Cricket 1914

Author-Cricketers, B y P e r c y C r o s s S ta n d in g . S in c e Dickens took his Pickwickians gaily to witness the friendly struggles of the All-Muggletonians against the Dingley Dellers in the long-ago days when cricketers played in top hats and scored “ notches ” instead of runs, many a novelist has put pen to many a scene in which Willow the King plays the host. But what proportion of these latter-day romance writers “ play the gam e'’ themselves in the sense of excelling in, or even enjoying, the greatest of all out-of-door pastimes ? CONAN DOYLE. Well, one may at once name two among our leading masters of popular fiction— Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mr. E. W, Hornung, the creator of the immortal Raffles, both keen as well as clever cricketers. Sir Arthur, now quite an old member of the M.C.C., has played in many a match at Lord’s and elsewhere, and Sherlock Holmes himself was fond of solving a knotty prob­ lem while watching some big event at the St. John’s Wood ground. RAFFLES. Still more so Mr. llornung’s delightful scoundrel Raffles ! Few who have read can have forgotten that gorgeous episode of the country house cricket party, or A. J. Raffles's wonderful bowling feats for Gentlemen v. Players. This novelist writes of the ” game as to the manner born, but then you must remember that he has played cricket both here and in Australia, where he sojourned in the palmy days of the Giffens, Spofforths, and Murdochs. And I remember once seeing Mr. Hornung, the creator, and Mr. Gerald du Maurier, the interpreter, of the Prince of Cracksmen, walking the lawn at Lord’s on the same day, each apparently oblivious of the other’s presence. JAN RUTTER. Since the days of Raffles, Mr. Hornung has given us in “ Fathers of Men,” a story— some may deny its claim to be a novel, since it deals with life at school— in which cricket plays the leading part. “ Jan " Rutter is a left-hand bowler studied from the life, and his creator must have forgotten more about the game than a great many people who think themselves authorities have ever known— that is, if Mr. Hornung is in the way of forgetting. Perhaps he is not ; the man who can observe as he can generally stores the results of his observation away in some pigeon-hole ol the brain where it is always available when needed. PLAYWRIGHTS AND CRICKET. Mention of Australia reminds me that the colonial born dramatist, Mr. Haddon Chambers, author of “ Captain Sw ift,” The Idler,” “ Passers-by,” and other popular plays, is keen as mustard about cricket. He told me he was present on the Sydney Association Ground on the occasion of the famous “ riot ” in 1879, when Lord Harris and his men had to defend themselves with bats and stumps from a mob of “ larrikins ” ; and he gives an amusing version of the incident of Mr. “ Monkey ” Hornby’s arresting and bearing off to the pavilion one of the ringleaders. I have not heard that other contemporary playwrights— except, perhaps, Sir J. M. Barrie— are especially keen cricketers, though Lord’s was once the central scene of a Drury Lane drama C The Great Ruby,” 1 think), and an Indian Prince wearing the Cambridge blue the central figure in the scene ! But the late Bill ” Yardley, play writer and Bohemian of the true Bohemia, was, of course, one of the greatest batsmen of his day. CONCERNING “ BILL.” Mr. Yardley was, after C. 1 . Thornton, probably the mightiest hitter of his time. B y scoring 100 in 1870 and 130 in 1872 for Cambridge v. Oxford at Lord’s, he gained the unique distinction of getting a century twice in that historic contest. Born at Bombay, he was educated first at Rugby, and in first-class matches was the hero of many a long stand for the Gentlemen, the M.C.C., and Kent. “ HUGH CONWAY’S ” SON AND OTHERS. Mr. A. H. C. Fargus, the son of “ Hugh Conway,” the gifted author of ” Called Back ” and “ Dark D ays,” was at one time also in the Cambridge Eleven, and was a more than useful fast bowler. And two ladies who formed alliances with famous cricketing families— Mrs. Alfred Lyttelton and Mrs. K. J. K ey— have attained distinction in the world of letters, the one as a dramatist, the other as a novelist. Nor must I pass over the authorship of Mr. G. F. H. Berkeley, who as a fast bowler was in 124 1HE WORLD the Oxford Eleven of sbiiie twenty odd years ago. He is the author of a