Cricket 1913

284 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J une 7, 1913. Special Club Notes. (C o n t r ib u t e d b y T h e C h ie l .) W e read much in the papers respecting club cricket, its flourishing condition, and the many attractions it has over county cricket. But it is just possible that the present boom may lead to various suggestions for changes which are not at all likely to meet with the approval of the best London and provincial clubs. The best class clubs have during recent years placed themselves upon a sounder basis than formerly existed, a result due to better management, and they will not now take up schemes which they have con­ sidered and discarded before. A case in point. The Star of last Saturday has a sug­ gestion that a cricket league, a combination of the leading clubs in the Metropolis, should be formed, and mentions such clubs as Spencer, Roehampton, Parson’s Green, Battersea, Honor Oak, Richmond Town, Shepherd’s Bush, Boston Park, Clapham Ramblers, Ealing, and Mill Hill Park. I cannot speak officially, of course, but I do not think any of the clubs in question would dream of touching such a scheme. There are, I know, no end of junior leagues in the Metropolis, and the system was tried years ago by some of the senior London clubs; but it was a failure. There are two aspects of good club cricket, the game itself and its social side; and by forming leagues you are endangering both. Let well a lon e! At present I can see no need for improvement in any essential respect in the good class club cricket. “ Clubman ” of the Daily News has written strongly upon the question of “ C'lubs and public support,” and in many respects I agree with him. Most private clubs are undoubtedly very conservative in their ideas. I do not agree, however, that an admission charge should be made to private grounds. I should prefer to see the clubs provide suitable seating accommodation, and, say, charge a penny or twopence for the seat. The outlay would soon be re­ covered. The fact of a charge to the ground might lead to an impression that “ g a t e ” was the first object and the gam e only the second. It may be worth mentioning that clubs like Battersea, which play in a public park, do not benefit from the seating accommodation. Such clubs as these are in a sense a local institution. They are expected to provide the crowd w ith good sport, and they do! I should like again to remind my readers of the Club Cricketers’ Charity Fund. This fund, though only in its infancy, has already done a heap of good work, not only in providing representative district matches, but in help to the local hospitals. May I ask that clubs who have not already done so, apply to Mr. B. W . Earl, Ormonde Lodge, New Malden, Surrey, for one of the collection-boxes? He will gladly send one, and every copper collected will be for a good cause. Club cricketers, I look to you ! Cricket in Scotland. ( B y H a m is h .) The exigencies of space compelled the cutting; out ol the half-dozen paragraphs which immediately follow last w eek; but it seems worth while to give them now.-— N o t e , E d it o r . M a y 24. Ayr continue their winning ways. By scoring 171 to 104 they defeated Ferguslie at Paisley in a Western Union match. They owe much to the captaincy of T . C. Dunlop, who has been chosen as wicket-keeper in place of G. K . Chalmers for the English tour. Megson of Ferguslie had 8 wickets for 54. With three minutes to spare, Poloc (176) accounted for Kilmarnock (99). On Saturday the Grange came within an ace of suffering a double defeat, but emerged with a win— -by two runs— and a draw. Their win over the Watsonians at Myreside was the outcome of a capital game. The Grange innings realised 114, and the Watsonians were only 26 behind with six wickets outstanding, but Keene and H. B. Cummins (6 wickets for 41) then took the match in hand and snatched a victory for their side. At Raeburn Place Leith Caledonian might have won but for the desire to allow A. J. Reid to record his first century. The scores were 232 for 6 wickets to 150 for 7. Edinburgh University made short work of Selkirk. They rattled up 225 for 4 wickets, and dismissed the “ Souters ” for 86. R. E. Batson had a day out, scoring 76 and captur­ ing 6 wickets for 13. Batson is in splendid form now. He was top scorer with 28 for the University in the match with Carlton, which the latter won by -68 to 59. The wicket was very difficult, and D. McDonald, the University slow bowler, had the excellent figures of seven for 27. In the county match between Fifeshire and Stirling County Morfee was as destructive an agent as ever, and the latter were lucky to escape with a draw— 122 to 93 for 9 wickets. Morfee had all eight Stirling wickets, which fell to the bowlers at a cost of 33 runs. On the Borders Carlisle proved too good for Hawick. The visitors scored 165 for 7 wickets after Hawick had totalled 82. Spencer, the Carlisle professional, took eight wickets for 49, and w as left not out with 54. At Galashiels a draw was the result of a very slow match between Gala (91) and Stewart’s College F .P . (76 for 9 wickets). The brothers W . M. and A. Scrobie divided the wickets for Stewart’s at a cost of 20 and 35 runs respectively. M a y 31. It must have been a grievous disappointment to Wynyard that, on the occasion of his taking his place as professional in the side, Forfarshire should be defeated by Clackmannan County, and that he should not get a wicket. These little circumstances need not put him about, for he is sure to justify his appointment before long. Forfarshire scored 130, a total which Clackmannan County just more than doubled—making 261. The Scottish representatives, R. G. Tait (34) and T . A. Bowie (54), were in fine batting form for their respective sides. Perthshire opened their county fixtures by entertaining Stirling County on the North Inch, and winning easily— 86 to 177 for 8 wickets. Benskin took six wickets for 22, and Joe Anderson, who is batting very well just now, was top scorer with 56. Arbroath (63) fell before Dunfermline (137) at the Abbey town. M. R. Dickson was bowled for 14 by Morfce, who continues to collect a crop of wickets every match. He had five for 20, while R. W . Sievwright, Scotland’s slow bowler, had 7 for 40 for Arbroath. The Grange almost brought off a double victory on Saturday. They trounced the Royal High School F .P .’s at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh— 212 to 55— but at Selkirk the other eleven, rather weak in batting, w as beaten by a single. In the home match B. L. Peel (4 for 13) and Keene (4 for 24) showed some effective bowling, and R. Fraser (71) hit hard for his runs. In two games the professional played right through an innings, and in each case was the only batsman to reach double figures. Coats had 41 not out for Kilmarnock (79) against East Stirlingshire (158 for 8 wickets), and Cobley, who had all ten wickets the week before, scored 29 not out for G lasgow Academicals (56) against Greenock (119). Printed and published for the Proprietors by C r ic k e t A S p o r ts Publishers L td ., 125, Strand, London, W .C., June 7th, 1013 . Agents for Australia, Ac., Gordon 4 Gotch, London, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Launceston, Hobart and Wellington, N.Z. For South Africa, C in tsa l Nbws Aosnoy, L td., Cape Town,"Johannesburg*and5branchea. 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