Cricket 1913

402 CRICKET : A WEEKLY Cricket in Scotland. (B y H am ish .) T o mention that the team of Scottish Gentlemen which is playing the Gentlemen of Ireland at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, is' far from full strength is but to reiterate an old story; and in three-day matches it will always be the same. L. M. Balfour-Melville was. asked to play, and, of course, to captain the side, but he could not oblige; and another attractive personality— some way behind the great “ L. M .,” however-— in R. G. T ait cannot find the time to take part. What a treat would have been vouchsafed us had these two— the old and the new— got goin g on a fast pitch ! Five members of the side as chosen, including R. W . Sievwright and G. K . Chalmers, the wicket-keeper, have also withdrawn, and at the time of writing two places are yet to fill. Notwithstanding these refusals, the side will still be a more than useful combination. Loretto justified the good opinions that have been passed on them, and won the Public Schools Championship, defeat­ ing Fettes by seven wickets in their final engagement— Fettes 113 and 155, Loretto 130 and 140 for 3. Musselburgh townsfolk are enthusiastic supporters of the boys in scarlet, and over two thousand of them gave the w inning side a great reception at the finish, G. A. Turton (60*) and W . G ray (23*) being carried shoulder-high to the pavilion. The pavilion, by the way, is a recent g ift to the school by an old pupil, the famous Middlesex cricketer, Mr. J. G. Walker, and it'w a s peculiarly fitting that the eleven should so soon show the school’s appreciation by winning the cricket championship three days after the donation ceremony. The Grange have not succeeded in bringing off a double victory this season. On Saturday, while one eleven was gaining an easy win over Carlton.— 168 to 72^ the other was go in g down to Gala— 145 to 228. Keene (6 for 28) and then H. B. Cummins (42) were the main factors in Carlton’s defeat; and J. M cDougall (54) and West (6 for 54) were the prominent figures in the fall of the premier club at Raeburn Place. A record crowd assembled at the McKane Park, Dunferm­ line, to watch the county match between Fifeshire (251 for 5) and Perthshire (119 for 3). Three special trains were run from Perth. A. J. MacGregor (69), A. Walker (42), W . M. Wallace (46*), and Morfee (44) batted well for the Fifers; and W . L. Fraser (32) and j. A. Ferguson (49*) for the Perth side. Morfee, who has been re-engaged for next season, did not obtain a wicket, but he delighted the crowd by his hitting. R. G. Tait (57) and T . McLeod (102), the latter an officer at Buddon Camp, laid the foundation of Forfarshire’s big total— 277 for 9— against Stirling County, who, mainly bv the exertions of A. M. P. Lyle (38*), were again saved by the clock— 103 for 9. In the Western Union, Ferguslie (99) were beaten by Uddingston (216 for 5). For the latter j . Downs took risks and registered 93, while Nash had 7 wickets for 55. Kel- burne (203 for 9) only managed to draw with Poloc (172 for 3). For Kelburne R. R. Waters (60), and for Poloc W . Linton (78) and W . G. Storey (64*) were the principal scorers. Kirkcaldy (136) did a smart performance in beating Selkirk (114) at home, thanks to S. Parkes (54) and F. Gibson (4 wickets for 4). C. Ferrier scored 166* for Brechin against the Royal Flying Corps. RECORD OF THE GAME. J u l y 12, 1913. Special Club Notes. (C ontributed by T he C hiel .) The Ealing Dean people gave me a very cheering wel­ come at their new headquarters at Perivale last Saturday. The Dean fellows are fortunate indeed in procuring such a delightful ground. I doubt whether there is a better club ground in or near London,. There is ample room for two teams to p la y ; the accommodation is of the very best; and the pavilion is little short of being a palace ! W ith all these advantages there is no reason why Ealing Dean, with the majority of their old members true to the flag, should not receive a large influx "Of new members. The opening match on the ground was with Battersea, very old opponents. The Dean batted first, and .ran up a score of 189 for 6. E. Johnson played good and sound cricket for his 91, forcing and well-timed .strokes on the leg side being a feature of his knock. E. Sparks, if somewhat slow, made some good shots in his 55. The Battersea bowlers were handicapped by a wet ball. Here let me say the sporting spirit of the gam e was pronounced ; no stop­ page whatever was made because of the rain. Battersea replied with 145 for 2. The veteran H. A. White (44*) and G. D. Herron (32) laid the foundation for a good score. F. Ward forced the gam e well, and his 64 contained three 6’s and five 4’s, two of his shots goin g clean out of the ground. The match ended in a draw. A more enjoyable and sporting game one would never wish to see. W ill you excuse a hint, Captain Hellard? If so, I would suggest that your men might be ready to meet the outcoming batsman, for the wickets are pitched a long way from the pavilion. And might not the tea interval be curtailed—what say you? The match did not end here. The Dean fellows cannot forsake their old love, the “ Green Man.” Through heavy rain the Dean and Battersea members tramped thither, pass­ ing the quaint old church of Perivale; a delightful w alk— if fine! But it wasn’t fine. There was a good gathering of cricketers, old and young— E. H. Johnson, W . H. Free- mantle, A. Hellard, T . Walker, and others of the D ean ; W. H. Beckett, J. Anning, J. Howick, T . G. Carter, and more of Battersea. And old fights fought at the “ Green Man ” ground were refought in memory, and altogether a most enjoyable evening was spent-—one of the good old- fashioned club evenings that are uncommon in these days of bustle, when men always seem to want to be getting somewhere else! _____ Good cutting has become rare in club cricket of recent years, I think. Are there fewer balls bowled to the off nowa­ days, or ts it that this beautiful stroke is unjustifiably neglected? Many of the balls allowed to pass to-day would have been late cut with force and certainty in the old times. I have always contended that a batsman who has this stroke and a sound defence can make plenty of runs. For scoring purposes there is no stroke to equal it. A decent slow bowler is a boon to any team, and I have noticed many batsmen who play fast stuff with confidence simply tucked up by moderate slows. Why is it? I think partly because the ball is not watched closely enough, and partly because men are afraid to “ come out to her.” Run­ ning out fearlessly often makes a difficult ball into quite an easy one. T ry it, you stay-at-homes! But I don’t suggest wild hitting, mind you. Club secretaries are now arranging their fixtures for next year. While many of the clubs stick to their old opponents, some new fixtures have to be made in most cases. And I regret to say that misrepresentation of grounds and accom­ modation is too frequent. Two cases in point happening this year can be vouched for by the w riter; on each occasion the members came back covered with bruises, and giving wretched accounts of the accommodation provided. I wonder what some club men would think o f those daring cricketers who are at present plaving on the macadamised pitches of the L .C .C ., many of which at the time of writing are simplv a disgrace, 1 "