Cricket 1913

M ay 10, 1913. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 171 H. Gradidge &Sons, Manufacturers and Exporters of all requisites for Cricket, L aw n Tennis, Racquets, Correspondence. T H E B IR M IN G H A M C R O W D . T o t h e E d it o r o f “ C r ic k e t .” S ir , — Y ou say th at you w ill try to find room for a letter from anyone who dissents from the view s expressed in an article on the County Championship in last w eek ’s C r i c k e t . Y o u r contributor m akes four definite accusations again st the B irm ingham crowd : (a) T h ey do not g o to w atch the g am e in all its varyin g aspects, (b) they do not really under­ stand the gam e, (c) they never w ill do so, because they are too much under the heel of L ea gu e football, (d) they expect to find in a cricket m atch the concentrated excitement of 90 m inutes’ football. I have seen very m any championship m atches in the provinces a s well as in London, and it has often occurred to me that provincial crow ds kn ow much more about the gam e than is sometimes supposed. On various occasions I have sat am on g the B irm in gham spec­ tators for the mere pleasure of hearing their interesting and well-informed comm ents on the play. It is true th at am ong them I never cam e across any Cabinet M inisters, or pale you n g curates, or celebrities in the world of art or literature, such as your contributor* says are to be found at the O v a l; on the contrary, they seemed to me to be chiefly men w ho worked hard w ith their hands, but enjoyed a holiday as much as any C abinet M inister. A s far as I could gath er from their conversation, they had an excellent understanding of the gam e, including its finer points, and they were exceed­ in gly quick to appreciate a sudden ch an g e in the fortunes of a side— much quicker than one or tw o opposing captains, who w ent placidly on without realisin g th at Fortune is in the habit of frow nin g when no notice is taken of her sm iles. I feel sure that if your contributor could sit am ong them and hear -them chu cklin g when an opposing captain w as m ak in g a fatal m istake, he w ould alter his m ind consider­ ably as to their know ledge of the gam e. T h ey are not, as far as I am aw are, in the habit of loudly expressing their opinions on these occasions, or o f applauding in an ironical w ay when a batsman happens to m ake no runs in tw o or three overs, nor do they, like some of the spectators in an Eton and H arrow match, yell out “ Are w e d ow n hearted?” when th in gs are not g o in g w ell w ith their sid e ; but a s an excuse for their being behind the times, it must be remem ­ bered th at W arw ickshire is comparatively a young county. A s to the idea that they exp e ct'to find in a cricket match the concentrated excitement of 90 m inutes’ L ea gu e football, it is surely sufficient to point out that they w ill carefully and cheerfully w atch every ball played by W illie Quaife during an in nin gs of 90 m inutes for 40 or 50 runs, and applaud him very heartily for his effort. W . A. B e t t e s w o r t h . -g^g-a* A ll Goods C arriage Paid to any part of the United Kingdom . S o le Makers of the “ Imperial Driver” & “ Improved Gradidge ” LawnTennis Racquets " W ith regard to stance in the field, no one but the slips should be allowed to stand with legs wide apart, as though rooted to the ground.” — From “ Hints and Suggestions for School Cricketers.” * “ W . H .” was quoting from the Athletic News in this passage. THE AMERICAN CRICKETER. Founded 1877 . Factory : Artillery Place, Woolwich, S.E. Published by the Associated Cricket Clubs of Philadcl; hla. An Illustrated Journal of Cricket, Association Football, Tennis* Golf, and Kindred Pastimes. No. 114 , South 18 th Street, Philadelphia, Pa-» U.S.A. Price— 15s. per annum , pest paid anyw here. Specimen copies mailed on request. Reblading Cricket Bats 8 Kestringing Tennis Bats a Special Feature. Squash Racquets &c. Every o th e r requisite for Cricket, including balls, leg guards, batting gloves, gauntlets, stumps, nets, &c. PRICE LISTS & SPECIAL QUOTATIONS FREE. Patentees and Sole Makers of the “ IMPERIAL DRIVER” CRICKET BATS. Made in Men’s, Small Men’s, College, 6 , 5, 4, & 3, sizes.