Cricket 1913

CR I CK E T : A WE EK L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. August 30, 1013. sc o re s in th e n in e tie s, 16 in th e e ig h tie s , 27 in the se v e n tie s , 44 in th e fifties, 58 in th e fo rtie s , 61 in th e th irtie s , 86 in th e tw e n tie s, and 152 o f from 10 to 19. H e h a s been o u t fo r sin g le fig u re s 190, and n ot ou t fo r sin g le fig u res 16 tim es. B e sid e s h is 64 d u ck s he h a s tw o in sta n ce s o f “ o n o t o u t ” in his re co rd s, w h ich is n ot q u ite the sam e th in g . A “ o n ot ou t ” to th e n am e o f W a s s o r W a lt e r B re a rle y is h a rd ly a sym b o l o f in fin ity ; b u t a g a in s t th e n am e o f the b .V iS - m an w h o sc o re s c e n tu rie s it m a y a s w e ll m ean an vrh in g a s n o th in g . “ T h e n ,” sa id V in e , r e fe r rin g to his n e a rin g 20,000, “ I sh a ll be a fte r M r. F r y ’s reco rd . T h e y tell m e his to ta l fo r S u s s e x w a s 20,650. I th in k I o u g h t to m a n a g e th a t .” “ U n less y o u p e g ou t p rem a tu re ly , and yo u d o n ’ t lo o k lik e it. B y th e w a y , y o u r jo in t reco rd w ith M r. F r y — th irty -th re e first w ic k e t sta n d s o f 100 or o v e r— h a s g o n e b y th e b o a r d .” “ Y e s . I t ’s ra th e r a p ity , is n ’t it? F o r if he h ad g o n e on p la y in g fo r S u s se x w e sh o u ld h a v e k ep t ah ead o f H a y w a r d an d H o b b s, I b e lie v e . H e w a s a g o o d p a rtn e r, and w e u n d ersto o d each o th e r w e ll.” “ C a n y o u te ll m e so m e th in g a b o u t yo u r e a rly c ric k e t? ” “ N o t v e ry m u ch , I ’m a fra id . I n ev e r k e p t a n y re­ co rd s. I p ick ed up th e g a m e at W illin g d o n , as 1 d a re sa y y o u k n o w . I m a d e a g o o d m a n y ru n s, and th e y said I field ed p re tty w e l l; and a fte r a bit I w a s ta k e n on h e r e .” H e n od d ed to w a rd s th e clo se-cro p p e d sw a rd o f the S a ffro n s. V in e is n o t a se n tim en ta l p e rso n , I sh ou ld s a y ; b u t I th in k h e still ch e rish e s a fe e lin g fo r E a s t­ b o u rn e a s h is “ h om e g r o u n d .” “ A n d a fte r th a t? ” “ O h , I p la y e d in som e tr ia l m a tch e s— th e u su al so rt o f th in g , y o u k n o w — a n d th en I g o t m y first ch a n ce fo r th e c o u n ty . It w a s in A u g u s t, 1896. Y e s , I re­ m em b er th a t p re tty w ell. I t ’s a lo n g tim e a g o , of c o u r s e ; b u t a fe llo w d o es n o t fo r g e t h is first b ig m atch . I w e n t in seco n d w ic k e t d o w n , and m a d e 36. O n ly R a n jitsin h ji, w ith 40, m a d e m ore. H e p la y e d a w o n ­ d e rfu l in n in g s o f 165 se co n d tim e in ; n on e o f th e re st o f us did m uch . W e h a d lo o k e d lik e b e in g b eaten e a s ily ; b u t w e d re w a fte r a ll.” “ W h o w e re th e o th e r p la y e rs in th a t m a tc h .” “ M r. F r y , M r. M u rd o ch , M r. N e w h am , K illic k , M a rlo w , B u tt, T a te , and tw o m en w h o did n ot g e t a re g u la r p la ce in th e te am ; B u tc h e r and E th e rid g e for u s. L a n c a sh ire h ad M r. M a c L a re n , M r. B a rd sw e ll, Jo h n n y B r ig g s , John T y ld e s le y , F r a n k S u g g , P a u l, M o ld , B a k e r, H a llam (a fte rw a rd s o f N o tts .), A lb e rt W a r d , and a w ic k e t-k e e p e r n am ed T h o m a s . B a k e r b o w le d m e in on e in n in g s, and M o ld in th e o th e r .” O n ly fo u r o f th e tw e n ty -tw o e n g a g e d in th is m a tch , se v en te e n y e a r s a g o , h a v e p la y e d in first-class c ric k e t a t all th is se a so n , it m a y b e n o ted ; a n d o n ly tw o , John T y ld e s le y , a c o lt in ’96, a n d V in e h im se lf, h a v e p la yed re g u la r ly . K illic k h a s a p p ea re d in fo u r m a tch es, M a c L a re n in o n ly one g am e . “ Y o u did n o t g e t a r e g u la r p la ce in the te am at o n c e ? ” “ N o . In fa c t, I did n o