Cricket 1913

C R ICKE T : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. August lfi, 1913 Special Club Notes. C o n t r ib u t e d b y T h e C h i e l . During the last week or so I have been O n several grounds in the Metropolitan district. Beddington are fortunately situated, as with an excellent ground and the best of accommodation they have some really good cricketers, among whom are F. Hudson, a good all- rounder, J. Buck, a really fine bowler, keeping very low, F. O. P. Harrison, and W . Maggs. The wickets at Beddington, though they look all right, are somewhat difficult to score upon, the soil being spongy. The Cricket W eek at Beddington was a great success. Heathfield’s Cricket W eek was also a success. I was present at the Surrey C. and G. match, and a rare good game it was. Heathfield ran up a useful score against some moderate bowling and fielding, and the Surrey team had an anxious time until the West Indian Browne by good batting hit off the runs required. The Heathfield ground had quite a picnic appearance, and several of the members camped on the ground during the week. I have only one complaint to make— a tea interval at 5-20, with stumps drawn at 6-30 ! Bank Holiday found me on the Clifton ground at Preston Park, Brighton. This ground is very well suited for one match ; certainly not two, as on the day when I attended. The Clifton men always find it difficult to raise a good team at holiday time, and it was rather a scratch lot that turned out. The ground is a large one ; but there seems no earthly reason why batsmen should waste so much time in going to and from the pitch. Battersea and Clifton were equally guilty. Besides the time lost through this a flying machine over the ground resulted in several stoppages of play during the day. On Tuesday last I was at the Oval watching Surrey v. Notts, and a very tiring day it was. The Notts batting was very feeble, and I am not sure that many of them were not frightened out by the deliveries of Hitch. I failed to see that he bow led well, though he took 7 wickets. Rushby did bowl well, and much faster than usual ; but why so much leg play by the Notts men ? Alletson received three stinging balls on the leg, but I could not see that the bowler was to blame. What I appreciated most was the combination of Hobbs and Strudwick in the field. The brothers Gunn livened up things later on, otherwise the cricket was very slow. I noticed several on the stand having forty winks, and was inclined to imitate them more than once. I entirely agree with the remarks of Mr. E. H. D. Sewell as to the amount o f rubbish that is written upon the performances of club cricketers. The club cricketer is not to blame ; he is usually modesty itself, and does not dream himself fit for county cricket. The fact is there are far too many people writing up club cricket these days, and some of them are doing club cricket no good. County authorities are quite capable of looking to their own affairs, and their opportunities for marking down really good club performers are plentiful. By all means give prominence to club performances, but don’t claim that every man who makes a heap of runs or takes a sheaf of wickets for his club is “ County fo rm ” ! Liverpool Jottings. A u g u s t 2. B y G. A. B roo k in g . From the energetic captain of Waterloo Park, Mr. F. G. Polley, I have received a full account of the doings of the club during the current season, and it only confirms a view I expressed in these columns recently— that the Park are a more powerful side now than at any time in their career. Their record so far is 10 won, 3 lost, 3 drawn. They are well equipped with bowlers and have lately secured an acquisition in J. Wilson, of Ormskirk, a slow leg break trundler. Polley himself, Holland, and Cooper are all very good ; the last named has had Scottish cricket experience and was professionally identified with the Ayr club, for whom he secured all 10 wickets against Colonel Menzies’ X I. for 34 runs three seasons ago. Cooper is also a capable batsman, and is well supported by Parr, C. Dixon (who averages 40 so far), T. R. Blackmore, J. Matthews, and one or two others. The club beat Liverpool Police on August 2nd, scores 129 to 62. Parr hit lustily for 45 (nine 4’s), Blackmore notched 26, whilst W ilson and Holland divided the wickets, the former securing 6 and the latter the remainder. Sefton— chiefly owing to Raven and Clare— beat Huyton in a low-scoring game by 91 to 59. Raven batted pluckily for 39, which is a big slice out of 91, and the latter clinched the matter with his slow off-breaks, taking 6 for 17. Anthony, the Notts professional, took 4 for 28 for Huyton. Birkenhead Park scored at a wonderful pace against Western, the century being hit up by Hurt and Williamson, the initial pair of batsmen, in the short space of 29 minutes. The Park compiled 350 runs for 4 wickets— Hurt 80, Williamson 82, Harding 95, and Rev. J. M. Swift 56*— and then put Western out for 103. F. H. Mainprice assisted the visitors (Western), but only made 8 before being taken at the wicket. This fast scoring is thought by some to be a record for Liverpool cricket, and it may be, though I remember A. C. MacLaren and the late H. B. Steel scoring at a very rapid rate for Liverpool versus Birkenhead Park about 18 years ago. It was chronicled in “ C r i c k e t .” and I will look it up. C r i c k e t B o o k s f o r S a l e , — Lillywhite’s Annual (the red book), 1872 to 1900 j Wisden’s 1880 to 1909; M.C.C. S cores and Biographies, Volumes 5— 14 ; other miscellaneous cricket books. What offers? J. Allerton, 84, Buccleugh R d , Normacot, Longton, Staffs. PAPER COVERS—Price is. net. Post free, is. 2d. CURIOSITIES OF FIRST CLASS CRICKET— 1730-igoi. A few copies only left ofthis interesting work. Interleaved for Notes, and bound in cloth. 5s. net., postage 3d. Collectors of Cricket Literature should secure one of these.—E. S e a l e , 10, Imperial Arcade, Ludgate, E.C. Printed and published for the Proprietors by C r ic k e t & S p o r ts P u b lis h e r s L t d ., 25 , W hite Street, Moor Lane, London, E .C., August 16, 1913* Agents for A ustralia, &c., G o r d o n & G o t c h , London, M elbourne, Sydney, A delaide, Brisbane, Perth, Launceston, H obart and W ellington, N .Z. For South A frica, C e n t r a l N e w s A g e n c y , L t d ., Cape Town, Johannesburg and branches. The trade supplied by E. S e a le , jo , Im perial A rcade, Ludgate C ircus, E.C.