Cricket 1913

CR I CKET : A WE EK L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. August 30, 1913. It is cu rio u s th a t H a y w o o d a n d W illia m D en ton , tw o o f th e iiio st su c c e ss fu l b a tsm e n fo r N o rth am p to n ­ sh ire th is se a so n , sh o u ld e ach h a v e s ta rte d the c am ­ p a ig n w ith “ a p a ir o f th e m .” D e n to n did n ot sco re a run in his first th re e in n in g s, in d e e d ; and H a y w o o d ’s e a rly p e rfo rm a n c e s d id n ot s u g g e s t th e g r e a t th in g s th at w e re to fo llo w , fo r in h is first 12 in n in g s h e o n ly a g g r e ­ g a te d 163 ru n s. In h is la st 12— in clu d in g th e g am e s v . S c o tla n d and v. D u rh am — h e h as to ta lle d 752. G ilb e rt J e sso p w a s p aid a re a l com p lim en t on W e d ­ n esd a y in la st w e e k w h en th e sto p -p re ss colum n o f th e “ B rig h to n A r g u s ” an n ou n ced th a t he w o u ld ap p ear a t H o v e n ex t d a y . T h e seq u el w a s d is a p p o in tin g . A d u ck in the first in n in g s— a b se n t, ill, in th e seco n d . 1 am n o S h e rlo c k H o lm e s ; b u t is th ere— can th ere b e— a n y co n n ectio n b etw een th ese tw o item s ? “ T h e la d ie s o f B rig h to n a n d H o v e w ill d isp en se te a and ices e ach d a y d u rin g th e B rig h to n WTeek on th e H o ve g r o u n d .” “ M r. je s s o p w a s in je d w ith a ch ill on th e s to m a c h .” If so— a t h is a g e — w e ll, e n o u g h sa id ! T h e re w a s sotne reall} rem a rk a b le p la y on T h u rsd a y in la st w e e k . T h re e b a tsm e n— H . L . W ils o n , H a rd ­ in g e , and H o b b s— m a d e cen tu rie s b e fo re lu n ch . F o u r m a tc h e s— K e n t v. H a n ts, W o rc e s te r s h ire v . S u rre y , L a n c a sh ire v . E s se x , and Y o r k s h ir e v . A ll E n g la n d X I .— p ro d u ced 1,58 1 ru n s fo r 32 w ic k e ts , an a v e ra g e o f n e a rly 50 per w ic k e t. T h e b a c 'in g sid e s, o f co u rse, w ere K e n t, S u rr e y , L a n c a sh ire , and Y o rk s h ire . If w e add to th ese S u s s e x ’s 309 a n d M id d le s e x ’ s 156 fo r 1 w e h a v e 2,046 fo r 43 w ic k e t s ; w h ile th e o th e r sides w h ich b a tted (W a r w ic k s h ir e 18 7, and G lo u ce ste r 66) m a d e o n ly 253 fo r 19. Tht- d a y ’s p la y in the six m a tch e s rea lised 2,299 fo r 62 w ic k e ts— a v e r a g e 37. H a ro ld H a rd in g e , w h o is n o t y e t 27, and the y o u n g e s t o f th e re g u la r K e n t .earn , h a s a d istin ct p e n ch a n t fo r th e tw o c en tu rie s in .1 m a tch fe a t. T h u s : 1908— 153 and 126 v . E s s e x , a t L e y to n . 1 9 1 1 — 175 and 109 v . H a ..p sh 're , a t S o u th am p to n . ] 9 ' 3— J17 a n d 10 5* v. H am p sh ire , at D o v e r. O n ly C . B . F r y and G . L . je s s o p are a h ead o f him in th is re co rd , w h ile D a v id D e n to n , R . E . F o s te r, W . G . G ra c e , Tom H a y w a r d , P . A . P e rrin , and John T v ld e s le y a re on th e th ree m a rk also . B u t th ey are all o ld er men th an th e K e n ti-h c ric k e te r-fo o tb a lle r. Jam es D o u g la s s a y s h e h a s p la y e d h is la st first- c la ss m atch ; h e re fu s e s to stan d in th e w a y o f y o u n g e r m en. It is th e a ttitu d e o f a £,ood sp o rtsm a n , and yet on e re g r e ts it. A t 43 th e u p sta n d in g b a tsm a n w h om I rem em b er so w ell in h is earl}' d a y s a t C am b rid g e— I s a w him m a k e a b e a u tifu l 55 a g a in s t th e A u stra lia n s a t F e n n e r’s in ’93— is no h a s-b e e n , th o u g h he m ay n o t h a v e been ab le to g e t g o in g th is se a so n . M o st o f h i; C am b r id g e c o n tem p o ra rie