t p la y a g a in th a t y e a r, and I o n ly p la y e d in fo u r m a tc h e s th e n e x t, w h en I m ade som e runs in both in n in g s a g a in s t Y o r k s h ir e a t S h ef- leld . I h a t w a s the m atch w h en B row n and T u n n icliffe put up 378 fo r the first w ic k e t. Y e s , I b ow led . E v e ry ­ body b ow led e x ce p t M r. M u rd o ch and B u tt. I got i'u n n icliffe’s w ic k e t— m y first in a co u n ty m a tc h .” “ In 18 98? ” I d id n ’ t do m uch then . G o t d o u b le fig u re s in half- a-dozen in n in gs or so , b u t n o th in g b ig . I d id n ot g e t a w ic k e t e ith e r ; b u t, th en , I w a s h a rd ly reck o n ed a b ow ler, and w a s o n ly p u t on fifth o r six th ch a n g e, la t e , B lan d , and P a rris did m o st o f o u r b o w lin g th ose d a y s .” “ Y o u cam e to th e fro n t in 18 99? ” “ Y e s , I su p p ose y o u m a y sa y th at. I m a d e m y first 50— a g a in s t O x fo rd it w a s— and g o t som e w ic k e ts p re tty ch e a p ly in th e sam e m a tch . A little b it la te r I had m y first cen tu ry , a g a in s t H a n ts a t H o v e , and som e w ic k e ts in th a t g a m e to o , and 75 a g a in s t N o tts a t 1 ren t B rid g e in th e n e x t m a tch , and th en a ro tten Lime— c o u ld n ’ t g e t a run o r a w ic k e t sc a rc e ly . B u t I g o t m y form b a c k b e fo re th e end o f th e se a so n , and sco red ru n s in both in n in g s a g a in s t E s s e x a t H o v e , and th en a fifty a g a in s t L a n c a sh ire , and a se v en ty a g a in s t Y o r k s h ir e .” “ A n d sin ce then yo u h a v e been a re g u la r m em ber o f th e te a m ? ” “ F a ir ly re g u la r, I m a y s a y .” V in e sm iled . “ I h a v e n ’t m issed a m a tch sin ce June 19, 1899, and m y ben efit a t H a s tin g s w ill be m y th ree-h u n d red -an d - n in ety-first in su cce ssio n fo r S u s s e x , w h ich w ill ju st beat K illic k ’s reco rd , I b e lie v e .” I t is a w o n d erfu l reco rd . P h y s ic a l fitn ess h a s p la yed a la r g e p a rt in it, o f c o u rs e ; im m u n ity from seriou s a ccid en t h a s also h elp ed , th o u g h on ce V in e w a s “ a b ­ sen t, h u rt ” in e ach in n in g s o f h is sid e in a m atch .vith S u rre y . H e d islo ca te d a fin g er on a T h u rsd a y tr y in g to catch a h ard h it b y H o b b s, and cou ld n ot bat on th e F rid a y . B u t h e w a s p la y in g a g a in th e fo llo w in g M o n d a y , and g o in g in first a s u su al. “ W h e n w ere y o u p rom o ted to first m an in ? ” I asked . “ T h a t w o u ld b e a b o u t tw e lv e y e a rs a g o . W e w e re p la y in g N o tts a t H o v e , and M r. Jo n es m a d e 249, and th ey d eclared a t o v e r 600 for 7. I w e n t in th ird w ic k e t dow n , and sco red 55 n o t ou t. T a te p la yed th e in n in g s o f h is life I sh ou ld sa y . H e g o t h is ru n s fa s t, and q u ite w e ll to o, and w e a d d ed 138 in a b o u t a co u p le of h o u r s ; h is sh a re w a s 84, and th ere w e re som e e x tra s. W e h a d to fo llo w o n , th o u g h w e h a d m ad e o v e r 350, and M r. F r y to ld m e to com e in first w ith him . I k n ew w h a t I h ad to do. T h e ru n s d id n ’ t c o u n t; ou r g a m e w a s to s ta y th ere. T h e y s a y I w a s in an h our and a h a lf a t on e tim e w ith o u t sc o rin g . It d id n ’t m a tter m u ch , did it? I d o n ’t th in k I w a s e v e r so slo w b e fo re or s in c e ; b u t I m ad e 57 b e fo re I g o t ou t, and w e sa v e d th e g a m e . S o in th e n e x t m a tch it w a s “ C . B . F r y and V in e ” a g a in fo r th e o p e n in g p air. T h a t w a s a t T o n b r id g e v . K e n t. W e p u t u p 135 b e fo re m y p a rtn e r w a s o u t fo r 88. T h e n K illic k cam e in. 1 h ad m a d e 39 th e n ; w e w e re le v e l a t 49 e a c h .” “ A fte r th a t? ” “ M r. F r y and I w e n t a b it fu rth e r in th e n ex t m a tch— a g a in s t C am b rid g e it w a s . W h e n I g o t ou t