Cricket 1914

M a y 2, 1914 . THE WORLD OF CRICKET. 95 Dr. W. W. W right, who usually captained Toronto last season, will not play much cricket this. Rosedale must be handicapped, by the fact that a large portion of their fine grounds will be given up to football. H. S. Reid skippers them for the fifth time. There are 18 clubs entered in the Church and Mercantile League, an increase of half-a-dozen on last year. Scores rule low in their games, for most of the grounds played upon are worse than indifferent. The Yorkshire Society C.C. carried off the League honours last year, and should go very near doing so again this. Cricketers from the home land all tell the same story. The grounds prevent them from living up to the reputations they brought with them. It is significant that the Toronto club is “ talking m atting.” Should they adopt it, the smaller fry are sure to follow suit.* The game is slowly but surely making headway in this country, and the interest in it among those who do not play is perceptibly on the increase. SOUTH AFR ICA . B y this time the sands of the season have run out in cricket countries south of the line, and recent exchanges are full of averages. Some people don’t like averages at all ; some like them in moderation ; others are greedy for them. Their right time is at the end of the season, when their appearance gives one a chance of seeing— as far as figures will show that— what the men have done. He who first hit upon the notion of giving weekly averages was scarcely a benefactor to the game. The Cape A rgus gives the figures of the various clubs engaged in the Senior Competition at Cape Town under club headings, and yet includes runs made and wickets taken in matches for South Africa and the Western Province against the M.C.C. Team. This is surely all wrong. These games have nothing to do with the club averages as such, and are on a different plane from even the best of club cricket. To lump them with the club matches is to give a false perspective. The figures which follow must therefore be taken as repre­ sentative of what the players named did in all important matches of the season, and not as their deeds for their clubs. Thus proper comparison becomes difficult, because some of the men did not appear in a really big match at all, while one (Blanckenberg) played in as many as eight. Ten more took 20 or more wickets— A. Bensimon (Green Point) 42, F. Bond (Alma) 37, R. De Smidt (W.P.) 35. G. P. Taylor (Alma) 33, E. A. Budgen (Green Point) 31, C. Jackson (W.P.) 31, J. Carstairs (Claremont) 28, J. McPherson (Alma) 27, G. Soule (Cape Town) 25, and R. G. Smith (Green Point) 21. Only Budgen and Smith averaged over 20 per wicket ; and Bensimon’s figures were very good— for a side far below its former standard he battled pluckily, and while his comrades were being scored off freely took his wickets at under 14 each. F. Bond (33 22 and 37 wickets at 16 each) headed both batting and bowling averages for Alma. Centuries were scored by R. H. M. Hands (2) for the Western Province club, and P. T. Lewis for Western Province v. M.C.C. Team ; by M. J. Commaille (2) and G. Hearne for Cape Town ; by J. Carstens for Claremont ; and by G. W. Stephen for Green Point. The order in the final table of results was : Western Province, Cape Town, Claremont, Alma, Green Point, South African College. The last named team failed to score a point, and were apparently quite outclassed. Four men totalled over 500 runs. These were M. J. Commaille (Cape Town), 712, average 44-50 ; R. H. M. Hands (Western Province— the club is here indicated, and it would be not a bad thing if it changed its name, to avoid confusion with Western Province, the centre, which includes the whole Cape Town district), 712 at 39-55 ; P. A. M. Hands (W.P.), 698 at 31-72 ; and P- T. Lewis (W.P.), 574 at 33-79- Two more totalled over 400, both Cape Town men— R. R- Luyt, a good wicket-keeper, 467 at 35-92 ; and George Hearne 463 at 30-60. Between 300 and 400 came seven more— H. Bennett (Claremont), 39O at 24*75 ; J. Carstens (Claremont), 395 at 24-69 ; A. V. C. Bisset (W.P.), 380 at 27-14 ; L. Beattie (Green Point), 363 at 21-35 i F. W. Yeoman (Cape Town), 328 at 23-42 ; and A. Tregidga (Alma), 305 at 20-33. Nine others— M. Graham and F. Reid (W.P.). R. Robinson and E. Karg (Claremont), F. Bond and G. B. Taylor (Alma), and C. Cawse, F. D. Conry, and E. Lovegrove (Green Point)— who played 8 innings or more averaged over 20. Five bowlers took over 50 wickets— W. H. Short (Cape Town) 78 at 13*20 each ; F. Smith (Claremont) 70 at 13-08 ; C. Minaar (W.P.), 66 at 13-55 ; W. H. Mars (W.P.) 62 at 14-87 ; and J. M. Blanckenberg (Cape Town) 61 at 17-27. The last-named player’s figures include 34 at a cost of over 800 runs taken against tha M.C.C. side. Smith did not appear against the Englishmen at all. T his is the sort of thing that spoils the value of the figures. *This is all very well ; but if Toronto—one of the leading clubs in Canada—takes to matting it will be a distinct retrograde step. Matting is better than a bad turf wicket, but not so good as a good one : and as in Canada good turf wickets would seem to be obtainable, given proper attention, the big clubs should not go in for matting.— E d it o r , W. of C. This is the fortieth season of the North Middlesex C. & L.T.C., and they enter upon it with justifiable optimism. Their fine newly-erected pavilion (designed by Mr. S. B. K. Caulfield, F.R.I.B.A., himself a cricketer, and Hon. Sec. to the Hampstead Nomads C.C.), which has cost in all about £950, is a striking instance of the club’s prosperity ; but it is not the only one. During the winter not only has further drainage been done and the pathways increased, but two additional lawn tennis courts (there are now ten in all) have been laid out. Mr. A. S. Lake (Upcott, Athenaeum Road, Whetstone, N.) continues to fill the secretarial office in the cricket section ; but Mr. H. P. Blake, after five years’ good work as Hon. Treasurer, is succeeded by Mr. E. V. Blake. The cricket team will be strengthened by several ex-members of the lately defunct Muswell Hill C.C. The captains of the respective teams are the same as last year—Messrs. C. W. Morrison, J. Edwards, R. W. A. Blake, and H. G. Hoskin. As many as six teams a week, practically all through the season, will be put in the field. The Home Week is July 6-11. Among the clubs whom North Middlesex meet are Walthamstow, Highgate, Stanmore, Brondesbury, Harpenden, South Woodford, Albemarle, Chigwell, Ealing Park, Edmonton, Finchley, Pallingswick, and Parson’s Green. Mr. R. Morgan (1, Thomas Street, Woolwich, S.E.) is again Hon. General Sec. to the Old Charlton C.C., now in its thirty-second season, while Mr. E. S. Gates (Lansdowne Lodge, Old Charlton, S.E.) is Hon. Match Sec. Mr. J. Lambert skippers the first XI, Mr. F. Radciiffe the second XI, and Mr. W. C. S. Weller the Thursday Team. The club’s opponents include Charlton Park, Gravesend, Blackheath, White House, Army Ordnance Corps, Lewisham Wanderers, Woolwich Garrison, Dulwich, Ibis, Sidcup, Lessness Park, and Dulwich Hamlet. A South Coast Tour will be made in August, when Bognor, Arundel Worthing, Littlehampton, and Priory Park, Chichester, will be met, one date (Aug. 14) being still apparently unfilled. The Battersea C.C.'s members are hoping for a more successful season than last. The veteran, Mr. H. A. White, captains the first team, and Mr. F. Ward, Jun. (5, Tullet Place, Brompton Road, S.W.) is vice-captain as well as secretary. Mr. H. Batten skippers the second string. The tour this year is in Kent (Aug. 3-8), with matches v. R.M.A., Dover, K.O.R.R. (Dover), Folkestone, Deal and District, the Inniskillings, and Dover. The clubs met in ordinary matches include Barnes, Townley Park, Crofton Park, Harrodians, Shepherd’s Bush, Surrey C. & G., White House, Beddington, Brookwood Asylum, Addiscombe, Dulwich, Brixton, Heathfield, Ealing Dean, Royal Household (Frogmore), East Molesey, Upper Sydenham, West Wimble­ don, and St. John’s College. The Haverford College Tour. June July 25— v. 27— v. 30— V. 2 -- V. Shrewsbury School. Rossall School. Uppingham School. _ .. Malvern College. 4— v. Cheltenham College. 8— v. Tonbridge School. 9— v. Hailevbury College. 13— v. Hampstead C.C. 14— v. Harrow School. July 16— v. Rugby School. ,, 18— v. Eton College. „ 20— v. Forest Hill C.C. ,, 21— v. Southgate C.C. 22— v. Charterhouse School. ,, 25— v. Silwood Park. ,, 27— v. Repton School. ,, 28— v. Old Reptonians. ,, 30— v. Egginton Hall. C r ic k e t , F ix t u r e C a r d s , P o s t c a r d s , e t c . — Samples sent for id. stamp.— W. Webster, Printer, 291 a , Normanton Road, Derby.