred may be far d ista n t; but it will com e, I think. At Galashiels, on Saturday, a match was comm enced between Gala, the border League Champions, and a team drawn from the Rest of the League. Less than an hour’s play was overtaken when rain put a stop to the game, with Gala 61 for 3 wickets. F. H . Hoggarth had scored 23* au'l W . G . Grieve, of Selkirk, had the three wickets that fell for 2 i runs. These two have been the most successful cricketers in the Borders this season. FUR S A L E —A few copies of “ Surrey Oricket and Cricketers ” (Rev. R . S. H olm es), “ Annals of C ricket” (W . W . Read), Ayres. “ Cricket C om panion” for 1907, “ Catalogue of Cricket Literature ” (A. D. Taylor), “ Parsi C ricket” (Pavris), and “ Chronicles of C ricket” (Nyren).— Any reasonable offer accepted. A.B .C . c/o Editor of Cricket, 33 and 35, M oor Lane, E C.