Cricket 1912

A p r i l 27, 1912. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Hon. Sec., Mr. D. Mudie (85, Bulwer Road, Leytonstone) match secretary. Fifty-five years of life, and going stronger thau ever! That is the W e s t K e n t W a n d e r e r s C.C.’ s record. Their wickets have been pitched on Blackheath ever since 1856, and 1912 finds them with a considerable influx of new members and the brightest prospects. Two teams are run. The first has fixtures with Bromley Town, Old Charlton (these are whole-day matches on Bank Holidays), Stockwell Park, Wren, Mercatores, Lydford, Blackheath Wanderers, Dover Road, Camberwell House, Derwent House, Thames Ditton, Nat. Prov. Bank, General Steam Navigation, Old Cranbournians, Black­ heath, Amherst, and Mr. A. J. Cleaver’s XI. Mr. George F. Howell (101, Evelyn St., Deptford), is the Hon. Sec. and Treasurer. S t . J o h n ’s W o o d W a n d e r e r s desire matches away on May 4 and 11, June 8 and 29, July 16 and 17. Also Whit- Monday, 10 to 20 miles out, N.W. preferred. Write, It. M. Brown, 74, Gascony Avenue, West Hampstead, N.W. Some of the Old Brigade. W h a t H a s B e c o m e o f t h e M e n o f F o r m e r A u s t r a l ia n T o u r s . B y G. H. S. T r o t t . The public memory is short, they say; but I think there must be a good, many people among the readers of C r ic k e t who Will be interested in hearing what the men whom they saw in the old days, or have heard of since, the bearded warriors ot early Australian teams and the moustached ones of later, but. still not quite recent, com­ binations, are doing in the present. Nowadays,, our representatives are mostly clean-shaven, and perhaps look younger than Harry Boyle and Jack Blackham, with their bearded faces, did. Well, they are younger— now ; but there is no member of the present team as young as Tom Garrett was in ’78, George Palmer in ’80, or Sam Jones in ’82. The pioneer team— 1878—the men who sent M.C.C. the rightabout for 19—what of them ? Midwinter went first, poor fellow, and staunch Harry Boyle died in a private hospital at Bendigo, the city of his birth, a year or so ago. B illy Murdoch’s sudden death must still be remembered vividly. But the rest are all alive. Jack Blackham, fallen upon hard times in his latter days, through no fault of his own, recently had a benefit match given him, and it is hoped that with subscriptions it will be possible to buy him an annuity of £150 or so. Jack, now as ever one of the best of good fellows, is mining on his own claim, but has not struck it rich yet. I spent a week-end up at his camp a little while ago. He is in capital health, and loves to talk of old touring days in England, America, and New Zealand. Jack has a won­ derful memory. George Bailey, after a long spell in Western Australia, came back to his native island, and up to a very short time ago was playing first-grade cricket with some success. I am not quite sure whether he is turning out just now. He has sons as old as he was when he went to England, and they are good cricketers too. Charley Bannerman, since giving up play, has done a lot of umpiring and coaching in Australia and New Zealand. His brother Alec, after retiring on pension from a Govern­ ment position, was engaged by the N.S.W.C.A. to coach the rising colts, and rare good work he is doing. His keenness is as great as of old, and no one ever took cricket more seriously than Alec. “ Spoff,” as most of you know, is in England ; I don’t know whether he ever helps Hamp­ stead in these days, as he used to a little while back. Tom Horan I often see ; superfluous flesh made him give up playing the game sooner than he would have done otherwise; but, though he holds an important Government post, he is one of the most regular attendants on the M.C.C. ground, and as “ Felix ” delights thousands of readers of the Australasian every week. May it be long before we miss him ! His sons, young Tom and Jim, have both played with some success for Victoria. Then there is the other Tom— “ Evergreen Tom Garrett,” as they used to call him—a mere boy when he first played for Australia, a veteran of forty when he last captained N.S.W. He, like Horan, is “ under Govern­ ment,” but in Sydney, not Melbourne. They tell me he plays a very good game of golf in these days, but he still turns up at big matches in Sydney. Dave Gregory, the captain, whom I ought not to have left till nearly last, is also a civil servant, and was Vic Trumper’s chief at one time, I believe. Frank Allan is fit and well and pros­ perous ; he kept up his cricket for many years after his only trip to England, but he is over 60 now, and the game has given him up. Two of the new men of the Second Team— 1880— are numbered now with the great majority, two of the best of Australia’s cricketers, dashing Percy McDonnell, who died rather suddenly in 1896, and that splendid bowler, George Palmer, who passed away at Benalla less than two years ago, of an illness due to a chill caught after cricket. Big George Bonnor is a commercial traveller up in the wilds of N.S.W. His physique is as fine as ever, but his fair hair and flowing beard are now quite grey, and he looks his age, if not more. He is the same jolly genial old “ Bon ” as ever, and it is a treat to hear him talk to the younger generation when he comes down to Sydney to see some big cricket. He admits that Trumper will compare favourably with any man of his day ; but for the rest he is a firm believer in the superiority of the old brigade— and “ Bon ” was never one to dissemble his beliefs. W . H. Moule is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, and still maintains his interest in the game. Tom Groube is a busy man nowadays, but he won’t miss the matches on the M.C.C. ground, and he finds time to contribute cricket notes to one of our papers. James Slight is in the Lands Department, and high up in it too ; he was a much better bat than his one tour in England made him out, but of course he does not play now. A. H. Jarvis, the burly wicket-keeper, who was second string to Blackham during four tours, is a blacksmith in Adelaide. All his interest in cricket seems to have gone, though he has a son who at one time looked likely to be almost as good a stumper as his father. And “ Aph ” was good—- it was hard lines on him that there should have been a be'tter man in his way almost all through his career. There were only three new men in ’82. H. H. Massie, that brilliant and forcible bat, is now manager of one of the great Sydney banks. Like Tom Horan, he has sons who are good at the game, and he still supports it in many ways. It is a pity he did not go in for cricket management ; men of his stamp are needed on the Board of Control. George Giffen is in the Adelaide Post Office. He has given up match play, but is still to be seen regularly at the nets. Cricket was as the breath of life to George, and is still ; his interest, at least, can only end when all else ends with him. “ Giff ” is grey now, and has quite a venerable look ; but he is still a fine bowler, and visiting teams like to coax him to the nets to send them down a few. Sam Jones, a rare good bat on sticky wickets, is living in New Zealand. He spent a short time in Queensland with the Graziers’ Company fifteen years or so ago, but later moved to Auckland, where he did splendid work as a coach, and played a few times for the province. Now he has married a lady of means, and can live in luxury. He has not given up cricket, though, and at 50 can still put together a few of the best. “ Tup ” Scott was the successful new man of the ’84 team ; “ Tup ” was the name in everyone’s mouth in those da ys; but he died in 1910, Dr. H. J. if. Scott, thrice Mayor of Scone, N.S.W ., where he had earned the respect and esteem of everybody. He played no big cricket after ’86, and his medical practice kept him too busy for even club games during the last few' years of his life. The team of ’86 had in it several new men. Two of these, John William Trumble, a busy Melbourne solicitor and a keen golfer, and John Mcllwraith, of the great shipping firm of Mcllwraith, McEacharn and Co., have almost wholly lost touch with the game, though the former will look in at a big match .now and then. But William