Cricket 1912

82 CRICKET: A WEEKLY , and It. Knight, of St. John’s, Leatherhead. It is quite unfair to assume that the cricket at a big school is neces­ sarily better than at a comparatively small one, but the chances are that it is so, owing to greater facilities. But W ood and Knight (sounds like Leicestershire, eh ?) are not to be lightly dismissed, for the former won his spurs for Derbyshire in 1911, and Knight has been five seasons in the Leatherhead eleven. During that time he has scored over 1900 runs with an average of 55, and has taken over 200 wickets at less than 14 each. W ood ’s last three seasons for Denstone—whether he was in the team in 1908 I am not sure, the averages being unavailable— give him 1317 runs at an average of over 50 per innings (his figures were 74.37 in 1911), and 56 wickets (nearly all taken last year) at under 12 each. J. S. F. Morrison (Charterhouse) should be one of the most likely men for early trial. He did well in 1910— nearly 30 per innings— but far better in 1911, when his average was over 52. He scores fast in spite— or because ? — of a crouching attitude at the crease. The Winchester crack, M. Woosnam, is another hot candidate ; he is thoroughly sound and looks full of runs. In two seasons for William de Wykeham ’s foundation he aggregated 857 runs— average over 36. Then there is R. B. Lagden (Marlborough), one of the best school bats of 1911, brilliant and wristy, with a soundness in essentials that does not always go with brilliance. He made 575 runs in 12 innings last year. During his three seasons in the Marlborough team he aggregated 1151 in 38 completed innings, and took 60 wickets at about 23 each. Another Marlborough man is C. Patteson, less to the fore in 1911 than in 1910, when he totalled 810 with an average of 54. He was contempo­ rary with Lagden throughout their careers as Marlborough blues, and scored altogether 1485 runs in 39 completed innings, including at least one century in each season. Lagden shot ahead of him last year, but he may yet make up the leeway, and in a wet summer might out-distance his old schoolfellow. H. G. Vincent (Haileybury) had good figures both last year and in 1910, in the earlier year playing splendid cricket for 54 and 118 not out against Cheltenham at Lord’s. His three years’ record is 1063 runs in 35 completed innings, over 30 per innings. T. B. Wilson (Harrow) lias nothing tremendous to his cred it; but he may quite conceivably prove better value than some of the big-figure merchants, for an average of 22 over three seasons at Harrow has to be earned. T. L. G. Turnbull (Harrow), sensational in 1909, when a century earned him his flannels at the eleventh hour, a big disappointment in 1910, and only moderately successful in 1911, has big possibilities ; he is a left-handed hitter who starts rather uncertainly but is great when he gets going. J. H. Falcon, a third Harrovian, brother of the Cambridge captain of 1910, has played for Norfolk, and promises well all-round. Another all-rounder is F. S. Gough Calthorpe, Repton, Sussex Martlets, and Sussex. A total of 57 wickets at only a little over 12 runs each last year should ensure him good trial. In his three seasons in the school team he aggregated 681 runs (average a trifle over 21), and took 115 wickets at a little over 15 each, with each year showing an improvement over the last. A. S. Edge, who headed the Rossall batting figures in 1909 and 1910, and in three seasons made 836 runs with an average of over 32, and took 79 wickets at about 15 each, should be worth looking after ; he is a careful bat, and a good length bowler. The man with the best school bowling record, apart from Knight, is probably E. C. Baker (Brigh­ ton), who in four seasons has taken 199 wickets for 3032 runs. H. A. V. Maynard (Eastbourne), who has also been four years in his school eleven, might challenge him, perhaps ; but Maynard’s figures for 1909 and 1910 are not available. He is also a capital bat, whereas Baker has small pretensions in that direction. K . King (Char­ terhouse), fast medium, had 74 wickets at under 17 each in 1910 and 1911. Others might be mentioned—perhaps shoidd b e ; but this list does not pretend to exhaustiveness. Among the couple of dozen or so dealt with some five or six, at least, should play in the great match at Lord’s. R IC H A H D D A F T ’S N O T T IN G H A M S H IR E M A R L.