Cricket 1913

August 9, 19.13. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 485 A m o n g th e 92 m a k e r s o f c e n tu rie s (u p to J u ly 3 1) in th is y e a r o f g r a c e 1 9 1 3 , a re a s m a n y a s 22 w h o h a v e n e v e r a p p e a r e d in a p re v io u s y e a r ’s lis t. T h e s e a r e : W . G . K . B o s w e ll, C h e s te r, G . R . R . C o lm a n , B . S . C u m b e r le g e , M . H . C . D o ll, C a p ta in G . H . S . F o w k e , H a r r is o n , H y m a n , J u p p , K iln e r , A . II. L a n g , L e e ( G . M .) , C . D . M c lv e r , J. W . W . N a so n , P a rso n s, W . N . R ile y , R u ssell, S an d h am , S. H . S aville S e y m o u r (J o h n ), th e H o n . L . II. T e n n y s o n , a n d A . C . W d k in s o n . In th e w h o le o f la s t se a so n ’s c ric k e t o n ly e lev e n m en c am e in to th e lis t w h o h a d n o t a p p e a re d in e a r lie r o n e s. In 1 9 1 1 , e x c lu d in g th e m em b ers o f th e A l l I n d ia te am , 24 q u a lifie d , in 19 10 o n ly 10, a n d in 190 9 13. T w e n t y - s ix b a tsm e n h a d r e a c h e d th re e -fig u re to ta ls b y th e e v e n in g o f J u ly 3 1. O n th e c o rre ­ s p o n d in g d a t e o f l a s t y e a r th e r e w e re 24 in th e list, in 1 9 1 1 3 3 , in 19 10 o n ly 7, in 1909 13 , in 1908 14, in 190 7 9, m 1906 18, in 1905 3 1 , in 199 4 22 , in 1903 17, in 1902 13 , in 190 1 29, in 1900 25, a n d in 1899 21. T h e r e is v e r y w id e v a r ia tio n h e re— fro m a s fe w a s 7 to a s m a n y a s 3 3 . W e a th e r in flu e n c e s w ere la r g e l y r e s p o n s ib le , o f c o u rse . T h e a v e r a g e o v e r th e p e r io d o f fifte e n y e a r s is 20, so th a t i q i 3 is w e ll a b o v e th e m e a n . T a k e r s o f 100 w ic k e ts n u m b e re d 7 o n J u ly 31 o l th is y e a r , 7 in 19 12 , 7 in i g n , 7 in 19 10 , 4 in 1909, 5 in 1908 , 10 in 190 7, 8 in 1906, 6 in 19 0 5 , 2 in 1904, 3 in 1903, 6 in 1902, 4 in i g o i , 4 in ig o o , a n d 6 in 1899. I t is d is t in c t ly c u rio u s th a t se v e n s h o u ld be th e n u m b e r in e a c h se a so n fro m i g i o to 10 13 in ­ c lu s iv e . I h a v e h a d a g o o d d e a l to s a y from tim e to tim e a b o u t th e m is ta k e s o f o th e r s ; b u t I th in k it m u st be a d m itte d th a t I h a v e n o t h e s ita te d to a c k n o w le d g e m y o w n . A c o rr e s p o n d e n t c a u g h t m e o u t n ic e ly o v e r on e su c h . “ T h e r e a re n o t tw o ‘ r’s ’ in F o r e s te r ,” I h a d s a id . “ B u t th e r e are tw o ‘ r’ s ’ in F o r e s te r ,” he w r o te — a n d it t o o k m e n e a r ly ten s e c o n d s to see it. W h a t I h a d m e a n t w a s th a t th e re w a s 110 d o u b le “ r ” in th e n am e o f T h o m a s F o r e s te r , o f D e r b y ­ shire. A n o th e r c o rr e c to r ju m p s on m e f o r th e in iq u ity Q f “ t a k in g M r. B o s a n q u e t t o t a s k ” f o r g iv in g W i l ­ liam D e n to n ’s sc o re v . Y o r k s h ir e a s g2 , w h en C r i c k e t a ls o g a v e it a s g 2 . Peccavi, in d e e d ! F o r M r. B o s a n q u e t a n d CRICKET w e re r ig h t, a n d I w a s w r o n g ! I c o u ld g iv e f a i r e x c u s e f o r m y erro r, fo r it w a s n o t m in e a lo n e ; b u t I w i ll n o t. I tr u s t b o th M r. B o s a n q u e t a n d m y B r o m le y c r itic w ill c o n sid e r th a t s o m e th in g s h o r t o f b o ilin g o il m a y m e e t th e case. W o r s e r e m a in s ! I h a v e h a d a c lo s e ly - w r itte n p o s tc a r d c o v e r e d w ith e rro rs fo u n d in th e n um b e r o f l u l y 26. I r e g r e t th em e x trem e ly * b u t in th is c a s e I r e a lly m u st p u t fo r w a r d an e x c u s e . T h a t n um b e r w a s p r o d u c e d in a n ew h om e , b y c o m p o s ito rs u n u se d t c th e s e ttin g o f sc o re s, w ith o u t a p r o fe