Cricket 1914

142 THE WORLD OF CRICKET. M a y 16, 1.Q14. about time the N .Z. Press found out whether his name is spelt w ith or w ithout an “ e ” at the end. No Australian paper ever prints “ Trumpere,” “ Lavere,” or “ Nobl.” B u t the pressmen of the Dominion are singularly behind the times in this matter, and it is quite the exception for players’ initials to be given. If given, indeed, they are usually wrong ! T w i c e during the N.Z. tour did four Australians top the century in one innings. This is sufficiently remarkable, leaving out of account any question of the class of the bowl­ ing they m e t; but it is still more remarkable that four different men were concerned on each occasion. A g a i n s t Southland, at Invercargill, Trumper, Collins, McKenzie, and Cody reached three figures ; against New Zealand, at Auckland, Waddy, Armstrong, Crawford, and Dolling were the century-makers. T h r e e centuries were scored v. Auckland, at Auckland, too. The men responsible were Waddy, Armstrong, and Ransford. S n e d d o n ’s analysis in the New Zealand v. Australia match at Auckland was given in one paper as “ one for 762 ” ! This would beat even George Giffen at his doggedest, when, w ith a hundred or so against him on the books and nary a scalp to his credit, he would go on, quite sure th at his harvest was but a little way ahead. (And often it was !) B u t Sneddon is not a Giffen— and not captain of his side. The error seems to have been due to the fact th at he was given 1 for 62 in one account, 1 for 76 in another ; and some compositor, weak alike in cricket and mathematics, made a wild effort to combine the two. T h e success of John Howell at the Oval has been followed speedily by the success of his elder brother, Miles, at O x­ ford. In each case it was “ only a trial match.” Bu t these two are going to do big things in games of more im ­ portance, unless one is greatly mistaken. J. S. F. M o r r i s o n ’s big innings at Cambridge recalls the success of F. G. H . Clayton, who never got his blue, though plen ty of men not nearly as good as he have succeeded where he failed, in the Oxford Freshmen’s match of 1893. Clayton scored 230 and 70 not out, claiming 300 as his share in a match which realised over 1400 runs for 27 wickets, and in which three other centuries (by G. J. Mordaunt, G. O. Smith, and H. D. G. Leveson-Gower) were registered. D u r i n g the last 20 years nine centuries have been made in the Freshmen’s Matches at Cambridge (by E. Garnett, G. L. Jessop, A . H. Tompson, H. K . Longman, H. S. Bompas, G. H. Bottome, C. E . Squire, J. W . W . Nason, and H. G. Bache), and 16 in the Seniors’ Matches (by H. E. Symes-Thompson, J. A. Healing, F. L. Crabtree, G. H. Simpson-Hayward, J. H. Stogdon, H. S. Keigwin, W . P. Robertson, F. A . S. Sewell, C. H. M. Ebden, J. F. Marsh, C. C. Page, C. Gimson, D . C. Collins, two, 113 and 138, in in the same match, and H. G. Bache). In the same period the Oxford Freshmen’s Matches have produced six centuries (by E . C. W right, W . F. A. Rattigan, H. C. Pilkington, the Hon. C. N. Bruce, J. H. Gordon, and R . H. Twining), and the Seniors’ Matches 15 (by B. N. Bosworth-Smith, two, in 1894 and 1896, E. R. Morres, P. F . Warner, J. P. Boland, M. Y . Barlow, F. G. H. Clayton, in 1896, A . Eccles, T . C. G. Sandford, R. Z. H. Voss, R. S. Darling, the Hon. Mervyn Herbert, H. M. Butterworth, M. G. Salter, and F. H. Knott). T h e years in which neither match at either ’Varsity included a century among the scores were 1898, 1903, 1911, and 1913. Looking over the list, one cannot help remark­ ing how many men figure in it who never got their blues. Hope must have run high in many cases ; but disappoint­ ment was the sequel. H. G. B a c h e claims a century both as Freshman and as Senior. So does F. G. H. Clayton, though his earlier innings falls outside the period. D. C. Collins had two in a m atch; W . P. Robertson (123 and 96 in 1901) and J. H. Gordon (97 and 103 not out in 1906) narrowly missed that distinction. T h e m o n t h s that have elapsed between the end of our last season and the beginning of the present one have been very busy as regards cricket circles overseas. A n English team has visited South Africa ; the Australian Common­ wealth has had its usual quota of state matches, and has also entertained a New Zealand team ; an Australian team has visited New Zealand ; a New South Wales side has voyaged to Ceylon ; Ceylon and Rangoon have sent elevens to Calcutta ; and I Zingari have played in the land of the Pharaohs. I n this paper, and in this paper alone, will the scores of all (or practically all, for there is a small hiatus, mentioned elsewhere) of these matches be found. To those who want to keep themselves fully informed about important cricket overseas the W o r l d o f C r i c k e t is a necessity. To them, and to others, it is also a luxury. On both scores it is surely indispensable. Q .E.D . T. A. L. W h i t t i n g t o n ’s absence from the Glamorgan side in most of its matches will weaken it seriously, for he and Riches are quite its best bats. The old Oxonian, who is a solicitor, says th at business will prevent his playing much cricket this year, and he had to refuse the M.C.C.'s invitation to play v. Yorkshire and v. Hants. He will captain the Minor Counties’ X I in their match w ith M.C.C. at Lord’s, though. T h e Centenary Dinner of the M.C.C. on June 23.will be held at the Hotel Cecil, tickets (including wine and cigars) being twenty-five shillings. About 500 are expected to attend. T h e great club had 5362 members in 1913, when 124,621 paid at the Lord’s turnstiles for admission. As compared w ith 1912 this was a drop of nearly 97,000. But in 1912 there were three tests at Lord’s, two M.C.C. matches w ith the colonial teams, and two Middlesex matches with them. I t is likely that the M.C.C. may send.a team to Holland in August, and the W est Indies want a visit early in 1915 Nothing was said at the meeting— or at least nothing was reported— as to the likelihood or otherwise of the projected tour in India coming off. That this should be allowed to drop would be a pity. Over ten years have passed since an English team last visited the land of Hind. T h e ’V a r s i t y M a t c h at Lord’s last year realised ^1028 ; E ton v. Harrow more than double as much— £ 1 165. T h e County Secretaries are meeting a t • Lord’s to discuss the Saturday and Wednesday start business on the day on which we go to press. M r . F. E. L a c e y is recuperating at Littlestone-on-Sea. That he should be absent during the Centenary Y ear from the post he has filled so ably for nearly a score of years— eheu, fugaces annos !— is rough luck.