Cricket 1913

CR I CKET : A WE E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME September 13, 1913. H. Gradidge & Sons, Manufacturers and Exporters of all requisites for Cricket. Lawn Tennis, Racquets, Squash Racquets, &c- Factory : ArtilleryPlace, Woolwich, S.E. Special Club Notes. C o n t r i b u t e d b y T h e C h i e l . N ow September is upon us clubs find som e diffi­ culty in finish ing their matches ow in g to bad light, and many drawn gam es are the result. O n e is glad to note that the m ajority o f the senior club s are ar­ ranging for their remaining matches to start at 2, and it would be a g o o d th ing fo r many clubs to arrange all their season ’s fixtures fo r 2 o ’ clock . I am not ov e rlook in g the fact that there are many cricketers wh o cannot leave their occupa tion s by that time. But a start cou ld be. made, and substi­ tutes in the field are easily to be had. Sometimes the worst offender, as regards being behind time, is the captain o f a side. Y e t n oth ing is more evident than that he shou ld be on the spot some little time before the start, so that he may deal with those th ings which fall within the scope o f his authority without haste o r bustle. A ll sorts o f difficulties may arise. One o f the comm onest is a short team. H ow can he remedy this if he does not arrive till after the hour o f sta rtin g ? Then the v isiting captain and team sh ou ld be g iven a wel­ com e, and that is surely in his p rovin ce. A t this period o f the season m ost clubs have on their notice boards a subscription list for their p ro ­ fessional or groundsm an. A nd the pro. or g round s­ man deserves it. T h e average member w h o sim p ly strolls down to practice, and turns up to matches with all his cricket b e lon g in g s cleaned and cared for, p robab ly hardly realises the amount o f work this necessary servant o f a club has put in. But the officers, who are there more constan tly, know full well. Last season 1 crossed sw ords w ith a p ro­ fessional wh o wrote somewhat stron g ly to C r i c k e t upon m y remarks upon groundsm en and their bene­ fits. But I d o n ’t want anyone to think that I fail in appreciation o f these (usually) excellent and hard­ w ork ing fellow s. T h e labourer is w orthy o f his hire. A ll that I objected to was the precise manner o f dea ling with his claims. T h e post o f H on . Treasurer to even a g o o d club is not all violets. Many o f the members look upon this officer as sim p ly an officer on paper, rarely re­ m em bering the anxiety he has regard ing the finances o f the clu b . S om e pay their s u b s .; some d o n ’ t ; and some w o n ’t. Endldss letters pass, the result is “ ou tstanding subscriptions ” upon the balance-sheet. Now this class o f member invariably has the worth o f his (unpaid) subscription , and a bit more du ring the season. H e is no real cricketer, or he w ou ld not treat his club in this manner. I d o n ’ t wish to rub it in too h a r d ; but as an officer o f many clubs in m y time, I can safely write that much anxiety cou ld be avoided if members would do their duty— and that at the proper time— in this matter o f subscriptions. Patentees and S ole M akers o f th e “ IMPERIAL DRIVER ’ CRICKET BATS. Made in M en’s, S m a ll M en’s, College, 6, 5, 4, & 3 sizes. Rebleding Cricket Bats 8 Restringing Tennis Bats a Special Feature. E very o th e r req u isite fo r C rick et, in clud in g balls, leg gu a rd s, batting gloves, g a u n tle ts, stum p s, nets, &c. P R IC E LIST S & S P E C IA L QUOTATIONS FREE. All Goods Carriage Paid to any part of the United Kingdom. S o le M akers of the “ Imperial Driver” & “ Improved Gradidge ” Lawn Tennis Racquets.