brilliant book on the campaign of Adowa, the great battle in which the Abyssinian Emperor Menelik so decisively defeated the Italian army. HAMPSHIRE’S LENGTHY BOWLER. The best “ class ” cricketer among contemporary waiters Of fiction is unquestionably Mr. H. Hesketh-Prichard. He has found time to play quite a lot for Hampshire, and his excellent bowling and general keenness proved uncommonly valuable to that county at a time when its fortunes, cricketically speaking, did not stand particularly high. ANDREW LANG. “ Andrew with the brindled locks,” the versatile, huinordiis whimsical, industrious, ever-lovable Andrew Lang, whom so many still miss, wrote much and thought more concerning cricket and its votaries. He loved the game with all his heart. To him was it given, over and over again and both in prose and verse, to write delicately and charmingly of cricket. We owe to Andrew Lang some of the daintiest thoughts ever penned of and concern­ ing what he himself so touchingly called “ the daisied graves of dead and gone cricketers.” NORMAN GALE. While the game of games is only one topic touched upon by the pleasant muse of Mr. Norman Gale, his two breezy volumes of Cricket Songs ” and “ More Cricket Songs ” have reached a very wide circle of readers. Certainly no one writing of the lighter side of cricket has a happier knack than Mr. Gale of hitting off in a lilting, musical vein the precise sentiment which he wishes to convey to the reader's mind— " . . . Shrewsbury's with grief in it, George Giffen's with relief in it, When Lyons puts his ' beef ’ in it And planks her to the railings ! ” H. G. HUTCHINSON, HARRY FURNISS, E. B. V. CHRISTIAN. I had nearly been guilty of overlooking Mr. Horatio Gordon Hutchinson, the author of an excellent novel entitled “ Peter Steele the Cricketer,” and of “ Cricketing ,Saws and Stories.” Mr. Hutchinson is a keen cricketer and golfer. And a word is due to Mr. Harry Furniss for his w itty “ How’s That ? ” ; and to Mr. E. B. V. Christian, the well-known author of “ A t the Sign of the W icket.” O f CRICKET, M ay 9, 1914. T h e S p e n c e r C.C. run four teams every Saturday. They have bowls and lawn tennis sections, besides cricket. The joint Hon. Secs, arc Mr. L. E. Clinton (261, Burntwood Lane, Wandsworth Common, S .W .) and Mr. C. T. Coggin (The White Cottage, Lyford Road, Wands­ worth Common). Messrs. W. D. Macbeth, E. E. Elkington, L. E. Clinton, and R. S . Pike are the four team captains, and Mr. John T . Gordon is vice-captain of the first XI, who meet Croydon, Catford, Beddington, White House, Private Banks, Havant, Horsham, Brixton, Mitcham, Forest Hill. Purley, Ibis, Cyphers, Occasionals, Surrey C. & G., Finchley (East), Mr. Esmonde White's XI, Old Whitgiftians, Bank of England, Ealing, and Dulwich. The Home Week is July 20-25. N e a s d e n run two teams, and, like Spencer, include lawn tennis and bowls in their activities. Mr. J. H. Sexton (21, Radcliffe Avenue, Harlesden, N.W.) is Hon. Sec., and Mr. F. Twyford captains the first XI. The clubs met include L. & N.W.R., Polytechnic, Walham Green, Alexandra Park, Boston Park, Stevenage, Albemarle, Bushey, Pinner, M.C.C., Brondesbury, Ealing Park, Shepherd’s Bush, South Hamp­ stead, and Insurance Wanderers. T h e T r o ja n s (Joint Hon. Secs., Mr. Ian MacDonald, Woodside, Highfield, Southampton, and Mr. R. M. Stewart, Westlepe, Oakmount Avenue, Southampton) have a capital fixture list, including matches with Hants C. & G., The Law’, The Grammar School, Banister Court, Ordnance Survey, Tichborne Park, United Services, South Wilts, The Deanery, Weston, Lymington, Sir G. Meyrick’s XI, R.N.C. (Osborne), M.C.C.. Hampstead, Basingstoke, Guy’s Hospital, Romsey, Ryde, Lyndhurst, and a Vacation XI. Mr. R. W. F. Jesson manages the matches from the opening of the season to June 6, Mr. E. L. Raymond during the rest of June, Mr. H. A. Haigh Smith during July and the first half of August, and Mr. A. F. Wharton thence to the end of the season. P a r s o n ’s G r e e n , whose ground is at Hurlingham, play Boston Park, West Shene, Roehainpton, Westbourne Park Wanderers, Richmond Town, Hemel Hempstead, Erdington, Clapham Ramblers, Ealing Park, Shepherd’s Bush, Lauderdale, Vampires, Kilburn, Stein- way, G.W'.R., North Middlesex, Mr. H. Sersale’s XI, and Mr. J. S. Fryer’s XI. The second team has also a good fixture list.