Cricket 1912

58 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r i l 20, 1912. ance for the Border. And here it may be as well to mention, for the information of those whose knowledge of South African cricket is small, that the Currie Cup matches there are not on quite the same state or provincial footing as the great matches in Australia. Natal, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State play as States, it is true; but from the Cape Province as many as five teams have taken the field at one time or another—Western Province, Griqualand West. Eastern Province, the Border, and the South Western District—and a sixth district, the North Eastern, applied for recognition a while back, but did not get it. The Border, with which we are here con­ cerned, draws its players mainly from East London and “ K ing” — to shorten, in Southern African fashion, the name of Hartigan’s birth-place. Sibley Snooke has played for the Border in some tournaments, though he has also represented Western Province and Transvaal. Gerald Hartigan was one of the Border Fifteen at East London in 1905-6 against Warner’s M.C.C. side, and was second scorer with ‘20 in the first innings. In the following season he played twice— at East London and at “ King ” — for the Border against Ivor Difford’s Transvaal side, which included Faulkner, Sinclair, Yogler, F. E. Smith of Surrey, and Jim Mackay, the Australian ; and several of the team expressed the opinion that he was the best all-round man they met. He made a capital 40 against them at East London. The Border did not send a team to the Transvaal for the great Currie Cup Competition of 1906-7; it was the only important centre unrepresented, indeed. There was no tournament in 1907-8; but in 1908-9 a side was sent to Cape Town, where Western Province, Eastern Province, Transvaal, and Border fought for the Cup, Natal, Griqualand West and the Orange Free State holding aloof. Before this, however, quite at the beginning of the season, Hartigan had gone up to Johannesburg to play for the Rest of South Africa against the Wanderers, the crack club of the sub-continent. Nourse, Strieker Sibley Snooke, Baumgartner, Samuelson and the Rev. C. D. Robinson were among the R est; the Wanderers included Hathorn, Sinclair, Shalders, Zulch, Ralliwell, Beaumont, and Vogler; and the match, a three-day one, has good claim to first-class rank. Hartigan scored 13 not out and 32, and took two wickets for 65, so that, without performing sensationally, he fully justified his place. At Cape Town, in the Tournament, he made a very good impres­ sion. His 54 against Western Province in the first match was a capital innings, but even better was the 53 he made against the strong Transvaal attack (including Faulkner, Vogler, and Sinclair) in the second, when he batted 100 minutes, and hit seven fours. The Border had collapsed for 43 in their first innings; but they played up gallantly in their second, Sibley Snooke (55), Hartigan, F. W. Porter (now, like Snooke, a Transvaaler), C. Johnson, the wicket-keeper of the side, and J. F. Wood, all doing good work. Against Eastern Province, in the third match, Hartigan made only three in his one innings; but in the second innings of the other side he took 3 wickets for 23 runs. Had another team or two come down to Cape Town, he might well have earned international honours earlier, for he was in fine form at the time, and a century or a big bowling performance would not have been forgotten. But the best of us are dependent to some extent upon opportunity, and opportunities for Border cricketers to prove their mettle against first-class sides are infrequent. In 1909-10 Gerald Hartigan’s only big game was for the Border eleven against the M.C.C. team at East London, at the end of January. He made 21 runs in his two innings, and took 4 wickets for 68 in the match, and this was not enough to justify his selection for South Africa. A. E. Cook, a younger man, was the most fancied Border candidate at this time, and should yet make good his early promise ; but N. O. (“ Pompey ” ) Norton was the only player on the side who represented South Africa in 1909-10. But the Currie Cup Tournament of 1910-1 at Durban gave Hartigan his chance. It is true that many of the crack players were away in Australia ; but of the competing centres only the Transvaal had paid heavy toll to the South African team, and in spite of that the men of the Rand, led by Louis Tancred, put a good side in the field. Border’s first match was against Griqualand West, the weakest team of the seven. Hartigan scored 52 in his second innings, he and H. W. Phillips adding 88 for the third wicket, and took five wickets for 57 in the match. Against Western Province he made 28 in his first innings, and had 8 wickets for 76 in the game. Against Orange Free State he ran up a capital 88, he and G. Preston adding 83 for the fourth wicket, and took 6 wickets