Cricket 1913

580 C R I CK E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. September 0, 1913. “ A fte r th a t? ” “ I w a s in C h ic a g o in i g u , and p la ye d for the W a n d e r e r s C .C . o f th a t c ity . T h o u g h I a v e ra g e d 32 in th a t y e a r, th e fig u re s w e re a b it th in— 4 o f m y 10 in n in g s w e re n o t o u t, an d m y h ig h e st sco re w a s o n ly 3 8 .” “ B u t y o u m a d e q u ite a lot o f ru n s in C h ic a g o c ric k e t, I u n d e rsta n d ? ” “ Y e s . B u t th a t w a s in 1Q12. I t ’s all in C r i c k e t , y o u w ill find. M y a v e r a g e ? O h , ju s t u nd er 62. C e n tu rie s ? I m a d e five. I m a y s a y th a t it is m uch e a sie r to sco re ru n s in C h ic a g o th an in W in n ip e g . T u r f in stea d o f m a ttin g— sm a lle r g r o u n d s— ou tfield in fa r b e tter c o n d itio n , so th a t the b a ll tra v e ls fa s te r. A fo u r in C h ic a g o m a y m ean o n ly tw o , som etim es o n ly a sin g le , in W in n ip e g . A n d th is a p p lies, a s you w ill u n d ersta n d , m o re p a rtic u la rly to th e m an w h o tries, w ith som e m ea su re o f su c ce ss, to k e ep th e b a ll on th e ca rp e t. I sh o u ld s a y 75 in W in n ip e g fa irly e q u a ls a t le a s t 100 in C h ic a g o .” “ W ill y o u tell m e som e th in g a b o u t th e g ro u n d s in W in n ip e g ? ” “ Y e s , and I sh a ll be v e r y g la d t o .” T h e s ig h of re lie f in d icated th a t th e in te rv iew e e w a s g r a te fu l to be a llow ed to g e t off the “ I ” to p ic. “ T h e y a re all n ew . I d o n ’t b e lie v e a n y g ro u n d n ow in u se h as been p la y e d on fo r m o re th an five o r six y e a rs . C ric k e t in th is c ity o w es m u ch to th e g e n e ro u s a ctio n o f the P a r k s B o a rd . T w e n ty -fo u r te am s p la y e v e ry S a tu r ­ d a y , and th is w o u ld be a b so lu te ly im p o ssib le bu t fo r th e p ro visio n m a d e fo r th em in th e p u b lic p a rk s. T h e v e r y b e st w ic k e ts in W in n ip e g are to be fou n d in A ssin ib o in e P a r k . The a re a fo r c ric k e t h a s been e x ­ te n d e d , and it is ho p ed th a t in all p u b lic p a rk s to be m ade in the future th e grou nd w ill he given a p lace.” “ B ut the W an d erers h ave their own ground, I believe ? ” “ T h a t ’s so . W e h a v e h a d th re e in all, and th e n ew on e is to be o p en ed on A u g u s t n t h . I w as on e o f th e fo u n d ers o f th e W a n d e re rs C . C . , I m a y s a y ; a few o f us w h o b e lo n g ed to th e W in n ip e g C lu b re a l­ ised th e im p o rta n ce o f h a v in g a g ro u n d ow n ed b y the clu b p la y in g on it, and in 1904 w e h eld a series o f m e e tin g s w h ich re su lte d in th e fo rm atio n o f the W a n d e r e r s .” A n d n ow th e W a n d e r e r s ra n k s a s on e o f th e p re ­ m ier clu b s o f C a n a d a ; in d eed , it m a y fa irly ra n k as “ th e ” p rem ier clu b o f 19 1 3 , sin ce it h a s w o n (as to ld on a n o th er p a g e o f th is issu e) th e John R o ss R o b e rtso n C u p , w h ich T o ro n to p re v io u sly held. M r. Sm ith h a d som e th in g m o re th an on e m a n ’s -share in th e v ic to ry , a s w ill b e seen b y th e sco re. “ C a n y o u re c a ll th e c lu b ’ s first m a tc h ? ” “ I g u e s s s o ! I to o k first b a ll, and w e n t fo r a d u ck . W e w e re a ll o u t fo r 12 ! L a te r in the se a so n w e p u t o u t a n o th er sid e fo r 1 1 . B u t w e w ere a b o v e th e m id dle o f th e le a g u e ta b le in o u r first se a so n , and w e w e re top in T908, 1 9 1 1 , and 19 12 . If w e w in ou r o n ly rem a in in g g