Cricket 1913

August 30, 1913 CR I CKET : A WEEK L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. R o th e ry , w h om Y o rk s h ire let g o , p la yed fo r D u rh am the o th e r d a y , th o u g h n ot y e t qu alified, 1 fa n cy . H a r­ d isty h a s a lso g o n e fa rth e r n orth . R u d sto n p la y s as an am a teu r in Y o r k s h ir e C o u n cil m atch es. M y ers is in A u s tra lia . W ilk in s o n and G rim sh aw are in the M id la n d s and N e w s te a d is in L a n ca sh ire . G ood men all, b u t re ck o n ed n o t qu ite g o o d en o u g h a fte r fu ll trial. Y o r k s h ir e let th em g o . P ro b a b ly Y o rk s h ire w a s rig h t. F o r B o o th and D ra k e and K iln e r w ere am o n g th o se w h o rep la ced th em , and th ese th ree a re n um ­ b ered w ith the b e st p la y e rs o f th e sea so n . A ro u n d them and D o lp h in , a s a n u cleu s, a n ew Y o rk sh ire team w ill p ro b a b ly be bu ilt up ; and in it B irtle s and H o lm e s and O ld ro y d m a y find p la ce s— -and m ay not. F o r R h o d e s, H irs t, D e n to n , and W ils o n a re to be re ck o n ed w ith y e t, th o u g h S ch o field H a ig h g o e s to W in c h e s te r n e x t y e a r. A n d b y th e tim e th ese fou r are d ro p p in g ou t som e o f the c o lts o f to -d ay m a y be p a st th eir best. D u rh am v . N o rth am p to n sh ire is the o n ly m atch of its k in d th is se a so n— a m atch b etw een a first-class and a se co n d -cla ss c o u n ty , th a t is. T h e se h a v e been few and fa r b e tw ee n sin ce th e b ig b a tch o f p rom o tio n s in the n in e tie s. B e fo re th a t, o f c o u rse , th ey w e re re g u la r fe a tu re s o f each s e a s o n ’s p ro g ram m e. T h is c la s s o f g a m e first b ecam e p re v a le n t in the e arly e ig h tie s , and from 1886 to 1893 I find th a t of the co u n ties then ra n k e d a s se co n d -cla ss or m in or— the tw o te rm s did n ot m ean the sam e th in g— C h esh ire p la ye d m a tch e s, a t v a rio u s tim es, w ith L a n ca sh ire and Y o r k s h ir e ; D e rb y sh ire w ith L a n ca sh ire , M id d le­ se x , N o tts , S u rre y , a n d Y o r k s h ir e ; D u rh am w ith L a n ­ ca sh ire , S u s s e x , and Y o r k s h ir e ; E s s e x w ith K e n t, L a n ca sh ire , S u rre y and Y o r k s h ir e ; H a n ts w ith S u rre y and S u s s e x ; L e ic e s te rs h ire w ith L a n ca sh ire , S u rre y , and Y o r k s h ir e ; N o rth a n ts w ith L a n c a s h ire ; S om e rse t w ith M id d le s e x ; S ta ffo rd sh ire w ith Y o r k s h ir e ; and W a r w ic k s h ir e w ith G lo u ce stersh ire , K e n t, L a n ca sh ire , N o tts, S u rr e y , and Y o rk s h ire . S om e o f th ese w e re re g u la r g a m e s ; o th e rs w ere n ot. B u t n o w a d a y s th ere is no su ch th in g as a re g u la r se ries o f g a m e s b e tw ee n a first-cla ss co u n ty and one o f th e m in o r sh ires. In recen t y e a r s S ta ffo rd sh ire h a ve m et W o rc e s te r s h ire and Y o rk s h ire , and G lam o rg a n S u s s e x , S om e rse t, a n d W o rc e ste r sh ire , and th a t’s a b o u t all. T h e sch em e p ro p ou n d ed som e tim e b a c k b y M essrs. F . H . B a c o n and C . B . F r y fo r a k n o ck -o u t ch am p io n ­ sh ip w a s n ev e r ta k e n up. W o u ld it be p o ssib le w ith the m u ltip licity o f fix tu re s n o w a d a y s fo r som e th in g lik e th e fo llo w in g to b e carrie d th ro u g h ? T h e w h o le o f th e first-cla ss and seco n d -cla ss cou n ­ ties— 36 in all— to b e g ro u p e d in to th ree d iv isio n s— sa y N o rth , S o u th -E a st, S o u th -W e st. F o u r co u n ties in e ach d ivisio n to be e x cu se d the first ro u n d , b u t to ta k e p a rt in th e secon d. I he p rem ier o f each d iv isio n h a v in g been a scerta in e d on the k n o c k -o u t sy stem , each o f th e th ree d iv isio n a l p rem iers to p la y th e o th e r tw o— w h ich w o u ld o n ly req u ire tw o m a tch es. I f a tie re su lted from th is— each sid e w in n in g one m a tch and lo sin g one— th e round to be rep la y ed . It m ig h t be sim p ler to h a v e fo u r d iv isio n s, b u t I fa n c y th a t th e co u n ties co u ld b e st be d ivid ed up in to th ree t h u s :— N o rth .