Cricket 1913

August 1(5, 1918. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Edward Humphreys. Few men have done as much good work for Kent during the last dozen years or so as the worthy player who took his benefit at Canterbury last week. That benefit will scarcely be a bumper, measured by northern standards, anyway. The recompense of Humphreys must fall short of that which Hirst had, or Rhodes, or John Tyldesley. But in spite of some rain on Friday and a ruined Saturday it should, with subscriptions, total four figures. And he deserves every penny of it. There is no space at such a crowded time as this to deal in detail with his career. Born at Ditton, near Maidstone, on August 24, 1881, he first appeared for Kent when under 18, his principal asset then being his bowling. But the country lad developed into a batsman of rare soundness, not lacking in enterprise withal, and he made a name for himself by his deeds in 1904; when he totalled over 1500 runs and averaged 35 per innings. During the next three seasons he did not achieve a four figure aggregate, though he was very near it in 1906 ; but in 1908 he totalled 1008 (average nearly 29), in the next year 1437 (average nearly 37), 1618 (average again nearly 37) in 1910, 1777 (average over 40) in 1911, and 1221 (average 27.75) without a century to help him in 1912. This year he reached his thousand runs before the end of July, and up-to-date (August 10) has made 1235. As a bowler, he has been kept back by Blythe, and later by Blythe and W oolley in conjunction. Had, say, Surrey or Essex been able to claim him, he might before now have taken his hundred wickets in a season. He may not be a great left-handed trundler, but he is certainly a good one. His biggest bag of wickets at home was 36 (at 22 each) in 1905 ; but in the short West Indian tour early this year, when he showed fine all-round form for Mr. A. F, Somerset’s M.C.C. side he took as many as 40 at under 17 each. Up-to-date (including the matches of that tour and three games for Canterbury province in New Zealand, 1908-9) his figures in first-class cricket are -batting 553 innings, 41 not outs, 14,298 runs, average 27.92 ; bowling, 18,479 balls (I cannot add together overs of 5 and 6 balls to get a result that satisfies my mind), 84 J 8 runs, 353 wickets, average 23.87. He has scored 18 centuries in first-class cricket— 16 for Kent, 2 in the West Indies. His highest as yet is 208 v. Gloucestershire at Catford in 1909 ; he also made 200* v. Lancashire at Tunbridge Wells in 1910, 191 v. Sussex at Hove in 1911, and 162 v. Gloucester­ shire at Cheltenham in 1910, the other four ranging from 149 to the level 100. The 16 for his county have been v. Essex, Gloucestershire (2), Hants, Lancashire (2), Leicestershire (2), Middlesex, Notts, Northants, Somer­ set, Surrey, Sussex (2), and Worcestershire. Only five of the sixteen were made on Kentish grounds, it is worth noting. J. N. P. Airmen at Cricket. With a forty-two-mile-an-hour wind sweeping across Salisbury Plain the other day the aviators engaged in the military tests turned their attention to cricket, and M. Vedrines, the Frenchman, and Mme. Vedrines carried off the honours of the day. M. Vedrines’s first ball sent Mr. Cody’s wicket flying, the batsman having misjudged the flight of the ball, which knocked down his middle stump and went with a ping against the aeroplane hangar, which formed the screen. “ He has made the duck,” cried M. Vedrines. “ Rot !” shouted Mr. Cody. “ Trial ball.” M. Vedrines then sent down a googly which dropped from a great height, and having broken both ways and knocked some debris in the pitch, entirely deceived Mr. Cody. He played a Jessopian shot, and catching the ball on the edge of the bat, sent an easy catch to Mr. Perrin, Secretary of the Royal Aero Club, who was fielding mid-on. Mme. Vedrines came in next, and M. Vedrines, with true chivalry, sent down an underhand delivery. Mme. Vedrines smiled contemptuously, and, stepping out, sent the ball through one of the windows of the Bristol sheds. The pitch was then moved, but M- Vedrines could not dislodge the fair batswoman until she had completed a fine innings. Mr. Cody made up for his poor batting by brilliant work in the field. “ You see,” he said, “ the plane— I mean the bat— was too thin, and then the air currents were difficult to judge.” “ I just tilted my bat at the wrong time.” “ La, la !” cried M. Vedrines, as a ball hit by Mr. Perrin whizzed over Mr. Cody’s head, cutting short the conversation. Mr. Cody dashed in pursuit, and a crowd of mechanics flew in all directions to get out of the way'- His return was magnificent, for it cannoned off the hanger and sent the stumps flying.