Cricket 1913

242 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. M ay 31, 1913. A n addition to the Cambridge University fixture list is a match with Mr. Lionel Robertson’s X I .— a strong amateur side— on Ju ly 3, 4, and 5, just before the ’Varsity match, at O ld Beckenham. T h is should prove a very interesting game. I b e l i e v e that the surname o f the South A frican freshmen at O xford is not von M elle, as usually given, but M elle. The “ von ” belongs to one o f his given names. H e is B . G. von B. M elle, i f I am correctly informed. In the current number o f the Captain George Dennett tells a good story concerning the one and inimitable— “ which his other name ” is Jessop. “ A t Hastings, a few years ago, in a Gentlemen v. Players match, when the P la yers’ attack consisted o f slow to medium-paced bowlers, he rattled up 190 in an hour and a h alf. It was a truly wonderful innings. When he came in to bat I was bowling. It occurred to me that it would be humorous if I could get him out for a ‘ d u ck,’ so I tried to surprise him by bowling a fastish ‘ sw inger.’ It looked a good one— swerved a little, dropped near the off- stump, and appeared to be hitting the leg-stump. The batsman, however, hit it for six, somewhere in the direc­ tion o f square leg. I thought the ball deserved a better fate, but imagine my feelings when, getting Mr. Jessop my end, he thanked me for giving him something easy to ‘ get off the mark ’ w ith .” T h e match was Gentlemen o f the South v. Players o f the South, in 1907, and Jessop’s score therein was 191. This for the sake o f accuracy. T h e story is not spoiled by the slight errors, and certainly that ball, if Dennett describes it correctly, deserved a w'icket. But you can never tell— when it’s Jessop ! D e n n e t t says that if he had to choose a field for a slow bowler from among the men he has known he would have H . Martyn as wicket-keeper, Braund and A . O. Jones in the slips, L . G. W right at point (he says L . C ., by the way), Rhodes at cover, G. L . Jessop at extra-cover, H irst mid-off, H itch mid-on, L . D . Brownlee long-on, and K . L . Hutchings long-off. And a pretty good judge, too ! T h e portrait o f the greatest o f them all which appears on this page should have an added interest by reason o f the fact that it was taken by one o f the youngest members o f the Philadelphia C .C . team which toured here last year. So young America, in the person o f A llen Hunter, jun ., does homage to old England, in the person o f Dr. W . G. Grace— and who could better stand for the good old burly John Bu ll type? A . O. J o n e s has been a regular member o f the Notts side ever since 1895, and during all that time he had been absent from only four County Championship matches up to last week. An injured finger kept him out o f the away match with Sussex in 1899, and rheumatism compelled him to stand down from three matches in 1909. From 1895 to 1912, inclusive, his county played 366 matches, and he appeared in 358 o f them. Besides the four county games alluded to above, he was absent from the match with the M .C .C . in 1899 and 1901, from that with the South A fricans in 1901, and from that with the West Indians in 1906. THE G.O./V1. I t is doubtful whether there is another instance— unless it be that o f W . G. Grace— o f any amateur turning out so regularly for a side over anything approaching so long a period. The Notts captain has had his share o f hard knocks, and has more than once played in such case as would have induced most men to take a rest, too. T h e O xford hitter, A . C . W ilkinson, seems to be one o f those players whose powers develop late. H e was never a member o f the Eton eleven, and very little had been heard o f him till this year. Though up in 19 11, he did not play in any o f the trial m atches; and last year his only appearance in one o f them was in the Seniors’ Match— a game in which the majority o f those taking part are men with small chance o f getting their blues. H e scored 17 and 4 not out, and took one wicket fo r 34. A . L . H o s i e , who looks to be in the running, is in his fourth year up. T ill this season he had had no trial in the eleven. In the Freshmen’s Match o f 1910 he scored 13 and 33, and failed to take a wicket. In the Seniors’ Match o f 1911 he made 6 and 28 not out, and took 2 for 10. Last year he scored 12 and 46 in the corresponding game, and bowled without success. In 1910 and 1911 he played with some success for Kent II . In the latter year he hit up 88 v. W ilts at Chippenham, and averaged over 23 for 11 innings. “ T h e fact is— and it has not yet been recognised, or none o f these catchpenny schemes would exist— that the game o f cricket has its limitations. It is a two-innings game, w ith but one fin ish; and nobody can make it any