s s io n a l p r o o f-r e a d e r , a n d in m y u n a v o id a b le a b se n c e o n th e d a y w h en m o st o f th e p a g e s w e re b e in g m a d e u p . B u t th e c o m p o s ito rs a re g e t t in g in to th e w a y o f it n o w , a n d I am n o t o f te n a b s e n t w h en n e e d e d , a n d w e are c e r ta in ly g o in g to d o b e tte r in fu tu r e . I d e p lo r e th e c o n fu s io n w h ic h le d som e o n e to a s k , p la in t iv e ly , w h e th e r it w a s r e a lly B o w le y o r B o w e ll w h o re a c h e d h is th o u s a n d on J u ly 28, th o u g h I th in k h e m ig h t h a v e g u e s s e d (o r to tte d u p th e sco re s fo r h im s e lf i f in d o u b t) ; I d e p lo re th e in tem p e ra te z e a l w h ic h tr a n s fo r m e d “ K e e n ly s id e ” (co rre ct in c o p y a n d p r o o f) in to “ K e c h ly s id e ”— I s h a ll n e v e r d is ­ c o v e r w h y th is w a s d o n e , f o r th e a u th o r o f th e m is­ c h ie f c a n n o t e x p l a i n ; I d e p lo re th e a n a ly s is w h ic h g a v e E . J. J o h n s o n 25 o v e rs, o m a id e n s , 2 ru n s, 2 w ic k e t s ; a n d th e r e w e re o th e r t h in g s ! B u t, I re ­ p e a t, w e s h a ll d o b e tte r in fu tu r e , a lth o u g h la s t w e e k it w a s d is c o v e r e d to o la te t h a t “ e x tr a s ” h a d b e e n s u b s titu te d f o r b y e s , le g - b y e s , w id e s , a n d n o ­ b a lls a lm o s t th ro u g h o u t. S om e o n e w r ite s fro m S o u th A f r i c a : “ Y o u c a n ­ n o t g iv e u s to o m u ch ‘ P a v ilio n G o s s ip .’ ” F r o m n e a re r h o m e com e s th e s u g g e s tio n : “ W h y n o t m o re ‘ P a v ilio n G o s s i p ’ a n d l e s s ”— w e ll, o f a n o th e r fe a tu r e ? I t is g o o d t o k n o w th a t th e w o r k m o st p le a s in g to o n e s e lf is a p p r e c ia te d b y o th e rs . E x p r e s s io n o f o p in io n on th e v a r io u s fe a tu r e s o f th e p a p e r is n o t u n com m o n in th e m a n y w e lc o m e le tte r s I r e c e iv e ; a n d w h e re r e a d e rs m e n tio n th e ir in d iv id u a l p r e fe r ­ e n c e s, “ P a v ilio n G o s s ip ” is p u t firs t in q u ite th re e c a s e s o u t o f fiv e . T h is , lik e th e fo r e g o in g , m a y b e in to o p e rs o n a l a v e in f o r som e ta s te s , I k n o w . B u t I d o b e lie v e th a t th e a v e r a g e r e a d e r d o e s n o t re s e n t— b u t, on th e o th e r h a n d , r a th e r lik e s — th e p e rs o n a l to u c h , s o I m a y g o on t o s a y a li t t le m o re. CRICKET w a s o n e o f th e lo v e s o f m y b o y h o o d , a s I w e ll rem em b er. M r. C . W . A lc o c k c o n tr o lle d it in th o s e d a y s . T h e r e w a s c o m p a r a tiv e ly litt le “ P a v ilio n G o s s ip ,” b u t m o st o f w h a t th e r e w a s w a s n e w s . T h e d a i l y p a p e r s d e a lt f a r le s s f u l l y w ith th e g a m e th e n th a n n o w , a n d M r. A lc o c k , fr o m h is p o s itio n a t th e O v a l, w a s a b le to g e t a g o o d d e a l o f p r a c t ic a lly e x c lu s iv e n e w s . E x c lu s iv e n ew s h a r d l y e x is ts n o w a d a y s . O n e fin d s th e sam e item , w ith s lig h t v a r ia tio n s o f w o r d in g , in a d o z e n d iffe re n t m o r n in g a n d e v e n in g p a p e rs. I h a v e n o in te n tio n o f f illin g „ m y c o lu m n s w ith m a tte r th a t a ll o f m y r e a d e rs h a v e seen e ls e w h e r e a n y th in g fr o m a d a y to a w e e k b e fo r e . S o m e o f th e s tu ff I w r ite m a y b e v iew s, o p in io n s , c om m e n t, a n y th in g r a th e r th a n “ G o s s i p ” ; b u t I d o n ’t see w h y I s h o u ld b e t ie d d o w n to o s t r ic t ly b y th e h e a d in g a b o v e m y p a r a g r a p h s , th o u g h I s h o u ld b e lo th to c h a n g e it. B u t e n o u g h o f th is— f o r th e p re se n t.