Cricket 1913

C R I C K E T : A w e e k l y r e c o r o o f t h e g a m e . — m ay 3 1 s t , 1 9 1 3 . No' 4°>oVM - ^ w SE",,S- S A T U R D A Y , M A Y 3 1 , 1 9 1 3 . [ “ ^ ^ P0 ] p «. ce 2d. Welcome Back! Photo, by B. Hawkins ] [ * Co-< Brighton. Mr. P. F. WARNER . T h e re ought to have been a real crow d at L o rd ’ s on M onday, M ay 19, the first d ay o f M id d lesex v. Sussex. P elh am W arn er’ s return to the leadersh ip o f the M iddlesex team deserved a big m any-throated welcom e. B u t i f there was not a real crow d the reason was assuredly not any lack o f pleasure at th at return. E veryon e is gla d to have him back. H e has won fo r h im self an enduring p lace in the affections o f the cricket p u blic. S p len d id batsm an, | g a lla n t, level-h eaded leader, able w riter on the gam e lie adorns, he has a trip le claim to regard. H e has never I been anyth in g much as a bow ler, and, hard as he a lw ays ! w orks, never in quite the fro n t rank as a field. B u t all cricketers cannot be bow lers, and no man can give more | than his best. T h e re ou gh t to have been still b igger crow ds on the T u e sd a y afternoon and W ed nesday morning, fo r then the returned w arrior fo u gh t a great fight fo r his side while n early a ll his com rades fa ile d . N oth in g dism ayed him , and he never gave up hope. U p to the very last b a ll bow led he still meant w inning, and it was not his fa u lt th at M idd lesex d id not pu ll through. T h a t 88 not out o f his had a touch o f the true heroic sp irit. W ho better J deserves credit than the ga lla n t fighter in a lost cause — the fighter who w ill not adm it th at the catise is lost, who | battles on in the fa c e o f disaster? H a ts off to one o f the I worthiest sons o f a great school ! R u g b y is proud o f j P elh am W arner. So i$ E n glan d . Such a career as his cannot be d ea lt w ith in detail I w ithin the space o f an article. 1 am not goin g to attempt I an yth in g so useless. N o r sh all I go over again the story | o f his illness in A u stralia and his second breakdown when in fine form la st season. N o one has forgotten these things. W arn er w as a very fine schoolboy bat. H e got his colours at R u g b y , whither he cam e w ith some skill in the gam e acquired in the W est Ind ies, in 1889, before he was sixteen, and averaged 14 per innings th at year. M oreover, he took 14 w ickets at 22.50 each, and w as w ritten down in the red L illy w h ite : “ U se fu l all-round p la y e r ; good J bat and field ; fa ir b o w le r.” O f those in the 'school eleven I w ith him in th at and succeeding seasons none m ade a big j nam e in the world o f cricket, though C e cil H ead lam and I E . J . W h ittin g appeared in first-class com pany, the latter