Cricket 1913

568 CR I CK E T : A WE EK L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. August 80, l'J13. Cricket Notes. (B y E . H . D . S e w e ll.) C ric k e t, la st w e e k end , w a s rem a rk a b le fo r the d e­ fe a t o f H a n ts b y K e n t, and o f M .C .C . b y B u ck s. M o re p eop le w itn e sse d th e first th an th e la s t m atch, th o u g h th o se w h o s a w D . R . O s b o rn e ’s fine b ow lin g a t L o r d ’s c le a rly u n d ersto o d th e g a m e , and m a d i up in q u a lity w h at th ey la ck e d in q u a n tity . T h a n k s in no sm alt m ea su re to H a rd in g e , 117 and 105 n ot o u t, and th e b o w lin g o f D . W . C a r r, 4 fo r 43, and W o o lle y , 4 fo r 20, in H a n ts se co n d in n in gs K e n t m ad e su re o f th eir 18th w in th is se a so n . I note th a t one sa p ie n t c ritic in a S u n d a y p a p e r find s en o u g h in th e s e a s o n ’ s fo rm to ju s tify him in m a k in g the sta tem e n t th at b o th N o rth a n ts and M id d le se x “ m ay e a s ily o b ta in th e v ic to ry ” o v e r K e n t th is w e e k . ll w o u ld be in te re stin g to k n o w upon w h a t p a rticu la r fo rm su ch a w ild g o o s e p red ictio n is b a se d . I su p p cse th e c ritic m a y b e lo n g to th e ty p e w h ich on M o n d a y m o rn in g n ex t w ill stu ff tw o c a rtrid g e s in to som e sort o f a g u n , and, w h en th e first c o v e y com es al: n g w il. ju s t w h a n g in to a s n ea r the m id d le o f it a s he can w a g g le , and tru st to a stra y p e llet fin d in g a b illet. F or th a t is p re cise ly th e ch a n ce e ith e r N o rth a n ts or M id ­ d le sex h a v e o f “ e a s ily ” S e a tin g K e n t in a n y w e a th e r. A n d th is is p enn ed b e fo re a b ail h a s been b ow led in e ith e r g am e . I fo r g o t to m en tio n th a t ra in and su n w e re a g a in sl th e re p re se n ta tiv e s o f M .C .C . a t L o r d ’s la st S a tu rd a y . A lso th a t th e 32 B u c k s w ic k e ts th a t fell d u rin g last w e e k p ro d u ced o v e r 1,500 ru n s. B u t th e b e st effo rt in m in o r c ric k e t d u rin g th t sam e sp ell w a s th a t o f B e d s w h o g o t th e 209 runs n e c e ssa ry to w in in th e 100 m in u tes a llow e d them . T h is is the first o p p o rtu n ity I h a v e h a d , in a m atch th a t m a ttered , o f u tilisin g th e d e cla ra tio n rule, and e v e ry o n e g o t a run fo r th eir m o n ey. T o th o se w h o a re in terested I m a y s a y th a t I pinned m y faith tc s lo w to ssed -u p stu ff in p re feren ce to fa s tish and fast m ed ium . It w o u ld h a v e been p o ssib le to d raw the g a m e b y u sin g th e fa s te r b o w lin g , b u t I tried to w o rk fo r the m ish it. T h is , th a n k s to som e re a lly g o o d h ittin g , did n ot m a te ria lise , and six e s and fo u rs w ere fre q u e n t w h ere, w ith fello w s g o in g all o u t fo r the ru n s in sp len d id sty le , an o c c a s io n a l m ish it should h a v e been th e on e th in g to co u n t upon a s c e rta in . In o th e r w o rd s, w h ile th e b a ttin g sid e w e n t fo r the w in so did th e field in g. S u re ly tw o sid es c a n n o t do more. E s p e c ia lly w h ere it w a s th e sim p le st th in g for eith er to h a v e d o n e th e o th e r th in g . O f c o u rse , on o c c a sio n s o f th is k in d y o u h a v e tc p u t up w ith a n y th in g . W ith in an h o u r o r tw o o f the d e fe a t th e H o p ele ss Id io t ch ip p ed in w ith a so rt oi s n e e r : “ I su p p o se y o u a re jo lly s o rry n ow yo u d e ­ c la re d w h en y o u d id .” T h e s e a re th e p eop le w h o tire on e qu ite u n n e ce ssa rily . T h e ir c re ed is : “ I w ill de c la r e o n ly w h en I ca n n o t p o s sib ly lo s e .” W h e re a s th e d eclaratio n ru le w a s b r o u g h t in fo r u se in a gam e p la y e d b y sp o rtsm e n p u rp o sely so th a t in tim e-lim it c ric k e t, su ch a s all