Cricket 1913

loo CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. A p r i l 19, 1913. J ames S inclair went to his last rest, followed b y one of the largest funeral corteges ever seen in Johannesburg. George Allsop and Louis Tancred were among the pall­ bearers, and there were scores of cricket comrades at the graveside— Gordon Beves, G. C. White, Ivor Difford-1 S. J. Snooke, G. S. Kempis, T. Campbell, J. H. Piton, H. J. G. Bennett, J. H. Tandy, D. J. Meintjes, A. V. Redick, Maitland Hathom , E . A. Halliwell, R. W. Stanton, C. R. Handheld, A . J. Atfield, H. 1 ST. Heeley, R. A. Thompson, J. J. Slatem, F. le Roux, O. W. Tom ­ linson, A. Cooper, G. Grimmer, T. F. O ’Flaherty, S. Rose-Innes, C. C. Perring, J. B . Perring, W. H. B. Frank, are some of the names I note in a long list of mourners. The wreaths were almost innumerable, and in the list of their senders other names associated with Sin­ clair’s on the field occur, Percy Sherwell’s, for one. They had played side b y side w ith or against him, admired his m ighty hitting and the big heart of him that would never acknowledge defeat till the game was o v e r ; and many of them must have left the cemetery with eyes that saw through a mist, and a feeling that something had gone out of their lives that could never be replaced. Few cricketers have been so well loved as James Sinclair. No more than the rest of us was he free from fa u lt ; but his failings were such as could easily be forgiven to one so generous and courageous, and his good qualities were such as men love in a man. F r om the Border I hear that Gerald Hartigan’s broken arm has made a good recovery, and that, though he has been playing no cricket this season, he is certain to take the field again next. D u r in g the M.C.C. Team ’s visit to Demerara thieves were at work in the Bourda pavilion. W . O. Gibbs, of Barbados, lost a gold chain, silver watch, and gold cigar clipper, valued at £y ; Andre Cipriani, the Trinidad skipper, was the loser of a pair of gold sleeve-links ; and M. Gomes, of the home team, had a wristlet watch stolen. The thief must have taken some pains to spread out his depredations in such representative fashion, one fancies. T h e members of the M.C.C. Team were prominent in the work of saving pictures and church furniture from the disastrous fire which burned to the ground on March 8 the R.C. cathedral at Georgetown. T h e r e will be four changes in the leadership of first- class county sides this season ; but only one of the four new captains will find himself in a novel rdle, for H. K. Foster is an old hand, and C. O. H. Sewell and E . S. Massy Poyntz have filled the post before on occasion. E. W. Dillon will, it is good to know, again captain Kent, for whom J. R. Mason will turn out in August. Three a t least of the second-class counties have had to elect new skippers for their teams, Bedfordshire (E. E. Ap- thorp), Durham (T. A . Bradford), and Hertfordshire (the Rev. C. G. Ward). B y cable we hear that V ictor Trumper hit up 231 in a benefit match at Goulbum three weeks or so ago, making 74 in three consecutive overs. T h e annual meeting of the Essex C.C.C. at the Great Eastern Hotel on April 10 lasted over two hours. E very one was pleased that Mr. C. E . Green, the most generous supporter the club has ever had, should consent to take the presidency. Essex lost heavily when he ceased to rule its councils ; but it is good to know that he has not been able to sever himself entirely from the club, in spite of his distaste to some present-day aspects of cricket. Mr. H. D. S w a n has no easy task in succeeding Mr. Green as Chairman of Committee ; but I am sure he is the right man for the post, combining as he does genial­ ity with a strong will. There is much to trouble Essex enthusiasts in the present position of affairs ; yet the new Chairman is quite optimistic as to the county’s prospects. To say that the club has enemies in its own camp would be unfair, for doubtless the gentlemen whose somewhat contentious proposed amendments occupied the meeting so long are full of well-meant zeal. Bu t divided counsels at this time would possibly mean disas­ ter ; and it is undoubtedly for the best that the candi­ dates nominated for the committee b y the dissatisfied section were all left behind in the voting. Four mem­ bers of the committee retired b y rotation, and two vacan­ cies were left to be filled. Ten candidates were nominated ; but Mr. P. P. Lincoln, who, I understand, was not told in advance of his nomination, withdrew. E s s e x has lost the services of several stalwarts beside Mr. Green during the last few months— men, who, like Mr. A. P. Lucas, have for years helped to shoulder their share of a heavy burden ; and for the well-being of the club it was eminently necessary that a committee capable of working together in harmony should be elected. Thus it is all for the best that the four retiring members — the Rev. R. C. Guy and Messrs. Jas. Tabor, C. J. Round and H. F. Chamen— should have received a new man­ date, and that the other two places should have been filled b y Sir R. H. Green-Price and Mr. C. Cohen. The unsuccessful candidates were Dr. A . P. Cummings, Dr. P. R. B lake and Mr. D. B. Stalker. C o n g r a t u l a t io n s to Mr. Neville Charsley Tufnell upon his marriage on April 8 to Miss Sybil Carlos Clarke. This was a genuine cricket union, for the bridegroom is a well-known member of I Zingari, and has visited the Argentine, New Zealand, and South A frica w ith cricket teams, while the bride is the daughter of that rare all-round sportsman, Mr. Charles Carlos Clarke, of Surrey, I Zingari, Esher, and Silwood Park fame. E v e r y one will regret the enforced absence of Andrew Ducat from the Surrey ranks this season. Though Ducat’ s leg has so far strengthened th at he is able to take long walks, it is not in the least degree likely that he will be seen in the cricket field in 1913— at any rate, in three-day matches. Messrs. W . Heffer & Sons, Ltd., of Cambridge, have in the Press a volume of Cricket Verse by D. L. A. Jephson, the old Cambridge and Surrey player, entitled, " A Few Overs,” with a foreword by C. B. Fry. It is a little book which deals with the spirit of Cricket, and should appeal to all lovers of the game.