—Particulars apply Radcliffe-on-Trent, Notts. — (A dvt .) EECOED OF THE GAME. A p r i l 27, 1912. Overseas Cricket. Q u e e n sl a n d v. N e w S o u t h W a l e s . The final match of the Australian first-class season, Queensland v. New South Wales at Brisbane, was rather a disappointing game. Considerable regret was felt at its petering out in two days. It does not appear, after all, that this was in any way due to rain, but simply to the general failure of the batsmen, with two or three exceptions, to deal with some good bowling. The visiting team was captained by Austin Diamond, who five or six years ago looked like one of the coming great men of Australia, but has fallen away some­ what since ; Eric Barbour and Edgar Waddy were the only other cracks it included; P. S. Arnott, a googlie merchant, H. Davis, B. Shortland and J. S. Taylor were all playing for their state for the first time. Queensland lacked Hartigan, Evans, and McLaren. Sydney Bedgrave’s fine century was the only redeeming feature of Queensland’s first innings. W. B. Hayes and he added 64 for the fourth wicket. Scott, the fast bowler, did good work. At one time it looked odds on the local side having a lead on the first innings, six wickets of N.S.W. being down for 91, but Diamond and Scott, batting very finely indeed, added 92, Scott’s 44 including six 4’s, Diamond batted about 2J hours, and was missed just after completing his century. On a good wicket Queensland failed to make any show against Scott and Bandell, and the visitors won quite easily in the end. The full averages of the season will appear next week. F rom V a r io u s Q u a r t e r s . At Bulawayo, on Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, Bulawayo, by defeating Salisbury in an innings, remained holders of the Logan Cup. Salisbury scored 140 and 133; the home team made 429. Four wickets were down for 42; but e Rhodesian crack, Bourdillon, and B. Babinson added 143 for the fifth, and the former and Blanckenberg 120 for the sixth. Except for a chance of stumping just before he got out Bourdillon’s innings was faultless. Among those taking part in the match, the score of which will be found on another page, was Leo Bobinson, the old Natal player. Salisbury lacked two of its best in Colin Dutf and W. S. Taberer E. A. Windsor, of Tasmania, would almost appear to improve with age. For East Launceston v. South Launceston recently, the latter side playing a man short in each innings, he had 12 for 76 in the match. Alan Marshall can still make use of a funny wicket, as his 7 wickets for 14 for South Brisbane on February 24th shows. J. Byder of Collingwood, who lately showed fine all-round form against North Melbourne—he had 7 wickets for 62, scored a century, and helped E. Lockwood to add 211 for Collingwood’s second wicket—is, like Fennelly, the clever little Queensland man, a crack runner. He is also the son of a good club cricketer of former days. At Gisborne, on Poverty Bay, Cook County, North Island of New Zealand—let us be exact!—two batsmen have been doing some pretty tall scoring lately. Up to February 19 W. Gibson, of the United C.C., had made 1,387 runs, with an average of over 86, included in his total being scores of 227*, 224*, 157* and 131*. L. McMahon, who has played for the North Sydney C.C., and also for Auckland province, has a total of 652 to his credit, has made four centuries, and has only once been out during the season! But possibly Poverty Bay is somewhat poverty-stricken in the bowling line, though even if this is true Gibson and McMahon must be a pretty hefty pair. At the last meeting of the Canterbury Cricket Associa­ tion it was resolved that .£'100 should be subscribed towards the sum necessary to enable a N.Z. team to visit Australia next season. The players chosen to go are to be asked to contribute according to their means up to flO per head. Players of the past appear to take a livelier interest in cricket management in Maoriland than they do in Australia. The chair was taken at this meeting by Arthur Cant (“ Native,” of the Christchurch Weekly Press, who writes such excellent cricket notes), and one could name many others whose interest has never flagged. This is as it should be.