Cricket 1913

458 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF i'HE GAME. August 2, 191 T h e 2 10 p a r tn e r s h ip o f C . D . M c lv e r a n d R u s s e ll f o r th e first w ic k e t o f E s s e x v . H a m p s h ir e is an E s s e x re c o rd , th e p r e v io u s b e s t b e in g 209 b y J . W . H . T . D o u g la s a n d F . L . F a n e v . M id d le s e x a t L e y t o n se v e n y e a r s a g o . T h e s p le n d id p a r tn e r s h ip o f 325 f o r th e se v e n th w ic k e t b y L ie u te n a n t C . H . A b e r c r o m b ie a n d th e s t a lw a r t b r o w n is n o t a fir s t-c la s s re c o rd f o r th a t w ic k e t. In 1902 K . S . R a n jit s in h ji a n d W . N e w h a m p u t u p 344 f o r th e s e v e n th a t L e y t o n — a n o th e r c o in c id e n c e — a n d in 18 8 7 K . J. K e y a n d H . P h ilip - so n a d d e d 340 fo r O x f o r d U n iv e r s it y v . M id d le s e x a t C h is w ic k P a r k . N o r is th e 325 a H a m p s h ire r e c o r d fo r a n y w ic k e t. M a jo r P o o r e a n d C a p ta in W y n y a r d a d d e d 4 1 1 fo r th e s ix t h v. S o m e rs e t a t T a u n to n in 18 99. A b e r c r o m b ie ’s c e n tu r y f o r H a n t s v. O x f o r d U n i ­ v e r s ity w a s w r itte n o f in m a n y q u a r te rs a s a th re e - fig u r e in n in g s p la y e d b y a m a n m a k in g h is first a p p e a ra n c e in fir s t-c la s s c ric k e t. B u t th is is n o t c o rre c t. I t w a s n o t e v e n h is firs t c e n tu r y in o fficia l fir s t-c la s s g a m e s . H e s c o re d 100 in th e se c o n d in n in g s o f R o y a l N a v y v . A r m y ( o ffic ia lly first- c la s s ) la s t y e a r a t L o r d ’s, a n d h e p la y e d in th e U n it e d S e r v ic e s ’ te a m v. O x f o r d a n d C a m b r id g e a t P o r tsm o u th in 1 9 1 1 . C o n g r a t u la tio n s to th a t fin e a ll- r o u n d c ric k e te r a n d g o o d f e llo w , A lb e r t R e l f , o n b e in g th e first p la y e r to sc o re 1,000 ru n s and ta k e 100 w ic k e ts th is se a so n . I t is th e e ig h t h tim e h e h a s h a d th is h o n o u r, a n d th e f o llo w in g lis t w ill s h o w o n w h a t d a te h e re a c h e d th e 1,000 a n d th e 100 r e s p e c tiv e ly in e a c h o f th e e ig h t se a so n s : — Year. 1,000 Runs. IOO Wickets. Year. 1,000 Runs. IOO Wickets 1904 . • Aug. 15 . Aug. 29 1910 Aug. 15 July g 1905 . • Aug. 7 . . Aug. 22 1911 July 13 July 21 1906 . Aug. 21 . • Aug. 27 1912 Aug. 16 Aug. 9 1908 . . Aug. 1 . . Aug. 11 1913 July 14 July 24 R e l f first fig u r e d in fir s t-c la s s c r ic k e t in 1900, h a v in g b een a m em b er o f th e N o r f o lk te am in 1898 a n d 1899. B y th e w a y , h e n e v e r p la y e d f o r B e r k ­ sh ire , a s I h a v e seen it s ta te d som ew h e re th a t h e d i d ; th e B e r k s h ir e R e l f w a s R o b e r t o f t h a t ilk . In 1900 A . E . t o t a lle d o v e r 1,000— a ra re f e a t f o r a first se a so n in th e h ig h e s t c ir c le s— b u t o n ly to o k 26 w ic k e ts. In 1 9 0 1 h is to t a ls w e re 6 94 ru n s, 66 w ic k e ts . In 1902 h e m a d e 1 ,10 0 ru n s, b u t h a d n o t y e t a tta in e d th e 100 w ic k e ts lis t. T h i s d is tin c tio n first f e l l to h im in 1903 w ith 12 4 c a p tiv e s . B u t in th a t seaso n h is to ta l o f ru n s w a s o n ly 863. O n l y tw o se a so n s sin c e— 19 0 7 a n d 1909— a re m is s­ in g from th e lis t a b o v e . In th e e a r lie r o n e 6 4 ru n s, a n d in th e la tte r 33 m o re w o u ld h a v e q u a lifie d h im f o r in c lu s io n , a s in b o th h e to o k o v e r 100 w ic k e ts . I t is s a id th a t C o lin — o th e rw ise , m o re fr e q u e n tly a n d m o re f a m i li a r ly “ C h a r le y ” — B ly t h e h a s n o w ta k e n o v e r 2,000 w ic k e ts f o r K e n t, w h ic h is , n o d o u b t, c o rr e c t, a s in a l l fir s t-c la s s m a tc h e s h is b a g is n e a r ly 2,300 to d a te . T h is in c lu d e s 34 in A u s tr a lia in 19 0 1-2 a n d 4 1 in 19 0 7-8 , 57 in S o u th A f r i c a in 190 5-6, a n d 3 3 in 190 9 -10 , a n d 13 in A m e r ic a (1903). H e h a d 14 w ic k e ts in 1899, w h en h e o n ly p la y e d in tw o o r th re e m a tc h e s a t th e e n d o f th e s e a s o n ; in 1900 h e to o k 1 1 4 » in 19 0 1 o n ly 9 3 ; in e a c h season sin c e o v e r 100. In 190 9 h e h a d a s m a n y a s 2 15 , in 1908 th re e sh o rt o f 200, in 19 0 7 183, in 19 1 2 178, a n d in 19 10 175 . T h e o th e r t o ta ls w e re a l l b etw een 100 a n d 150 . In v ie w o f th e fa c t th a t B ly t h e c a n n o t s ta n d the s tr a in o f te s t m a tch e s, o n e c a n h a r d ly a g re e w ith th e d ic tu m th a t h e h a s th e id e a l tem p e ram e n t fo r b ig c ric k e t. B u t p e rh a p s tem p e ra m e n t m a y be a llo w e d to s ta n d u n c a v ille d a t ; th e s p ir it is a ll rig h t b u t th e flesh is w e a k , it m a y b e . O n e h a s m a rv e lle d o f te n h o w so a p p a r e n tly f r a g i le a m a n c o u ld get th r o u g h so g r e a t a n a m o u n t o f w o r k . B u t h is actio n ta k e s lit t le o u t o f h im ; n e v e r w a s a n y t h in g e a s ie r; a n d m o s t o f h is w o rk h a s b e e n d o n e f o r a s id e p o s­ s e s s in g s tr o n g b o w lin g re s o u rce s , so th a t, g r e a t as h a s been th e w o r k la id u p o n h im , th e c o n d itio n s o f th a t w o r k h a v e b een e a s ie r th a n th o s e u n d e r w h ich , s a y , R e l f , D e n n e tt, S h ip m a n , o r R o b s o n h a v e d o n e th eirs. T o b o w l h o u r a f t e r h o u r a n d m a tc h a f t e r m atch fo r a s t r u g g lin g s id e is n o jo k e . M a n y a fin e b o w le r h a s h a d h is s p ir it b ro k e n b y it, h a s lo s t h is w h ip a n d s t in g fo r e v e r. A s o n e o f th e y o u n g e r sch o o l o f w ic k e t-k e e p e r s t o ld m e o f a b o w le r n o w o u t o f fir s t-c la s s c r i c k e t : “ H is b o w lin g f a i r l y fiz z e d o ff the p itc h in th a t b e s t y e a r o f h is ; b u t la s t y e a r it w a s ju s t lik e a s i f it c am e o ff ‘ p u d d e n ’ . ” F o r th o s e w h o c a re a b o u t re c o rd s— a n d I k n o w th e y a re m a n y — I m a y m e n tio n th a t S c h o fie ld H a ig h is n e a r in g h is tw o th o u s a n d th w ic k e t in first-c la s s c r ic k e t. U p to th e e n d o f la s t y e a r h e h a d ta k e n 1,902 in E n g l a n d a n d 7 2 in S o u th A fr ic a— to ta l, 1 ,9 7 4 . O n J u l y 2 6 th h e h a d 22 to h is c r e d it th is y e a r — 1,996. L i k e l y e n o u g h h e m a y h a v e re a ch e d 2,000 b e fo r e th is a p p e a rs, th o u g h h e is s c a r c e ly in f ig h t in g trim ju s t n ow . A n d R a z o r S m ith to o k h is th o u s a n d th w ic k e t a g a in s t L a n c a s h ir e a t th e O v a l a sh o r t tim e sin ce, th e re c o rd , a s f a r a s I am a w a r e , g o in g q u ite un­ re c o g n is e d . I t’s O . K . ; h ere, f o r th e b e n e fit o f a n y p o s s ib le d o u b tin g T h o m a s , a re th e d e ta ils , w ic k e ts a n d a v e r a g e p e r w ic k e t : — 1900 ... 23 at 36.26 1907 52 at 1 7-°7 1901 ... 33 ;il 22.06 1908 57 at 15.70 1902 ... 28 at 19.92 1909 95 at 12 43 1903 .» 15 at 25-13 1910 247 at 13 °5 1904 ... 64 at 17.90 1911 160 at 20.01 1905 ... 59 at 16.91 1912 112 at 16.96 1906 ... 20 at 36.40 1913 31 at 23.90 T o t a l (to J u ly 2 6 th ) 9 96 in E n g l a n d , w h ich , w ith 5 ta k e n d u r in g th e re c e n t W e s t I n d ia n tour ( a n d I c a n n o t see w h y th e m a tc h e s o f th a t tour s h o u ld n o t b e r e c k o n e d firs t-c la s s ) m a k e s 1,0 0 1.