— Y o rk s h ire , L a n c a sh ire , N o ttin g h am sh ire , N o rth am p to n sh ire, L e ic e s te rs h ire , D e rb y sh ire , N o rth ­ um berlan d, D u rh am , C h e s h ire , L in c o ln sh ire , S ta ffo rd ­ sh ire, N o rfo lk . S o u th -E a s t.— K e n t, M id d lese x , S u rre y , S u s s e x , E s s e x , K e n t I I ., S u rre y I I ., B ed fo rd sh ire , B u c k in g ­ h am sh ire, C am b rid g e sh ire , H e rtfo rd sh ire , S u ffo lk . S o u th -W e s t.— G lo u ce stersh ire , H am p sh ire , W a r ­ w ic k sh ire , W o rc e s te r s h ire , S om e rse t, B erk sh ire , C o rn ­ w a ll, D e v o n sh ire , D o rse tsh ire , G lam o rg a n , M o nm o u th , W iltsh ire . S om e w o u ld c a v il a t th e in clu sio n o f th e secon d eleven s. B u t I th in k it w o u ld be q u ite in te re stin g to see S u rre y II. m e e tin g S u rre y or K e n t, o r K e n t II. p la y in g S u rre y in su ch a com p e titio n . N o co u n ty w o u ld h a v e m ore th an five e x tra m a tch es to p la y , and five on ly in the u n lik ely even t o f a tie in the final roun d. T h e first fo u r c o u n ties, in each of the th ree lists a b o v e , m ig h t be th o se e xcu sed th e first round. The first roun d cou ld b e p la ye d in S ep tem b er — w ith a w e e k fo r each m atch if n ec e ssa ry ! T h e g r e a t a d v a n ta g e o f the sch em e w ould b e the b rin g in g o f the tw o c la s se s in to c lo ser com m u n ion , w h ich w o u ld be g o o d fo r both . A fe w o f th e w e a k e r c o u n ties in th e se co n d -cla ss— I w ill n ot be so in vid io u s a s to m ention n am e s -—m ig h t, and n o doubt w o u ld , be k n o ck ed ou t w ith o u t m e e tin g a first-cla ss sid e. B u t th e stro n g e r on es w o u ld h a v e a ch a n ce to sh ow th eir m ettle. D e rb y sh ire v . D u rh am , L e ic e ste rsh ire v . S ta f­ fo rd sh ire, E s s e x v . H e rtfo rd sh ire , B e rk sh ire v. S om e r­ se t, G lam o rg a n v . W o rc e s te r s h ire all strik e m e as lik e ly to a fford q u ite in te re stin g g a m e s . A n d m ost o f th em w o u ld be re v iv a ls o f old fix tu re s, to o. A t the tim e o f w r itin g m y k n o w le d g e o f th e L a n ­ c a sh ire tro u b le is con fin ed to a co n d en sed a cco u n t of M r. A . H . H o rn b y ’ s a tta c k on th e clu b g iv e n in a S u n ­ d a y p ap er. T h e re w ill, n o d o u b t, b e m uch to b e said la t e r ; b u t h ere and n ow I can o n ly re fe r to it in the b rie fe st m an n er. I su p p ose th a t to m o st co u n ty c ric k e t su p p o rte rs th e c u ttin g d ow n o f the n um ber o f m atch es w ill seem a re tro g ra d e ste p ; bu t p e rso n a lly I am not so su re th a t it is su ch . W h ic h m a y seem a q u eer th in g to s a y im m ed iately a fte r s u g g e s tin g m ore m a tch es. B u t I th in k th ere are to o m an y m a tch e s in the C o u n ty C h am p io n sh ip , and th a t som e sch em e w h ich w o u ld d e cre a se th ese , and su b s titu te fo r som e o f th em (not fillin g up all th e g a p s) m a tch es w ith no b e a rin g on th at co n te st w o u ld be fo r th e ben efit o f the g am e .