Cricket 1913

C R I C K E T : a w e e k l y r e c o r d o f t h e g a m e .— m a y i o t h , 1 9 1 3 . “ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.”— Byron. No- 37V0vM - ^ wS" ' " - SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1913. 0 ] 2t>- A Cha t w i th M r . H. D. Swan . M y interview w ith th e new Chairm an o f the E ssex County C rick e t C lu b ’ s Comm ittee w as really tw o inter­ views, or on e taken in instalm ents, i f that seem more co r­ rect. I lunched w ith him in town on the day o f the c lu b ’ s general m e e t i n g , and I saw him again at the H o tel Metro- pole, B righ ton , a few days later, when I had also the pleasure o f m eeting Mr. J. W . H . T . D o u g l a s . Mr. D ouglas, I gather, favours the C ou n ty C h a m p i o n s h i p scheme suggested by Mr. G. L . Jessop— one match a season for each cou n ty with every other, and an extension o f the number o f counties, if necessary, not a reduction. ‘ ‘ W ill you tell tne something about your e arly days, Mr. S w an ? ” “ T o start at the v’ery beginn in g, I roay say th a t I was bom at N ew castle- on -T yn eo n J u ly 28, *879. S ch oo ls? St. Vincent’s, E a s t - hourne, w as my preparatory school. I was also fo r a short time at a preparatory school at 1 orbridge-on-Tyne, the headmaster o f which was the R ev. J- A . Soott, who used at one tim e to p la y fo r Northum ber­ land. F rom S t. V in cen t’s I went to U ppin gham , but Mr. H. D. SWAN (Chairman Essex C.C.C. Comm ittee o w in g to ill-h ealth spent on ly a short tim e there. In m y o n ly summer term I kep t w icket fo r m y house eleven, as I had form erly done for m y school eleven at Eastbourne. H . H . Stephenson died at th e end o f m y first term at the school, so th at I never saw him on th e cricket field. B u t I had p len ty o f evidence o f the re­ spect and affection w ith which he was regarded. I should im agin e th a t no other school coach ever won and kept th e hearts o f the boys as H . H . d id .” “ W h o w ere the lead in g p layers o f you r d a y ? ” “ T . L . T a y lo r w as captain . T h is w as in ’ 95. H . R . P a rk es, who a fte r­ w ards p la yed fo r London County and once or tw ice fo r W a r w i c k s h ire, headed the battin g averages, and the stock bow lers were A . E . H in d and C . not C . E . M ., the C an tab. T h e tw o w ere not related, I b e l i e v e . C . E . p la ye d later on fo r Surrey I I. T h e re w ere also John C hapm an, the captain o f D erbysh ire la st year, K . E . M . B arker (Su rrey), H . F . T e rry , and others. R . N . D o u gla s, now head o f G iggles- w ick, w as one o f my form m asters; another w as S . W . S.