s h a v e p a ssed , o n e b y one— J a c k so n , Jep h so n , h is ow n b ro th e r R . N ., W e lls , S tre a tfe ild (his d a y w a s sh o rt), R a n jitsin h ji (but p erh a p s the la st h a s n ot bsr-n seen o f h im ), G a y , B rom ley -D a v en p o rt, M itch ell, P e rk in s , th e D ru ce b ro th ers, th o u g h th ey tu rn tu t o c c a sio n lly fo r F ree F o re ste rs a g a in s t the ’V a rs itie s or a t E a stb o u rn e . A . J. L . H ill and G . J. V . W e ig a ll can still w ield a b a t e ffectiv e ly , bu t a re ra re ly seen n o w a d a y s. A . O . Jon es h a s not. finished, th o u g 1 absen* th e g r e a te r p art o f th is sea so n ; he is th e one m an left o f th em a ll w h o c a n be reck o n ed a re g u la r first-cla ss c ric k e te r, and he is o v e r th ree y e a rs D o u g la s ’s ju n io r. A ll D o u g la s ’s co u n ty c ric k e t h a s been p la ye d for M id d lesex, fo r w h ich co u n ty th re e o f his b ro th e rs, M a jo r A . P ., R .N ., and S h o lto , h a v e a lso a p p ea red . T h e elder tw o p layed a lso a few tim es fo r S u rr e y b y residen ce. A ll fou r w e re born a t S o u th a ll, 1 b e lie ve . Jam es D o u g la s p la ye d fo r M id d lese x w ith o u t g r e a t su cce ss in 1893 and ’94. H is first a p p ea ra n ce fo r the co u n ty w a s a g a in s t S u s s e x a t L o r d ’s on Ju ly 6, 7 , and 8, 1893, w h en h e m a d e 17 and o. In A u g u s t he sco red 54 in the secon d in n in gs v. S om e rse t a t T a u n ­ ton . T h is w a s h is first 50 fo r M id d lese x . H is first cen tu ry cam e in 1897, 110 v - S u s se x a t L o r d 's , fo llo w ed in the n ex t w e e k by 102 n ot ou t v . Y o rk s h ire a t S h e f­ field. In ’98 he m ade cen tu ries v. K e n t and v. S u ir e y ; In 190 1, v. E s s e x and L a n c a s h ire ; in 1902, one— 180— v. E s s e x ; in 1903, on e— 204— v . G lo u c e ste r sh ire ; in 1904, tw o v. S om e rse t and v . N o tt s ; in 1905, on e, v. S u r r e y ; in 1907, one— 180— v. S o m e rs e t; and in 1908, on e, v. Y o rk sh ire . T h irtee n in all. F o r 21 se a so n s he h a s tu rn ed o u t fo r his c o u n ty in A u g u s t, v e ry seld om a p p e a rin g b e fo re th a t m on th ; he h as p la ye d in all 163 m a tch es fo r M id d lese x , and in 277 in n in g s, 20 n ot o u !, h a s to ta lled 7,5 6 9 ru n s for th e sid e, an a v e ra g e o l o v e r 29 p er in n in gs. It is sin g u la r th a t a fte r h is ’ V a r s ity c a re e r he on ly p layed in th ree first-cla ss m a tch es o u tsid e th o se o f M id d lesex — in tw o g a m e s o f th e 1903 S c a rb o ro u g h F e s tiv a l and fo r M .C .C . v . S ou th A fric a n s in 1907. A p a r t from his co n siste n t and a ttr a c tiv e b a ttin g , he h as a lw a y s been a fine field. A n d w e h a v e "seen the la st o f him ! T h e se p a rtin g s h a v e a lw a y s th eir touch o f real sa d n e ss. M en com e and men g o ; bu t it is not su ch an on e th a t can b ; a llow e d to g o w ith o u t a v a le d icto ry . S . M . J. W o o d s and Jam es D o u g la s w ere n o t co n ­ tem p o ra rie s a t C a m b r id g e ; W o o d s ’s la st y e a r w a s ’9 1, D o u g la s ’s first ’92 B u t J a ck so n . A . J. L . H ill, and oth ers w e re co n tem p o raries o f both m e n ; and on e n otes w ith in te re st th a t th e older C a n ta b , w h o is 44, has n ot q u ite g iv e n up c ric k e t y e t. H e to o k 6 w ic k e ts for 75 in a m a tch a t T a u n to n la te ly . A m o rn in g p ap er d en om in ates it “ a p icn ic m a tc h ,” w h ich is c ru d e , if n ot e x a c tly ru de. D id W o o d s b o w l th o se fe a rfu l and w o n d erfu l lo b s— the w o rs t lobs e v e r seen— I w o n d e r?