Cricket 1913

CR ICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. August 1G, 1913. seasons he has p layed in 61 first-class matches for Surrey out o f somewhere near 240 played during that time— say one match in four. O n ly in 1908 and 1911 d id he appear in more than seven matches. H is record in these 61 m a tch e s? W ell, its n o’ that bad . In bow lin g he has h ad com p aratively little show, th ou gh more th is season th an ever before, as it ch an ces. U p to A u gu st 9 o f th is year 67 w ickets had fallen to him for 1820 ru n s— usefu l work, if u nd istin guished. O f these 30 (at a cost o f 666 in all) b elo n g to 19 13 . S ix for 38 v. L a n ca sh ire and 5 for 96 v. W orcestershire in su ccessive in n in gs rather op en ed p eo p le’s e y e s ; but, given the ch an ce, he will do as go od w ork as th is again . B attin g : 94 in nin gs, 12 n o t outs, 1 7 6 1 — average 2 1.4 7 . A ga in , useful w ithout suggestin g greatness. B u t allow ance m ust be m ade for the h a n d icap en tailed by irregular ap p earance. Fortunately fo r the young b lo o d o f Surrey then* are the second X I . matches. A youngster does not feel that he is quite wasting his time if he gets eight or ten o f these a season. H e is learning the feel o f it, anyhow ; Surrey II. v. Staffordshire or v. Kent II. or v. G lamorgan is a different kind o f game from Y oun g P layers v. Cobham or Club and Ground v. H onor Oak. But Spring is no longer a youngster— he was born at Dulw ich on May 17 th, 1881 — and he has had a g o o d spell o f apprenticeship in the second team. He has p layed well over 100 innings fo r it, and has taken nearly 200 wickets. He headed its batting averages in 1907 , and again (though fo r on ly 4 innings) in 1908 . He has topped three figures fo r it on several occasions — 102 v. Berkshire at Reigate and 135 v. W iltshire at the Oval in 1907 , 170 v. Berkshire at the Oval in 1908 , 116 v. W iltshire at Swindon in 1910 , and 180 not out v. Suffolk at the Oval in 1912 . Four 6 ’s, three 5 ’s, twenty-one 4 ’s in that 180 . Oh, yes, Spring can hit— just a b i t ! H e began fo r the second X I . in 1903 . D id noth ing much then, or in 1904 either. More useful as bowler (21 at under 14 each) than as bat in 1905 , Began to get ’em in 1906 , when he averaged just over 30 , with a top score o f 7 7 . Got his earliest chance in the first team that season, and d id not do so b a d ly either: 16 and 30 v. Cambridge University in his first match, 3 fo r 35 v. Sussex in his second, 16 not out and 38 v. Kent in his third. There was promise here, at least. In 1907 he averaged nearly 47 per innings fo r the second team, and took 39 wickets at under 18 each, includ ing 10 fo r 94 v. Berkshire at Reigate. Against Buckinghamshire at W olverton he was highest scorer in each innings — 70 not out and 74 . H e got five games with the first X I . this season, and made 46 v. Hants and 40 v. Kent in two o f them. In 1908 he had something like a real trial. In successive matches he scored 40 and 24 not out v. Cambridge University, 135 v. O x fo r d University, 41 v. Northants, 15 not out v. Middlesex, 53 v. Hants— 308 in 6 innings, twice not out. Then he fell away a bit, and his on ly score o f note in the other games was a 51 v. E ssex some time later. But he totalled 439 and averaged nearly 34 that season. H is 135 against t h e Dark Blues was made in 100 minutes, with no chance till 19 11 , and with one 6 , one 5 , and twenty 4 ’s. Seven matches in 1909 produced small results, save fo r one innings, which accounted fo r more than h a lf his-total. This was 97 v. Kent at Blackheath. Against Fielder, B lythe, Mason, and W o o lle y this was, and after 5 wickets had fallen for 96 . With Kent apparently well on top, Spring hit 97 out o f 1 1 8 in 8 0 minutes— one 6 , sixteen 4 ’s— no chance— a 6 and three 4 ’s in one over off Blythe. G o od enough, this, to have made amends fo r several failures, one might suppose. In 1910 he p layed in on ly three matches fo r the first X L , but he scored nearly 700 runs fo r the second, and took 58 wickets at under 16 each. Ten for 95 v. Herts, 7 for 31 v. Dorset, 6 fo r 41 v. Glamorgan, 9 for 118 v. W iltshire— these were some o f his analyses. The next season saw him p lay ing more frequently for the first team ; but his best scores were against the ’Varsity teams, and there always seems to be a tendency to discount these. For the second X I. he averaged just over 30 . Last season he d id little in his few matches for the first team, and his b ig score v. Suffolk represented nearly h a lf his total ( 376 ) in eleven innings fo r the second. It w ou ld be absurd to say dogm a tica lly that by his all-round play during the last few weeks Spring has made his place in the Surrey team secure. On ly eleven men can play fo r a side in one match, and certain men cannot be le ft out, and Spring is not as yet one o f these indispensables. But there does seem a prospect that he w ill be placed a trifle higher up the roll o f expectants— though, to a man o f thirty-two, that may seem but scant promotion. J. N. P. BLANCO For Cleaning and Whitening White Buckskin and Canvas Shoes, Cricket Pads, and all other articles of a similar nature. It is prepared In a v e ry carefu l m anner, and extra preca u tion s are tak en to en su re an even n ess o f co lo u r. It con ta in s n oth in g th a t w ill in any w ay in ju re the a rticle to w h ich it is a p p lied , and if used as d ire cte d , a Splendid W h ite o f a g lo ssy , sa tin -lik e appearance and s o ft s ilk y su rfa ce is en su red, w h ich w ill n ot readily rub o ff. “ BLANCO” CLOTH & LEATHER BALL For cleaning Suede, Ooze Calf, and Clo h Boots and Shoes, Cord Breeches, Suede Gloves, Cloth Spats, Leather and Cloth Leggings. 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