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 2 4 th , 1813 . “ Together joined in Cricket’ s manly toil.”— Byron. No- SER,,S- S A T U R D A Y , M A Y 24, 1 9 1 3 . pr . ce 2d. A Chat about Alec Bowell. A d v e n t i t i o u s circum stance sometimes gives to a man a fleeting hour o f fam e. H e m ay have done m any things every w h it as w orthy as th at which brings him fo r the time bein g into the lim e lig h t; but th at is no matter. Certain fa cts h ave a w ay o f striking the public m in d ; and the fa c t th at B ow ell has scored th e first century o f this season in county cricket has m ade him more talk ed o f than he ever w as before. H e has scored lather cen ­ turies. T h is is his tenth fo r H am pshire. T h is one had distin ct m erit, both as to execution and on account o f the fa c t th at it w as not one o f a number o f b ig innings, he and B row n m akin g p rac­ tically a ll the runs fo r their s id e ; but he has p layed others qu ite as meritorious. A lec B ow e ll— the “ A le c ” is his ow n version, and I do not know whether he is en­ titled to the more sonorous and form al “ A lexan der ” •— was born in O xford sh ire on A p ril 27, 1881, and joined th e ground staff o f Southampton when o n ly nineteen. B efo re leavin g his native cou nty he frequen tly p layed w ith H u ggin s and I.angdon, both now o f G lo u ­ cestershire, and also w ith “ R azor ” Sm ith o f Surrey. A. B OW E L L . H e first represented H am p ­ shire in 1902, and m ade 44 v. D erbyshire at D erb y on his initial appearance. H is o n ly other innings worth mentioning th at season was 43 v. Leicestershire at L e i­ cester; and in 1903, when he p layed pretty regu larly, he Photo, by E. Hawking] o n ly once top p ed 50, m akin g 61 v. Leicestershire at Leicester. H e came more to the fron t in 1904, when his highest score— 95— was m ade v. Somerset at T au n ton , and was the best fo r his side in the innings, as was his 65 against the South A frica n s at A lto n , and, again , his 65 v. Sussex at H ove. W ith ­ out doing big things, h e show ed in this season a real cap a city fo r p la yin g an u p ­ h ill g am e ; and one innings o f his in which th is was sp e cia lly noticeable was his 42 v. K e n t at T on bridge. T h e w icket was queer, and the K e n t bow lers are n ot ju st those one would choose to meet on a dam aged pitch ; the total w as 85 (4 extras), and B o w e ll’ s score was 42, the next highest being 16 by G . D . K a tia n a k is, who helped him to add 46. H is first cen tury cam e in 1905, a fte r a succession o f 20’ s and 40’s. It was against D erbysh ire at S ou th­ ampton, and he fo llow ed it up w ith 51 in the second innings. H is 59 v. the A u s­ tralian s w as the highest score in his sid e’s second innings, too. H e was constantly Idb Co., Brighton. m akin g u sefu l scores th at season, and, w ithout any phenomenal fea ts, w as doing one m an’s sharein the m arked revival o f H am psh ire cricket which th elast decade has w itnessed. In1906 hisbest innings w as 74 v. Leicestershire at L eicester, thehighest fo r his side in th e match. H is