Cricket 1913

628 C R I C K E T : A W E E K L Y RECORD OF THE GAME. September.20, 1913. w hen B rig h to n is p ra c tic a lly a L o n d o n su bu rb ) v . th e R e s t o f E n g la n d . W h y sh ou ld not a cou p le o f m atch es be p la y ed in S ep tem b er, on e at th e O v a l, on e at L o r d ’s, b e­ tw een the M e tro p o litan C o u n tie s and the S econ d - C la s s C o u n tie s ? T h e M .C .C . v . M in o r C oun ties m atch w a s d ro pp ed som e y e a rs a g o , m o re’s the p i t y ; b u t it w o u ld be a ll fo r the go o d o f the g am e th a t p u b lic in terest in the d o in g s o f the second - c la ss c o n tin g e n t sh ou ld be qu ick en ed , and I b e­ lie v e the su g g e s te d m atch es w ou ld be a m eans to th a t end . T o c h o o s e a re a lly s tro n g S e c o n d -C la s s C o u n ­ tie s ’ side— or even tw o su ch sides— w ou ld be e a sy . B atsm en like G . L . H u n tin g , T . A . B rad fo rd , B er­ nard M eak in , C . H . T itc hm a rsh , G . A . S tev en s, F . H a r g r a v e C a rro ll, E . S . P h illip s , R . F . P o p ­ h am , G o ld in g , W in g h a m , H e n d ren , W . E . T h om p so n , H . C . T e b b u tt, A . S . L in g , G . G . M . B enn ett, H . B ro u g h am , F . *W . H . N ich o la s, N . V . H . R ic h e s , T . A . L . W h ittin g to n , A b e l, L . H . W . T r o u g h to n , and oth ers w h o m igh t be m en tioned are g o o d en o u g h for a n y first-class co u n ty . T h e n there are the a ll-round ers— M ich a el F a lcon , E . H . D . S ew e ll, F . A . S . S ew e ll, C . J. B . W e b b , D r . A . F . M o rcom , B arn es, W . E . K in g , D r. W . Y . W o o d b u r n , D . H . F ie ld , M a xw e ll, R ile v , B ro u g h to n , D a y , M iln e, F . G . P h illip s , S ilv e rlo ck , and N ewm an . Am o n g the b ow lers w h o h a ve no g re a t claim to b e con sidered batsm en m a y b e m entioned W . iW reford , H aw k sw o rth , C re b e r, H a c k e r, M itch ell, B u rto n , M o rris, and F reem an (K e n t II.). W ic k e t -k e e p e r s are not la c k in g . M y cho ice w ou ld be F ra n k lin , W . R o se , or V ib a r t. B u t there are a lso P . P . C o rn e ll, E . H . C u th b ertso n , A . F . T o d d , J. J. C om m o n , and oth ers o f p roven a b ility . T h e append ed sen sa tion al sto ry is from the D a ily C itize n v ia ou r esteem ed con tem p o ra ry , the Spo rtsm an : “ T h e team o f A u s tra lia n s w h ich h a s been tou r­ in g Am e ric a , under the c ap ta in c y o f E . R . M a yn e, is reported to b e stranded , and in d a n g e r o f h a v in g to w o rk their p a ssa g e s b a c k hom e. A c c o rd in g to a N ew Y o r k m essag e to the D a ily C itizen , the last m on th has been one p erp etual s tr u g g le to p a y even ra ilw a y fares, and o b lig in g hotel keep ers h ave g o t tired o f the g o o d ‘ g a te ’ th a t w a s a lw a y s expected and never cam e. B a rd sle y , M a ca rtn ey , and C raw ­ ford are all r ig h t, h a v in g a little m on ey o f their ow n , bu t the o th er eleven p la y e rs are now m ood ily w o n d erin g w h eth er th ey w ill h a ve to ‘ hobo ’ it across the con tinen t to ’ F risc o o r V an co u v e r, and from there w ork their p a ssa g e b ack to A u stra lia , for most o f them were fo o lish en o u g h to leave S y d n e y w ithou t a return ticket. W ith g r ow in g fee lin g s o f d ism a y , the A u s tra lia n s noticed that, a lth ou gh th ey won all their m atch es, th ey were not m a k in g a n y m on ey. A g re a t m a n y o f th e groun d s th ey p la y ed on, p a rticu la rly in C an a d a , had little or no accomm odation for the pu b lic, w h o , even if there had been a n y , w ou ld h a ve taken little interest in cricket. Boston and P h ila d e lp h ia w ere righ t en ou gh , for there the clu b s were suppo rted b y w ea lth y m en, bu t they cou ld not be exp ected to keep the A u s tra lian s there fo r ev er. T h e net result o f three m on th s’ cricket is that the team is st ran d ed .” B y the w a y , D iam ond , not M a yn e , is the team ’s cap ta in . I shou ld be d ispo sed to take the w hole sto ry cum grano sa lis. I h a v e comm en ted more than once on M r. B e n jam in ’s o v er-fondn ess for so u n d in g the loud tim b re l; b u t un less a ll that has been said as to the am oun t o f gu aran tee s g iv e n and taken is un true there shou ld be no d a n g e r o f an y su ch catastrophe a s is s u g g e s te d a b o v e. F rom a sou rce that I know to b e reliab le I learn th at ga tes in P h ila d e lp h ia were v e ry po o r in d e e d ; bu t the P h ilad elph ian clu b s, not the A u stra lian s, suffered th ro u g h th is. T h e g a te-m on ey fell sh o rt o f the gu aran tees b y hund red s o f pound s, I g a th e r. Bu t it is w ith th e gu aran tees, not th e g a te -m o n e y, that the A u stra lian s are con cern ed ; and the A sso cia ted C ric k e t C lu b s o f P h ila d e lp h ia can be relied upon to stand the racket. “ B o s t o n and P h ila d e lp h ia were rig h t e n o u g h ,” sa y s the N ew Y o r k correspond en t o f th e C itizen . T h e team did not p la y in B o sto n . T h e w h o le yarn is u n co n v in c in g a s it stan d s. If the m en are stranded , it is not because th e y h ave fa ile d to at­ tract ga te s, for a n y such fa ilu re w as gu ard ed a g a in st b y the gu aran tees ob tained . T h e V ictoria D a ily T im e s sa y s th at V ic to ria w ill not g iv e gu aran tees fo r a n y m atch es to be p la y ed there b y the team b efo re s a ilin g , b u t w ill p la y g am es if the A u stra lian s care to take the risk. In this statem ent itself there is evid en ce, if o n ly o f a n e g a tiv e kind , o f the p revalen ce o f the gu aran tee system . A s w ill be seen from th is issue, the team p la yed three m atches in C h ic a g o at th e end o f A u g u s t. T h e y were due thereafter to p la y at W in ­ n ip eg , R e g in a , Y o rk to n , S a sk a to o n , P rin c e A lb ert, E dm on ton , and C a lg a r y , and were n e g o tia tin g m atches at V an co u ve r, D u n c a n , and V icto ria . A lll the m atches arran ged were on gu aran tee, I understand .