Cricket 1913

J une U , 1913. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 28!) would be the first to admit that this last century o f his was one o f the cheapest he ever took— and if he does bowl why should he not do the hat trick then as well as at any other time? Every hat trick has in it some element of chance. Even a century and all ten wickets— W . G . did that— is a record o f the false type, because the two feats have no proper correlation. How are the mighty fallen ! J. W . W . Nason, v. Notts, 139. J. W . W . Nason, v. Sussex, o and1. J. W . W . Nason, v. Worcestershire,o and o. But J. W . W . Nason is the sort o f determined indivi­ dual who is sure to pick himself up again. O n e may fairly doubt whether the records o f the game contain anything to parallel the sharp contrast between George Gunn’s first and second innings at Trent Bridge last week-end. S ix hours for 13 2 ; then 109 in 85 minutes ! I f he had made runs in the first innings at the same pace as he did in the second his score would have been about 460; i f he had only scored in the second innings at the same pace as he did in the first his score would have been 21 ! G o a t l y ’ s success with the ball at L ord ’s last Saturday is another argument fo r the more frequent employment o f the occasional bowler. Why does not E . S. M. Poyntz take a turn himself now and then? H e bowls a good deal in club games, and two years ago he had 5 for 36 v. Lancashire. Why is not H arry Whitehead given a chance oftener? H e had 3 for 18 v. Sussex, used to be quite a capable change, and plays on a side that often needs another bowler— for preference a better one than Whitehead, though ! W h y is Alletson so persistently neglected? How was it K illic k had played in three matches prior to that v. Leicestershire without bow ling a b a ll? There is John Hobbs, too. T h is week Mr. Sewell has a little dig at J. W . H . T . Douglas fo r giving young Mead so poor a show. But Douglas is Tar better than several captains in this respect. H e has something like a proper appreciation o f the value o f tosh at certain times. H e does not hesi­ tate to put on Charles McGahey, with the leg-breakers that don’t break. K in n e ir told me a couple o f years ago that he lost his bowling because he was never given a chance. And Kinneir used to be a decent change. Baker and Charles­ worth m ight be utilised oftener, too, surely. W h a t fine work M ajor Booth has been doing lately ! In successive innings he had 6 for 39, 4 for 83, 4 for 39, 4 for 51, 5 for 77, 6 for 108, 5 for 103, and 6 for 99. T o tal, 40 for 589. Nothing in it all to please the sensa­ tion-mongers, I admit. Y et I take Booth to be Y o rk­ shire’s best bowler this season. F o u r first-class matches on June 5 yielded 1,589 runs for 21 wickets, average over 75 per wicket. A t Leicester wickets w'ere cheaper— 11 for 321. A t Taunton they were I quite a drug in the market— 21 fo r 249. M r. W . C h e s h ir e , o f Northwich, writes to say that he has subscribed to C r ic k e t from the first number, and that he is proud o f the fact. A v a l u e d correspondent who signs himself “ F elly frae Rachdae ” points out that A. N . and A . H . Hornby, father and son, played together for Lancashire v. Leices­ tershire on July 10, 1899. H e also informs me that the mystic letters S .O .E . to which reference was made in “ Overseas Cricket ” mean Sons o f England. M y Roch­ dale friend is very nearly a subscriber from the first, by the w a y ; he began with the second year, and has all the volumes except 1882. H e suggests that a good match might be made between Birmingham League professionals and those o f the L an ­ cashire League, a list o f whom is as follow s :— L lew ellyn (South A frica and Hants), Kermode (Australia and L an ­ cashire), Wilson (Worcestershire, Buckinghamshire, and Staffordshire), Leach (Sussex), W . Cook (Lancashire), H allam (Leicestershire, Lancashire, and Notts), Parkin (Durham), Norbury (Hants and Northumberland), Newr- stead (Yorkshires), Smoker (Hants and Cheshire), H a rri­ son (Lancashire II.), and Hartington (Yorkshire). Dean, H eap, and Worsley all come from the League, too. T h e Central Lancashire League have also some pretty skilfu l exponents, to wit, Cadman (Derbyshire), Farn s­ worth (New South Wales), Barrell (Lancashire II.), Bu x­ ton (Cheshire), Vost (Staffordshire), Lashbrooke (Essex), Cranfield (Gloucestershire), with others who, though not o f county celebrity, are really class men. A p a r a g r a p h above reminds me that I might have added W ilson and H allam to my list o f three-county cricketers, as also Barnes (Warwickshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire) and A . Blackman (Surrey, K ent, Sussex). Others whom I should not have forgotten are A . P . Lucas (Surrey, M iddlesex, Essex), Col. A . H . H eath (Glouces­ tershire, M iddlesex, Staffordshire), C. E . Green (M iddlesex, Sussex, Essexj), Diver (Surrey, Warwickshire, Monmouthshire), O . G. Radcliffe (Somerset, Gloucester­ shire, W iltshire), and Potter (Northants, K ent, Surrey, W iltshire). “ F e l i x , ” o f the Australasian, on some young V ic­ torian players :— “ We have at last found a player in V ic­ toria who is fit to be chosen in an Australian Eleven in addition to our well-known cracks, Warw ick Armstrong and Vernon Ransford. I refer to J. Ryder, o f Collin g­ wood. When first he appeared for that club, about four or five seasons back, I spotted him as a player o f distinct J promise. But he did not come along as rapidly as I had thought he would. This season, however, found him right at the top. . . . I f a representative team were being chosen to-day he would undoubtedly be in it on sheer merit. . . I should say that he possesses first-rate stamina, and that is an important consideration in con­ nection with the selection o f an Australian team for Eng- j land. . . . When R yder does go I hope he will strike a summer something better than the last. H e appears to be a cool, level-headed cricketer, who w ill be collected and confident in the biggest o f big cricket. “ A n o t h e r player who has come to the front is F . Baring, the tall, strong colt o f E ast Melbourne. T o me it seems only the other day that he hardly knew a stroke | in the game, and now he is advancing rapidly to the 1 genuine ‘ top-notcher ’ grade. L ike Ryder, he is cool and