Cricket 1913

28 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME J an . 18, M 3 . 8 in 16 ; British Guiana, 3 in 13. A ll games were played out, of course. Many fine individual performances were accom­ plished ; but these cannot be referred to in detail. The biggest totals in tournament matches have been : 444, by B. Guiana v. Trinidad, 1895-6 ; 443, by Bar­ bados v. Trinidad, 1897-8 ; 427, b y Barbados v. B. Guiana, 1908-9 ; 378, by Trinidad v. B. Guiana, 1909- 10 ; 353 . b y Barbados v. B. Guiana, 1903-4 ; 351, by Barbados v. Trinidad, 1911-2 ; 346, by Trinidad v. Barbados, 1909-10 ; 344, by Trinidad v. Barbados, 1903-4 ; and 302 for 9, dec., Barbados (second innings) v. B. Guiana, 1903-4. Barbados thus claims five of the nine over 300, Trinidad three, British Guiana one. Four were made against British Guiana, three v. Trini­ dad, two v. Barbados. In the twenty-three games a grand total of 14,274 runs for 783 wickets was registered— average per wicket, 18-2, per match 620. Barbados scored 5,454 runs for 262 wickets (average 20-8), and took 320 wickets for 5,239 runs (average 16-3). Trinidad scored 5,002 runs for 271 wickets (average 18-4), and took 267 wickets for 4,953 runs (average 18-5). Club Histories. L e s s n e s s P a r k . The history of a comparatively young club, such as Lessness Park, cannot be evened with the glorious re­ cords, hoary with time, of such as Hambledon, alleged birthplace of cricket, indubitable nursery of heroes, of Sevenoaks Vine, or of Islington Albion. Bu t I claim special interest for Lessness Park because the club was founded b y one of the greatest leaders in all the great game’s long story— John Shuter, to wit. Even now, after a lapse of years since he ceased to play for it, Less­ ness Park is often spoken of as “ John Shuter’s club.” Mr. Shuter avers he was not the founder. He gives that credit to Mr. H. Scarlett. Bu t Mr. Scarlett says that he was only responsible for the suggestion, and that without the great Surrey captain the club would never have come into being. Those who study cricket literature— “ a faithful band, though few ”— know b y heart that classic of the game which bears the name of Nyren. They will remember what Sir Horace Mann was to Hambledon. Others may need to be told that Sir Horace was the great club’s chief supporter— the word patron mislikes me in cricket matters— and that so keen was his partisan­ ship that when (as seldom chanced) the game was going against Hambledon he would walk round the ground swinging his stick and savagely cutting down the daisies. Mr. Scarlett is the Sir Horace Mann of Lessness Park. From his brain the club sprang ; and he has always taken a big share in its management. He cannot mow down daisies now ; they have been exter­ minated long ago. But it is the rarest thing for him to miss a match ; and his face when the club wins is a goodly sight to see. Mr. Scarlett hails from Thom- bury, where in days gone b y he played with the Graces— which might sound to any one entirely unversed in cricket lore suggestive of “ toying with Amaryllis in the shade,” but actually means a very different sort of thing. British Guiana scored 3,818 runs for 250 wickets (average 15-2), and took 196 wickets for 4,082 runs (average 20-8). These figures bear out the match results very closely, and help to prove that luck had very little to do with the general supremacy of Barbados. British Guiana has not won a game for twelve years in the tournaments, and it is said will now retire as an official side, though private enterprise is expected to fill the gap which would otherwise be left. It may be asked why Jamaica has not taken part in these tournaments. Distance is the difficulty. Even if Jamaica could send teams to Georgetown, Port of Spain and Bridgetown— and thus far the island has evinced little inclination to send teams anywhere, her sole enterprise in this direction being a visit to British Guiana, with a match in Barbados on the way back, sixteen years or so ago— it is scarcely likely th at all three of the other colonies could send sides to Kingston at the same time. The Windward Islands (Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent) were invited to send a joint team to the tournament of 1899-1900 ; but they could not manage it. (To be continued.) No shade, but sunshine (except when the weather gods ruled otherwise, of course) ; no toying, but hard work (especially for the other side, when the Little Doctor made one of his little scores of 300 or so) ! Mr. JOHN SHUTER. The Lessness Park C.C. was born in 1895, Mr. Shuter having resigned the Surrey captaincy in 1894. A