Cricket 1913

August 2 , 1913. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE CAME. D e a n is a ls o c lo s e o n h is th o u s a n d th w ic k e t, a s I s a id a w e e k o r tw o a g o . W a s s a n d D e n n e tt h a v e n ow p a s s e d th e 1,5 0 0 m a r k ; th e ir re s p e c tiv e fig u re s to th e e n d o f 19 1 2 w e re 1,4 9 9 a n d 1,4 0 5 . C h a r le s w o r th , R o b e r t R e l f , a n d R o b s o n h a v e to p p e d 10,000 ru n s b y th e ir to ta ls th u s f a r th is season. A . H . H o r n b y a n d B o w e ll s h o u ld d o so b e fo re th e se a so n e n d s ; b u t I in c lu d e in th e L a n c a ­ sh ire c a p ta in ’s fig u r e s th o s e m a d e d u r in g th e O x f o r d U n iv e r s ity A u th e n tic s ’ to u r in I n d ia in 1902-3, a n d n o d o u b t th e se w ill be c h a lle n g e d b y s tic k le rs fo r o fficia l ru lin g s . H o b b s h a s p a s s e d 20,000. U p to th e e n d o f la s t seaso n h is t o ta l w a s 18 ,79 6 , a n d h is 1,4 3 3 th is se a so n to d a te ( J u l y 2 6 th ) g iv e s h im 2 0 ,2 2 9 , th u s d i v i d e d : In England ... 17,216 runs in 470 completed inns. ... aver. 36.62. In Australia ... 1,819 runs in 38 completed inns. ... aver. 46.86. In S. Africa ... 1,194 runs in 19 completed inns. ... aver. 62.84. Total 20,229 runs in 527 completed inns. ... aver. 38.38 T h e r e is an a n n o u n cem e n t in th e la s t is s u e 'to h a n d o f The Latest (D u r b a n ) w h ic h w ill, I fe e l su re, g iv e p le a su re to m a n y p e o p le b e s id e s m y s e lf . T h is is n o th in g le s s th a n th a t “ th e S o u th i\ fr ic a n C r ic k e t A s s o c ia tio n h a v e g r a n te d th e so le r ig h t o f p u b lis h in g an o fficia l C r ic k e t A n n u a l to a w e ll-k n o w n w rite r upon th e g a m e in J o h a n n e s b u r g .” T h e a n n u a l is to be o n th e lin e s o f Wisden, a n d , i f it b e fo u n d p o s sib le to c o lle c t th em , th e C u r r ie C u p T o u rn a m e n t m a tch e s o f th e p a s t w ill b e g iv e n in f u ll , to g e th e r w ith som e o th e r sco re s o f in terest. W h a t p u z z le s o n e is th a t th e S .A . C . A . , w h ich d a te s b a c k som e 23 y e a rs , s h o u ld n o t p o s se s s a com ­ p le te file o f th e sco re s o f th ese C u r rie C u p g a m e s, th e m o st im p o rta n t, a p a r t fro m th o s e p la y e d b y v is itin g te am s, o f a n y w h ic h h a v e ta k e n p la c e in th e s u b -co n tin e n t. T h e m a tc h e s w e re p la y e d u n d e r th e ir a u sp ices, a n d o n e w o u ld h a v e im a g in e d th a t it w o u ld b e a p a r t o f th e se c re ta ry ’s d u t y to k e e p a reco rd o f th em . W h ic h rem in d s m e th a t th e n am e o f M r. I v o r D iffo r d , th e p re se n t s e c re ta ry (w h o is n ot th e g e n tle m a n re s p o n sib le f o r th is om issio n ) w a s w r o n g ly g iv e n la s t w e e k a s G iffo r d . I c o rr e c te d th e m is ta k e in p r o o f, b u t it w e n t th r o u g h , n e v e rth e le s s, fo r w h ic h a p o lo g ie s . I p o s se s s th e sco re s o f m o st o f th e se m a tc h e s, c o lle c te d a t c o n s id e r a b le tr o u b le b o th to m y s e lf a n d to se v e r a l w illin g h e lp e rs. I la c k co rre c t sco re s o f th e m a tc h e s o f th e 18 92-3 T o u r n a m e n t a t K im b e r ­ le y . S om e o ld r e a d e r m a y p o in t o u t th a t th ese w ere g iv e n in CRICKET o f D e cem b e r, 1892. T h e y w ere. B u t th e sco re s so g iv e n a re a b s o lu te ly u seless. G . C r ip p s is c r e d ite d th ere in w ith a c e n tu r y v. i r a n s v a a l w h ic h h e d id n o t m a k e ; h o w m a n y he m a d e I d o n ’t k n o w , b u t th e sco re a d d s u p 253 (C r ip p s 12 7 ), a n d th e t o t a l is g iv e n a s 2 2 1, w h ich ch e ck s w ith th e b o w lin g a n a ly s is . T h e T r a n s v a a l in n in g s v . G r iq u a la n d W e s t a d d s u p 182, a n d is g