a m e (p o stp on ed o w in g to rain) w e sh a ll be to p a g a in th is s e a s o n .” “ T h e re a re a n um b er o f g o o d p la ye rs in W in n ip e g ? ” “ T h e re are. A n d I b e lie v e th a t th e g e n e ra l sta n ­ d a rd o f th e p la y is im p ro v in g here. T h a t ’s a m o re im p o rta n t th in g th an the p o sse ssio n of a few . cra c k s. B u t w e h a v e our c ra c k s , o f c o u rs e ; T . A . D . B ev in g - ton, the old M idd lesex player, E . C . Laver, D r. S. A . Sm ith— a h , and m o re o f th em . B e tte r m en th an I am , y o u k n o w — w h y d o n ’ t y o u g o and in te rv iew som e o f th em ? ” “ Som e day, perhaps. B ut it was T om Sm ith I w a n ted to -d a y ; and— y e s, th a n k y o u , I ’v e g o t h im ! ” Special Club Notes. C o n t r i b u t e d b y T h e C h i e l . W ith reference to the C lu b C rick e te rs’ C h a rity F u n d I am rem in ded that there are m any clu b men o p p o sed to a fu n d o f th is kin d , co n te n d in g th a t it is n o t a n ece s­ sity , and is n ot in a cco rd a n ce w ith the sp irit o f g o o d c la ss clu b c ric k e t. T h is a cco u n ts fo r th e fa c t th at the F u n d is n ot su p p orted so g e n e r a lly as it m ig h t be. B u t th e a ttitu d e o f the o b je c to rs is su rely a n a rro w ­ m inded one. If th ese g e n tlem e n w o u ld ta k e the tro u b le to lo o k m o re c lo sely in to th e m a tte r, th ey w o u ld find th a t th e F u n d is d o in g rea l g o o d w o rk— and m ig h t even do b e tter if th ey and th eir lik e did n ot la b o u r to c h o k e off p o ssib le h elp ers ! I h a v e m ore th an on ce ta k e n up th e c u d g e ls on b e h alf o f um p ires in th ese co lum n s. B u t I am bo u n d to a dm it th a t re cen t re v ela tio n s h a v e c o n v in ced me th a t th ere is a sh o c k in g lo t o f b a d um p irin g ab ou t. I h a v e h e a rd o f som e v e ry g la r in g cases. H o w to rem ed y it? It is n ot e a sy . E v e r y c ric k e te r w o rth y o f th e n am e o u g h t to re c o g n is e th e fa c t th at th e um p ire is the so le ju d g e o f th e la w s , an d all th a t co n cern s th em , d u rin g th e co u rse o f a g a m e . H ere is th e c ru x o f th e m atter. Y o u co n stitu te him ju d g e , and y o u g rum b le b e ca u se h e tu rn s ou t a b a d one. B u t h o w can he b e a g o o d on e w h en , a s in m an y c a ses, h e is an od d -jo b m an w h o com b in es um p irin g w ith a hu n d red and one o th e r d u tie s, o r som e one p icked up c a su a lly on a g r o u n d ? U m p irin g is a sp ecial lin e ; and o n ly train ed men w h o k n o w th e g a m e can um p ire re a lly w ell. O n more than one o ccasio n have I drawn the atten tio n o f th e L .C .C . to th e co n d itio n o f th e ir w ic k e ts p ro vid ed on the com m on s and p a rk s. O w in g to the d ry sum m er th ese p itch es a re a s h a rd a s iro n , and all th e atten tio n th ey g e t is th e o n ce-a -w e ek p a ss a g e o f c u tte r and ro ller. T h e n th e p itch (?) is m a rk ed o u t, a n d c ric k e te rs y o u n g and old ta k e h e a v y risk s o f se rio u s in ju ry upon it. N o w a g r e a t d ea l o f th is cou ld be avo id ed , and I o ffer th e s u g g e s tio n to the C o u n cil fre e ly . C a p a b le m en sh ou ld be em p lo yed to p re p a re g o o d w ic k e ts, and h u n d red s o f c lu b s w o u ld g la d ly p a y th e C o u n cil, sa y a fe e o f 10s. a se a so n , to be su re o f a decen t and re lia b le p itch . P a s s in g a cro ss C la p h am C om m on re cen tly , I n o ticed a b a tsm a n re­ c e iv e a te rrib le sm ash in th e fa c e from a g o o d len g th