for 87. Against Natal he scored 53 (of 92 made in 115 minutes while he was in) and 19, and took 5 wickets for 79. He only scored 4 in the first innings against Transvaal; but in the second, when everyone else failed, A. Sprenger (56) and he added 91 for the fourth wicket, the full total being only 131. Hartigan’s score was 48. In the first innings of the Transvaal he took 7 wickets for 63, his bowling being mainly responsible for the dismissal of a strong batting side for the paltry total of 102. But it was in the last match of the tournament that he was seen at his best. Eastern Province had not a particularly powerful side, it is true; but that fact cannot be held to detract seriously from his all-round performance. He began with a duck; but he had made up for this by taking 5 wickets for 64 before his turn to bat came again. Then he fairly dominated the situation, scoring 176 not out by splendid cricket. Other men did fairly well. G. Cross (45) helped him to add 126 for the third wicket; Sprenger (25) and he put on 48 for the fourth, G. Cook (17) and he 57 for the fifth; and after that Johnson (31 not out) and he added 87 unparted before the innings was declared. It seemed a pity that Hartigan should not be given his chance to reach 200; but Norton had the result of the game to consider, and time lacked. Fresh, in spite of his long innings, G. P. D. bowled finely, taking 4 for 55, and, Cook chipping in with such a useful bit of work as 3 for 23, Eastern Province succumbed for 130, and the Border won by 273 runs. There were still some critics who talked Hartigan down as a second-rater, on the ground that the Durban tournament could not be taken seriously. But he silenced these by his fine batting in the trial matches for the selection of the present team at Johannesburg. Owing to an injury to his bowling hand he could not send down a ba ll; but, in spite of this handicap, no one batted better than he. His 128 not out for the Rest of South Africa against the Transvaal in the first match was a really fine innings (vide p. 12 of the January number), and every bit as good, if not better, was his second innings of 78 not out in the third game. On each occasion, be it remembered, he was playing for what was generally considered the weaker side ; and in the last innings he had to battle against heavy odds in an up-hill game. Gerald Hartigan should go far. After the present tour he will very probably rank as the best all-rounder in South Africa. He is not one of the googly clan, belonging rather to the more orthodox fast-medium type. As a batsman, he has plenty of strokes, and hits hard when set, though he can show strong defence when needed. He is an excellent field. This is not his first tour. He visited the Argentine with the Afrikander football team in 1906. It will scarcely be his last— though there are some people who say that after the Triangular Tournament South Africa will not send a cricket team either home or to Australia for many years to come. But that is mere croaking. J. N. P. County Cricket Club Meetings and Reports. The E s s e x C.C.C. is still struggling, though the Shilling Fund has realised £1,054 nett to the date of the report, and is not yet closed. Membership shows a decrease instead of the increase so much needed— a decrease of 469 during the last two years, which is very hard to under­ stand, with the side doing so well in 1911. Gate money during that season reached £1,779, an average of slightly under £200 per match ; subscriptions were £1,860 ; match expenses took £1,425. Excess of income over expenditure was £44 8s. lOd. ; small, but better than nothing. Bucken- ham has the Lancashire match in July as his benefit— a bumper, we tru st! There was a loss on every match played by the D e r b y s h ir e C.C. in 1911, but despite this, the club’s prospects are more hopeful than for some time past, for the Duke of Devonshire’s appeal bore fruit, and economies were introduced in the management. Subscriptions are only about £1,100 ; they should be half as much again to give the club a fair chance. Alderman Chambers men­ tioned at the meeting that Derby would have a cricket "week in August. Morton and Beet are now on the staff at Lord’s. E v e n the S u r r e y C o u n t y C .C . showed a deficit on last year’s working, though it was no more than .£136 16s. lid ., which is a trifle to a club possessing a balance of assets amounting to .£6,480. Strudwick’s benefit realized £1,216. There will be a long season at the Oval—thirteen first-class county matches, five second eleven games, three visits from the Australians (the third to play a Surrey and Middlesex team, a new fixture) and two from the South Africans, besides two Test matches, a Test trial, Gentlemen v. Players, and Champion County v. Eest of England. Major H. S. Bush, Sir Guy Campbell, Bart., Mr. Stanley Colman, and Mr. W. E. Boiler are the new members of the Committee.