iv e n 17 7 , a n d th e re a re v a rio u s o th e r d is c re p a n c ie s , to o n um ero u s f o r d e ta ile d m e n tio n , w h ic h re n d e r th e sco res u tte r ly u n r e lia b le . T h e 18 96-7 m a tc h e s, e x c e p t th a t b e tw ee n N a t a l a n d W e s te rn P r o v in c e , a re la c k in g fr o m m y c o lle c ­ tio n , a s a re tw o .m atch es o f 18 9 7 -8 ; b u t I h a v e a ll th o s e o f 190 2 -3, a l l o f 1903-4, e x c e p t O r a n g e R iv e r C o lo n y v. T r a n s v a a l, f o u r o f th e s ix p la y e d in 1904-5, a n d a ll sin c e th a t d a te . A n d i f I c a n b e o f a n y u se to th e E d it o r o f th e S .A . C . A n n u a l (w h o se a d d r e s s is P .O . B o x 3424 J o h a n n e s b u r g ) I s h a ll b e v e r y p le a s e d , th o u g h to o ffe r h e lp fr o m E n g la n d m a y s a v o u r o f ta k in g c o a ls to N e w c a s tle . It is q u ite p o s ­ s ib le .th a t som e o f m y re a d e rs m a y b e a b le to a s s is t, w h ic h is m y m o tiv e in g iv in g th e a d d r e s s . T h e C a p e T o w n p e o p le are n o t a t a ll k een on h a v in g th e f ift h te s t m a tc h o f th e M .C .C . to u r , I g a th e r . T h e y th in k th a t in th e e v e n t o f th e firs t th re e te sts b e in g w o n b y th e v is ito rs a ll in te re st in th e r e m a in d e r w o u ld p e te r o u t. W h ic h m a y b e c o rre c t. B u t— fro m a s p o r tin g p o in t o f v ie w — c o n s id e r th e o th e r a lte r n a tiv e , th a t o f h a v in g th e la s t te s t w ith th e sco re a t tw o a l l ! T h e r e s h o u ld b e so m e th in g lik e a re c o rd g a te a t N e w la n d s u n d e r su c h c o n ­ d itio n s. I n s te a d o f a p p e a lin g to th e m in e m a g n a te s— • w h ic h , a s th in g s a re , m ig h t b e s c a r c e ly p r o fita b le , e s p e c ia lly a s som e o f th em lo s t h e a v ily in th e ir g u a r a n te e s fo r th e 19 1 2 to u r in E n g l a n d — th e T r a n s v a a l C r ic k e t U n io n h a s a s k e d a h u n d re d p ro ­ m in e n t sp o rtsm e n to g u a r a n te e £ 1 5 e a c h to m e e t th e £ 1 ,5 0 0 a s k e d b y th e S .A . C . A . f o r th e te s ts a n d th e T r a n s v a a l m a tc h e s w ith th e M .C .C . T e a m . In 190 9 - 10 fo u r m a tc h e s a t th e W a n d e r e r s ’ g r o u n d p r o d u c e d £ 8 ,0 3 4 , a n d in 190 5-6 th e p ro c e e d s w e re £ 6 ,4 4 3 , so th a t th e r is k is in fin ite s im a l. M ean tim e, o th e r cen tre s a re a sk in g w h y th e R a n d s h o u ld g e t su c h g o o d term s. T h e T r a n s v a a l p e o p le c a n s c a r c e ly f a i l to m a k e a s u b s ta n tia l p ro fit, w h ile th e g u a r a n te e s ( sm a lle r th o u g h th e y m a y be) d e ­ m a n d e d o f le ss p o p u lo u s ce n tre s le a v e th em lit t le c h a n c e o f d o in g m o re th a n c o v e r e x p e n se s. P h ilip M e a d a n d H e r b e r t S tr u d w ic k h a v e been in v it e d to jo in th e te am , a n d i f a ll th e p r o fe s s io n a ls a s k e d m a k e th e tr ip th e re rem a in s o n ly th e am a te u r c o n tin g e n t to b e ch o sen . B u t u p to d a te o n e h a s h e a r d n o th in g a s to w h o th e a m a te u rs o f th e p a r ty w i ll b e— n o th in g , th a t is to s a y , e x c e p t c o n je c tu re s, c o n tr a d ic te d a lm o s t a s so o n a s p rin te d . I n N e w Z e a la n d a y o u n g s te r o f u n d e r 14— C e c il D a c r e , a so n o f E . C . D a c re , fo r m e r ly a w e ll-k n o w n a ll- r o u n d sp o rtsm a n in A u c k la n d — h a s sc o re d 1,8 17 ru n s a n d ta k e n 14 9 w ic k e ts d u r in g th e se a so n o f 1 9 1 2 -3 . H e sc o re d 924 ru n s a n d to o k 100 w ic k e ts f o r h is s c h o o l, a n d in c lu b m a tc h e s m a d e 893 ru n s a n d to o k 45 w ic k e ts . T h i s m e re c h ild — h e may b e a p h y s ic a l m a rv e l f o r h is a g e , b u t 13J is c h ild h o o d f o r a ll th a t— w a s