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4 8 4 CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OE THE GAME. August !), liliii. s t a t i s t ic a lly c o n s id e r e d — th a t in a n in n in g s o f e a c h s id e th re e c e n tu rie s s h o u ld b e r e c o r d e d — se ts on e w o n d e r in g w h y th e w r ite r s h o u ld b e tu r n e d u p on c r ic k e t a t a ll. A n d in th e sam e p a p e r’s is su e o f A u g u s t I is an e v e n b r ig h te r g em . “ W in n in g th e to s s th e u s u a l o r d e r o f b a t t in g w a s d e p a r te d fro m , b u t th e S o m e r ­ s e t c a p ta in a n d M r. J . D a n ie ll, w it h M r. P . R . J o h n s o n , r a t t le d u p 50 in 35 m in u te s fo r th e first w ic k e t. T h r e e b a tsm e n 111 a t o n c e ! B u t th is b lu n d e r is s u s c e p tib le o f e x p la n a t io n . P r o b a b ly w h a t w a s w r itte n w a s “ d e p a r te d fr o m by th e S o m ­ e rs e t c a p t a in .’’ A n d a s o n e k n o w in g s o m e th in g o f th e c u s s e d n e s s o f c o m p o s ito rs , I c o u ld s y m p a th is e — i f I th o u g h t t h a t a n y w r ite r o f c r ic k e t re p o r ts in th e D ------- M ------ — w o u ld n e e d s y m p a t h y 111 su c h a case. A f r ie n d l y c o r r e s p o n d e n t in P h ila d e lp h ia s e n d s m e a c u tt in g fr o m o n e o f th e p a p e r s o f th a t c i t y . A y o u t h fu l re p o r te r w a s tu r n e d on t o th e A u s t r a lia v U . S . a n d C a n a d a m a tc h , a n d r e c e iv e d 'h ig h c om ­ m e n d a tio n fr o m h is M a n a g in g E d it o r f o r h is m a n ­ n e r o f d e a lin g th e r e w ith . H e d id n ’t k n o w th e first th in g a b o u t c r i c k e t ; h e s h o w e d h is ig n o r a n c e in e v e r y lin e. N o m a tt e r ! I t “ r e a d w e l l ”— in th e M . E . ’s o p in io n . H e re a re som e e x t r a c t s : “ T h e A m e r ic a n - C a n a d ia n c o m b in a tio n w e n t to b a t f o r th e la s t in n in g a f t e r th e n o o n recess. K a n g a r o o c u n n in g w a s to o g r e a t, a n d d e s p ite s e v ­ e r a l p r o m is in g r a llie s . . . . M o s t q f th e b a ts ­ m en w e re r e tir e d w ith a lo s s o f fr o m tw o to fo u r ru n s. . . D ia m o n d w a s s tr u c k o n th e r ig h t k n e e b y a b o u n d e r b o w le d b y H a r r y P e a rc e . . . . A A . H o s k in s , th e N e w Y o r k v e te ra n a n d U .S . A m e r i­ ca n s ta r , to o k h is s ta n d a t th e c lu b h o u se w ic k e t, a n d H . S . R e e d , o f C a n a d a , c o m p le te d th e p a r t­ n e r s h ip . . . . T h e b a t t in g c o m b in a tio n so o n f e l l b e fo r e th e s k i ll o f th e v is it in g b a ll to ss e rs.” A . G . H o s k in g s a n d H . S . R e id a re th e c o rre c t n am e s o f th e o p e n in g p a ir o f b a t s m e n ; b u t w h y s h o u ld a c u b re p o rte r c a re f o r th e s e th in g s ? C o r ­ re c tio n is o f n o im p o r ta n c e ; “ a b r ig h t s to r y ” is th e w o rd . L e t u s re sum e o u r e x c e r p ts fr o m th e “ b r ig h t s to r y ’’— w ith H o s k in g s , lik e B u l l y B o tto m , a g a in “ tr a n s la te d .” “ H o p k in s b e in g c le a n ly b o w le d b y C r a w f o r d . . . . . T h a t w o u ld h a v e e n d e d h is ( A n d e r s o n ’s) r u n g e ttin g h a d n o t th e g o o d n e s s o f lu c k f a v o u r e d h im . . . . L i f t e d an e a s y o n e to S . E m e r y a t sh o r t s lip , b u t th a t s t e r lin g fie ld e r le t th e sp h e re tr ic k le th r o u g h h is fin g e rs. . . . R e e d c o u ld d o lit t le e ls e th a n p l a y s a f e . . . . A siz z le r th r o u g h m id -o ff n e tte d h im a s in g le . . . O n e o f C r a w ­ f o r d ’s lo n g o n e s b o u n d e d h ig h , s tr u c k h im in th e w r is t, a n d , c a r o m in g o ff, k n o c k e d d o w n th e w ic k e t. . . . . F u r n e s s a t h is n e x t t r y se n t th e te am sc o re t o th e c e n tu r y m a r k . . . . R e e d w a s run o u t in t r y i n g to s tre tc h a s in g le in to a tw o -b a g g e r . . . . T h e n e w p a r tn e r s h ip h a d h a r d ly g o t se t. . . . M a ile y b o w le d h im (D o r n a n , d is ­ g u is e d h e re a s G o rm a n ) o u t o n th e th ir d tr y . G o o d m a n ’s lo w r e c o r d w a s b e a te n b y h a l f . . . . S . E m e r y w a s se n t in to m a k e up th e b ro k e n p a r tn e r s h ip . . . . B a r d s le y h a d s h o v e d h is c o lle c tio n o f ru n s u p to 1 1 0 ............................ B o th e n d s o f th e c o m b in a tio n r u n n in g u p th e score w ith te r r ific c lo u ts . . . . C la r k s e n t G o o d ­ w in ( th is w a s G o o d m a n — n o m a tte r !) to ta k e u p the b u rd en f o r h im . . . . S u c c u m b in g to C a p ta in D ia m o n d a t sh o rt le g b y th e f ly b a ll ro u te . P e r c y C la r k , th e c o m b in e d te a m ’s skiper, a n d H . C . (H . G . — n ev e r m in d ! ) P e a r c e c o m p le te d th e new p a rtn e rsh ip . . . . A d r iv e th r o u g h lo n g o ff.” T h e c o m p m u st b e a r p a r t o f th e b la m e here. “ G o d d e s s o f L u c k , ” on e c u b r e p o r te r w r o te , I s h o u ld s a y . A n d “ c a n n o n in g ,” n o t “ c a r o m in g .” B u t “ c le a n ly , b o w le d ” is e v id e n t ly d u e to th e C .R .’s s t ic k lin g f o r g r a m m a tic a l a c c u r a c y . It m u st h a v e b e e n “ a s iz z le r ” th a t w e n t “ th ro u g h m id o ff,” a n d d o u b tle s s th e d r iv e th a t w e n t ‘ th r o u g h lo n g o ff ” w a s a n o th e r siz z le r, i f it w a s n o t ‘ a b o u n d e r ” o r “ a lo n g o n e .” M o s t o f th e s e a w fu l p h ra s e s a re d u e t o th e " u s e o f th e u n c o u th la n g u a g e o f b a s e b a ll, h o w e v e r. W h ile w e a re t o ld th a t b a s e b a ll is g o in g to cut o u t c r ic k e t h ere a n d in A u s t r a lia , th e m em b ers o f th e A u s tr a lia n te a m (so a N e w Y o r k c lip p in g in ­ fo rm s u s) s a y c r ic k e t is g o in g to c u t o u t b a s e b a ll in C a n a d a . “ tylr. R . B . ’ B e n ja m in , th e m a n a g e r o f th e s id e , p r o u d ly b o a s ts t h a t h e h a s a lr e a d y been a s k e d to p la y in f i f t y m a tc h e s in th e U n it e d S ta te s a n d C a n a d a n e x t y e a r , i f h e d e c id e s a g a in to b r in g o v e r h is te am ,” s a y s M r. H e r b e r t D u c k w o r th in th e N e w Y o r k p a p e r . T h e r e se em s ar"S lip h e r e ; o th e r­ w ise it is c u rio u s th a t th u s f a r M r. M a n a g e r B e n ja ­ m in h a s n o t b een a s k e d to p l a y even in o n e g am e d u r in g th e p re se n t to u r ! He w o u ld b e a slim m e r B e n jam in a ft e r h e h a d d o n e h is f a i r sh a re o f f ie ld ­ in g in f i f t y m a tc h e s. S h o u ld th is b e a sine qua non , o n e w o u ld a d v is e h im not to ta k e o v e r h is te am in 19 14 . F i f t y c e n tu rie s w e re s c o re d in th e fir s t-c la s s cricket o f J u ly , in c lu d in g th re e b e g u n on J u n e 30 in -w h ic h th ree fig u r e s h a d n o t b e e n a tta in e d 011 th a t d a y . T h e re w e re 6 9 in J u n e , a n d 34 in M a y ; t o ta l to J u ly 31., in c lu s iv e , 153- P h ilip M e a d (7), G e o r g e G u n n , H o b b s , a n d Q u a if e (5 e a c h ), R h o d e s , J a m e s S e y m o u r , a n d J o h n T y l d e s l e y (4 e a c h ), L ie u te n a n t C . H . A b e rc ro m b ie , B o w e ll, B o w le y , E . L . K i d d , R . B . L a g d e n , A lb e r t R e l f , S . G . S m ith , th e H o n . L . H . T e n n y s o n , E r n e s t T y lc le s le y , P . F . W a r n e r , a n d F r a n k W o o lle y (3 e a c h ) h a v e m a d e m o re th a n tw o . E ig h t e e n p la y e r s h a v e tw o e a c h to th e ir c r e d it, a n d ju s t f i f t y o n e e a ch . T h e fit st fe w d a y s o f A u g u s t w ill d o u b tle s s in ­ c re a s e th e lis t to a c o n s id e r a b le e x t e n t ; it m u st be u n d e r s to o d th a t th e f o r e g o in g ta k e s b o c o g n is a n c e o f a n y th in g a fte r J u ly 3 1 .