Cricket 1912

A p r i l 20, 1912; CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 71 Public School Prospects. There are only three old colours left at E t o n , Wigan, captain for 1912, an excellent batsman of the defensive rather than the aggressive - order, Campbell, perhaps the most brilliant bat on the side— he made a fine century against Winchester last year—and a splendid cover-point, and Freeman-Thomas, who showed some all-round promise. All last year’s stock bowlers have gone— Steel, the best of them, to Sandhurst, Lister-Kaye and Boswell to Oxford— as well as the wicket-keeper, Tufnell, captain in 1911. Colman is also up at Oxford and Mulholland at Cambridge. Heathcote-Amory, right-hand fast, should be certain of his place as a bowler. The Lord’s match is on July 12 and 13, and the fixture-list is much as usual— that is to say, very strong indeed. H a r r o w has suffered rather less than Eton from the exodus of last year’s men— that is, as numbers go, for there are five old flannels left at the school on the hill. But those gone are T. B. Wilson, Gregson, Turnbull, Falcon, Morrison and De Jongh— that is to say, the School’s best three bats, and four of the five bowlers. Blount, the new captain, is a capital wicket-keeper, and a much better batsman than his average makes him out— runs are harder to get at Harrow than on most school grounds. C. S. Wilson, Trew, Jackson, and Buller are the others available. Trew headed the bowling averages in 1911 ; Buller bowls googlies ; and something is hoped of Wrigley as a fast bowler. T. B. Wilson, Turnbull and Falcon are all up at Cambridge. W in c h e s t e r , with six old choices, should have a powerful team. Critchley-Salmonson, the captain, is probably their greatest asset; he is not only a good bat, but potentially quite a first-class bowler— tall, with a high and easy delivery, fast medium in pace, and possessing a nasty swerve. He has played for Somerset, and it would be a good thing for that unlucky side if he should give it regular help in future. The other old colours are Hough, who headed the batting averages last year, Morshead, of whom much is hoped, and Hone, Johnston, and Miller, all quite promising, though they were not heavy run-getters last season. The bowling may not be very strong, apart from the captain, but there should be no doubt about the batting and fielding. Woosnam, the captain of 1911, a really fine bat, is now at Cambridge ; Stewart, Lillingston, and Parke are at Oxford ; and McConnel is at Woolwich. The only school match, as usual, is that with Eton—what a pity it is Winchester does not nowadays meet Harrow !— but such fixtures as those with M.C.C., the Zingari, Free Foresters, Authentics, Household Brigade, Green Jackets, Butterflies, Old Wykehamists, A. J. Webbe's X I., and four with Oxford colleges, make up a very strong card. A t R u g b y four old colours remain. Last year’s side was so strong and so even that it was difficult to pick out its best men ; but certainly in retaining Elliot, the new captain, who played fine all-round cricket against Marlborough at Lord’s, a slow to medium right-hand bowler with an excellent length, Aston, the fast bowler of the side, and Bretherton and De Selincourt, both good bats, they have the nucleus of another strong eleven. The match with Marlborough at Lord’s begins on July 31st. M a r l b o r o u g h retain three of last year’s strong team. E. A. Shaw is now at Oxford ; Patteson, Lagden, and Pon- sonby are at Cambridge ; it would not be at all surprising if all were heard of to some effect. Certainly Lagden should have an excellent chance of “ a Freshman’s blue.” Wood- roffe, in his fourth year in the team, is the new captain. There were few better bowlers among the schools in 1911 ; probably there was not one better fast bowler. He is tall, has a high action and a good off-break, and keeps his head. The other two old colours,Case and Batson, are both bowlers, the former fast, the latter medium right. The recruits generally will be young, for only one of the X X II. of 1911 is back, H. P. Cole, a useful bat, and a slow to medium right- hand bowler. G. C. R. Coleridge promises well as wicket­ keeper. The batting cannot possibly be as powerful as in 1911 ; but, provided the new men are all there in the field, opposing sides should not score too heavily to give the school a chance. The