Cricket 1914

to THE WORLD OF CRICKET. J a n u a r y , 1914. Centuries scored in the island during the last two months of the year include :— Nov. 10.— H. N. Wood, 106 (ret.), Colombo Police v. Galle Police. „ 15.— A. C. Amath, 100*, Police v. Wesley College. „ 22.— W . E. M. Paterson, 103 (ret.), A Colombo C.C. X I v. Kalutara. Dec. 13.— V. B artlett, 103, Sports Club v. Bambalapitiya ' Y.M .C.A. j . L. S. Vidler made 69 and 50, highest score in each innings, for Agras v. Radella on November 15. A Chat with Schofield Haigh. " A great player ; one who is known to smile even in the tightest of corners.” So wrote Lord Hawke of Schofield Haigh, in a tribute penned when the famous bowler took his benefit ; and those who know him best will realise how felicitous is the description. Haigh’s popularity as a cricketer has always been great, and unlike the inferior popularity of a prophet has pre­ vailed not in his own county only, but on every ground on which he has appeared throughout his distinguished career. To his sterling merit as a cricketer is united a cheerfulness of disposition and a modesty of demeanour which have won for him innumerable friends. He has always played the game in the spirit in which it should be played, energetically and enthusiastically, having at heart the welfare of his side and not the success of the individual, and withal never allowing keen­ ness to degenerate into anything even remotely savouring of sharp practice. Among the many fine players produced b y Yorkshire during the last quarter of a century Haigh will rank amongst the greatest, and few cricketers have a record of more sustained excellence. Cricket appears to have come naturally to Haigh, like reading and writing did to Dogberry, for he cannot remember the time when bat and ball were not fam iliar in his hand as knife and fork are to ordinary mortals. Although his modesty leads him to depreciate somewhat unduly his abilities as a batsman, he has made many a good score for his county, and as the majority of his best innings were played when runs were badly needed, his value as a batsman is not, perhaps, to be accurately gauged by the figures set forth. Be th at as it may, it is quite certain th at had he not been a great bowler, he would have been worth his place in the team as a batsman alone. Of Haigh’s abilities as a bowler there is no need to speak, in this place, and it is sufficient to say that season after season his name appears prominently in the list of English bowlers, and th at he has clean bowled a greater proportion of his victims than has any other bowler of his time. His position in the Yorkshire team will indeed be hard to fill, and his name will long be held in esteem in the world of cricket. “ You were born a t Berry Brow, I believe ? ” “ Yes. On March 19th, 1871/* “ When did you first play cricket ? ” “ Well, I seem to have always been playing. When I was quite a little lad, before we had a ground to play on, we used to play cricket in the high road. Many a score of hours have I bowled across the road. When the policeman saw us he used to chase us away. You see, it was the main road. But as soon as his back was turned there we were hard a t it again. When I was old enough to go to school we had a ground to play on, and I used to be home for dinner at one o'clock and rush off back again in about ten minutes, to play cricket.” “ Did you as a youngster interid becoming a professional cricketer ? ” “ My master at school used to say th at cricket was all I was fit for, but on leaving I was apprenticed to the trade of a m ill­ wright and pattern-maker. B ut I was mad on cricket. In fact, I always have been. Just the same as when I was at sch ool; I used to sit down to my dinner at one, and straight­ aw ay up again at one-five for practice. I used to practise before breakfast, nearly all the dinner-hour, and again in the evening. When at work I was often bowling with a bobbin or anything handy at a piece of wood across the shop. I suppose a good many boys read the paper ? ” “ No doubt, though, of course, boys are not the majority of its readers. B u t why do you ask ? ** “ Well, I should like to send a little message to the boys. If they really mean to succeed at cricket they must give their whole minds to it. There is no time so good for learning to observe and practise as while one is young.” “ W hat was your first club ? ” “ I joined the Armitage Bridge Club after leaving school. I played in the second eleven one season ; the next I played with the first eleven. Bobby Moorhouse, his brother Fred, and Crowther Charlesworth (the latter two both played for Warwickshire) were also in the team then or a little later. We all four played together in one or two matches. Jack Beaumont, the Surrey fast bowler, was before my time. He was the first county cricketer turned out b y Arm itage Bridge.” “ Did you ever play with the famous Lascelles Hall Club ? ” “ No ; but my first match for Arm itage Bridge was against Lascelles Hall, on their ground. I took four wickets for four runs. Ephraim Lockwood was playing.” “ Do you think local cricket is quite as good as it was in those days ? ” “ I can’t say anything about that. We never have the chance of seeing any local cricket until the back-end of the season. There are some good youngsters coming on in the Yorkshire team, though— Booth, Drake, and Kilner. I think Drake and Booth are two of the best bowlers in England. Drake is a fine natural bowler— he has command of swerve, spin, and both breaks— in fact, everything a bowler needs. He ought to play for England some day. Then Birtles, who was tried in a few matches last season, bats very soundly, and has a good defence. Holmes shows great promise, too ; and Dolphin is quite one of the best wicket-keepers. His merits have not as yet received the recognition they deserve.” “ Does cricket run in your family ? ” “ No, I can’t say that it does. My brother played a bit, and was at one time captain of the Berry Brow Tradesmen’s Club. I used to play in some of their matches, too, when I was a youngster. My eldest lad, Jack, was second in his school averages last season. He’s fifteen years old, and, like his father, he has the off-break and can spin the ball. He doesn’t care for batting ; he greatly prefers bowling, so you see he takes after me. He shapes up very well with the bat though.” “ How do you account for the fact th at the son of a county cricketer rarely makes a name for himself ? ” “ I don't attempt to account for it. All I know is that if we try to teach our lads and they don’t come to anything, people say it’s because we over-coached them. If we leave them to themselves and don’t coach them, then they say it’s because we haven't taught them .” “ How did you come to take up professional cricket ? ” “ Well, it was like this. Louis Hall came over with a Dews­ bury or Batley team— I don't remember which— to play at Armitage Bridge. The Aberdeen Club had applied to him for a professional, and he recommended me. I was at Aberdeen for three seasons, and then at Perth for two. A t Aberdeen I took over a hundred wickets in one season, which was the first time it had been accomplished in the history of the club. A t Perth I captured 130 wickets one season for four or five runs apiece. But I never kept a record of my performances. My job was to get wickets, and it was for the scorers and statitiscians to record them .’ “ The cricket in Scotland was not a very high order though ? ” “ Well, Scotch cricket is— Scotch cricket ! I thought it good enough, until I came to mix in better.” “ A diplomatic answer, indeed ! It was through your per­ formances in Scotland, I believe, that you were picked for Yorkshire ? ” “ Yes. I was playing for Scotland against Mr. A. N. Hornby’s Lancashire team, and took seven wickets in one innings. A day or two later I got a letter asking me to play against Derby­ shire. I was pleased, of course. So far as I know I was not recommended to the committee by anyone, but no doubt they had noticed the match against Lancashire. I never played in a trial or Colts’ match for Yorkshire, nor was I put through my paces at the nets. I scored 25 and 36, and took 7 wickets in the match against Derbyshire. That was in 1895.” “ A good start. Did you play again that season ? ” “ I was asked to play in the next match, but the Perth Club had an important game and couldn’t let me off. I played against the M.C.C. at Scarborough at the end of the season. I also played in one match for the Second Eleven that year, against 16 of Middlesbrough. I took 8 for 41 and did the ‘ hat trick,' but my victims were three of the rabbits.” “ Weren’t you then a fast bowler pure and simple ? ”