c ric k e t in E n g la n d is, a finished g am e m ay be m ad e p o ssib le w h ere, bu t fo r su ch a rule, the o n ly w a y to en su re a finish is th e ra th e r silly one o f k n o c k in g d ow n o n e ’s w ic k e t. In th is p a rtic u la r B ed s m a tch , B ed s b o w led so th u n d e rin g w e ll on the first d a y th a t w e had sco re d o n ly 300 ru n s b y 4 .4 5 . In M in or C o u n ty c ric k e t th ere is a ru le w h ich com p els the b a ttin g c a p ta in to d eclare, if he d e cla res a t all on the first d a y , in tim e to g iv e the o th e r side i-J h ou rs b a ttin g . T h u s , I sh ou ld h a v e h ad to d e cla re a t 4.50 w ith a b o u t 3 10 to p la y w ith . In ste a d , th e w o rd w a s p assed to “ g e t runs or to g e t o u t ,” and o u r ta il did bo th so w e ll th a t w e w e re o u t fo r 390 and h a d an hour at th e foe. W h ic h h o u r th ey u tilised b e tte r than w e did. I co n sid er th is c a se so w ell w o rth q u o tin g as a .specimen o f w h a t m a y, and I m ig h t a lm o st a d d , sh ou ld occu r in tw o -d a y m a tch es, b e c a u se w h en y o u r w a y s are g o v e rn e d b y sp e cia l ru les y o u h a v e to w o r k y o u r g am e a cc o rd in g ly . T h e resu lt o f b o th sides o u t-an d - out effo rts to w in on a w ic k e t up on w h ich , b a r bad b a ttin g , a w in w a s im p o ssib le in tw o d a y s, w a s th a t th ere w a s m u ch in te re st in th e p la y from th e tea in te rv al on th e first d a y to the w in n in g sn ic k on the second. S o o fte n th e re v e rse is th e c a se . It is a g r e a t p ity th a t th ere a re som e th in g a p p ro a ch ­ in g ru ctio n s g o in g on in the L a n c a sh ire C o u n ty C . C . , but re a d in g b etw een th e lin es o f “ y o u n g M o n k e y ’s ” sta tem en ts in th e p re ss, I h a v e little d o u b t on w h o se side m o st sym p a th y w ill be. It is p erh a p s w r o n g to m ak e a n y com m en t at all w ith o u t h e a rin g th e oth er side, so I w ill le av e it alon e w ith th e o b se rv a tio n th at a n o th er g o o d ship’ a p p ea rs to b e sp o ilt, or in th e sp o il­ in g , fo r th e s a k e o f a c o a t o f ta r, and an ex p ressio n of the w ish th a t all w ill com e o u t w e ll a t th e finish w ith A . H . still h o ld in g th e rein s. T h e retirem en t o f J. D o u g la s , o f M id d le se x , w ill rem o ve from th e g a m e on e o f its m o st fa c ile e x ­ p on en ts. O n e o f th e m an y w h om b u sin ess h a s kep t ou t o f te st c ric k e t fo r w h ich h e h a d e v e ry q u alificatio n from first-ra te a b ility on a b a d w ic k e t d o w n , o r up, to first-ra te p ow ers a s a field sm an . A t sch o o l he w a s no m ean slo w b o w le r. H e m u st b e on e o f th e best b atsm en w h o h a s sco red so little a s 41 fo r h is h ig h e st in a V a r s ity m a tch . H e p la yed fo r C am b rid g e in 1892, ’93, and ’94. M y first in tro d u ctio n to him w a s w h en be sco red b etw een 80 and go fo r D u lw ich v . B e d fo rd , and w e h ad him l.b .w . secon d o v e r, o n ly e v e ry b o d y w a s to o frig h te n e d to en q u ire. W e g o t a little o f ou r ow n b a c k w h en I h it him in th e e y e th ro w in g in from sq u a re le g , th e b all g la n c in g o ff th e stum p s. T h a t flin g c o st him a hu n dred rig h t e n o u g h . F rom ou r poin t o f v ie w it w a s an h o u r late. J. E . G o o d en , an old S o u th A u stra lia n re p re se n ta tiv e , w h o p la yed m uch c ric k e t w ith G e o rg e G iffen and A . H . J a rv is, died in A d ela id e d u rin g Ju ly. It is b e lie ve d th a t C lem e n t H ill w ill be a m em b er o f th e A u s tra lia n T e a m w h ich is b o o k ed to v is it C e ylo n in D ecem b er. T h e re w ill p ro b a b ly be five m a tch e s in C o lom b o— th ree w ith th e best C e y lo n ese X I. and tw o v . A ll C e y lo n , in clu d in g E u ro p ea n p la ye rs.