Cheltenham match is on June 14 and 15, and the game with Rugby at Lord’s at the end of July. Hampshire Hogs, F .F .’s, Marlborough Blues, the M.C.C., Liverpool, Mr. H. Plunket Greene’s X I., and Mr. C. S. Awdry’s X I. are the other teams to be met. C h a r t e r h o u s e keep five of last year’s strong eleven, an exceptionally level side ; and as tho five are Wright, the new captain, R. G. Morrison, brother of the brilliant skipper of 1911, J. S. F. Morrison (now at Cambridge), and Stevens, all good bats, the last named also a useful slow bowler, with Rucker and Letten, both fast bowlers, there is the nucleus of another good team. Either G. F. Wharton or D. G. Durrant will probably be wicket-keeper ; their claims are so equal at present that it is impossible to say which. Wharton is the better bat. There are several other promising batsmen, of whom T. H. Fosdick, R. A. Cholmeley, D. G. Liddle, and J. H. Strachan may be mentioned; and as bowlers A. L. Ford, J. Burnie, P. Harrison, and A. S. Dallas will have to be considered. At C h e l t e n h a m G. E. C. Wood, who has headed the batting averages for the last two seasons, will be captain. Though Wise returns, the claims of work will keep him from playing at all regularly, and Barnes, who did not come up to expectations last year, should be the captain’s most efficient aide as a batsman, for he has a lot of cricket in him. James and Firbank, both left-hand bowlers of considerable ability, slow to medium in pace, Firbank being the faster of the two, and both excellent fields, are the other old choices available. There is good material in those left of last year’s X X II.—R. A. E. Blake and G. P. B. Taylor, left-handed batsmen, Blake of the forcing type, Taylor sound and orthodox, A. K. Macleod and D. F. Aikenliead, youngsters, but very promising, E. Donovan, A. H. S. Hinchcliffe, R. L. H. Green and H. St. H. Lenne. The Marlborough match (June 14 and 15), Clifton (July 9 and 10) and Haileybury (at Lord’s, August 2 and 3) are, of course, the great events of the season ; outside these there is an excellent fixture list, including the Old Chelton- ians, Liverpool, I Zingari and the Incogniti. Of last year’s team Brown is now at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, Harris at Brasenose, Oxford, and Durand and Scobie at Woolwich. C l if t o n has lost Southern, captain in 1911, now at Sandhurst— Morgan, one of the best all-rounders the school has had of recent years, now at Woolwich—Hickman, a very sound bat, who is up at Trinity, Oxford—and Craddock a fair fast bowler, up at Exeter—besides Rissik, Jacob and Murray. Thus only four old hands remain. These are Farnell, now captain, and Whitehead, both good bats, the latter, who still has three seasons at school left, was quite one of the school’s mainstays in 1911, and should do even better in 1912— Errington, a first-class wicket-keeper, and Wright, a useful and promising medium pace bowler. The school in its fine commanding situation— “ Where the downs look out to the Severn Sea ” — as one of its old boys sings, seldom lacks batting ; but the bowling problem for 1912 is a troublesome one. Rugby is played at home on June 21 and 22, Cheltenham away on July 9 and 10, and the O .B .’s match is in the same w eek ; the fixture card is much on the usual lines, with plenty of strong opposition—Liverpool, Lansdown, Somerset Stragglers, Bristol University, and so on. U p p in g h a m has seven old colours left, three of them 1909 men, so that the side will have plenty of ballast. Moore, last season’s captain and crack bat, is now at Oxford ; Young, Hale and Walker are all at Cambridge. Wilshin is the new captain, and he expects much of Morris, who bowled uncommonly well early last season, though he fell off a bit later. It should not be difficult to fill the four places left vacant, as the second eleven last year showed up capi­ tally, losing only one match. The Repton match is on June 11 and 12 (away), the Haileybury match on June 21 and 22 (at home), and that with Shrewsbury on July 3 and 4 (away). The F .F .’s, King’s College, Cambridge, Notts Amateurs, the O.B.’s (June 27 and 28), and Upping­ ham Town are also to be played. A t H a il e y b u r y only three old colours remain. H a k e is the new captain ; he was disappointing last year, but the ability is there, and he ought to make a lot of runs this