Cricket 1914

M a y 16, 1914. THE WORLD OF CRICKET. 143 S h e r b o r n e has not supplied first-class cricket w ith many notable players ; but in W . H. Game (Oxford and Surrey) and F. E . Lacey (Cambridge and Hampshire) the Dorset school has “ sent up ” a t least two fine cricketers. Game was a very big hitter and a splendid long field, who could throw in a full hundred yards ; and people are apt to forget nowadays ju st how good Lacey was when he played for Hampshire, and scored 211 v. K ent in 1884. A m o n g the problems of classification is that of Hampshire and Somerset in the early eighties. There were few second- class counties then, and these two did not play the few there were. They played one another and some first-class sides— K ent, Surrey, Lancashire, Derbyshire, and Sussex among them. The red Lillywhite included their figures and those against them in the first-class averages ; so did the Sportsman, one believes ; as for Wisden, its attitude in the matter was that of sitting on the fence. These classifi­ cation problems are decidedly not rendered easier of elucidation b y the Wisdens of the early eighties. T h e M.C.C. at that time did not classify. They have done so in later years. It can scarcely be said that their decisions have helped to make straight the crooked paths or unravel the tangled skein, however. H. V. B a u m g a r t n e r , who played for South A frica early in the M.C.C. tour, is now Junior Assistant Treasurer to the Gold Coast Colony government. He can still get some cricket at Accra— th at is, if the climate leaves him energy to care for it. H is G r a c e the Duke of Portland— •who has always shown a great deal of interest in the Nottinghamshire club, has issued an urgent appeal to residents in the city and county for subscriptions to a fund to wipe out the debt under which the club labours. T h e normal expenditure of the club is roughly £4300, and there is also the interest on the debt. Members’ subscriptions last year totalled ^2454. Gate-money, rents, &c., were £ 1 790. The clearing of the debt, w ith a fair increase of membership, would pu t the club straight for the future. T h is appeal has had a fine response. The Duke himself contributes ^150, Sir Jesse Boot 250 guineas, Mr. T. S. Pearson-Gregory (T . S. Pearson of Rugby and Middlesex fame) ^250 ; the following £100 each-— His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, Sir Ernest Paget, Bart., Sir Thomas Birkin, Bart., Sir Charles Seely, Bart., Sir John Robinson, Col. R. L. Birkin, D.S.O., Mr. W . N. Hicking, the Proprietors of the Nottingham. Guardian, and Mr. J. D. Player ; the following £50 each— the R ight Hon. Lord Be’per, Sir Francis Ley, Bart., Col. Laycock, D.S.O ., Mr. T. Shipstone, and Mr. C. H ib b e rt; the following £2.5 each— the Right Hon. Earl Manvers, Mr. W . E. Denison, Mr. P. Smith, Mr. W . Hollins, Col. F. E . Seely, Mr. H. D. Snook, and Mr. T. P. Barber ; the following £2.0 each— Mr. F. E. Burton, Mr. H. C. W right, Mr. F. O. W righ t; Mr. C. A. Hingston, £15 ; the following ten guineas each— Sir E . Fraser, Mr. J. Wilson, Mr. C. S. Wright, and Mr. G. A. W ig ley; the following £\o each— the R ight Hon. Viscount Galway, Mr. E. Jardine, M.P., Mr. J. A. Dixon, Capt. Tomasson, Mr. T. Potter, Mr. W . Gunn, Mr. F. Hall, Mr. J. W . Newton, and Mr. Jesse Hind ; the following five guineas each— Capt. Oates, Mr. A. W . Shelton, the Rev. the Hon. R. Dalrymple, Messrs. H. B. and B. O. Halford, and Mr. A. Mather ; the following £5 each— Mr. O. Homberger, Mr. W . Black, Dr. Tinsley Lindley, Mr. C. Hemingway, the R ight Hon. F. J. Savile Foljambe, Col. Le Marchant, Mr. R. M. Knowles, and Mr. A. Barlow ; while there are also a number of subscribers of smaller sums, with doubtless many more to come. The Notts C.C.C. has good friends,' and plenty of them, evidently. F r a n k W a l t e r s , who came to England w ith the 1890 Australian team, once came upon H arry Hilliard (whose obituary notice appears on another page) watching Trumper play one of his masterful innings on the Sydney ground. " You never saw anything like that in your days, H arry,” he remarked. " Perhaps n o t ; perhaps not,” replied the old-timer. “ B u t you must remember that we played in the kitchen. You youngsters are drawing-room players.” W h ic h reminds one of old William Clarke’s description of the famous Joe Guy as “ hall hease hand helegance— fit to play before the Queen in ’er hown parlour ! ” A f t e r the F irst Australian Team left for England, Harry Hilliard, then a maker o f bats, took it into his head to follow them. He did so, and saw most of their matches here. But he missed that wonderful match at Lord’s when the M.C.C. were smitten hip and-thigh, put out for 19 and 43, and beaten b y 10 wickets in a single day. I n the early days of the intercolonial match, Hilliard used to say, the New South Wales teams were known as the tea-drinkers. The Victorians preferred ale. V i c t o r i a won five of the first seven matches. A S o n g of C r ic k e t. T h is came to us via a New Zealand enthusiast, who thinks it was published first in the Sydney Bulletin. The Editor of the Bulletin says he cannot find that it ever appeared in his paper, but desires acknowiedgment to be made if it is quoted. (N.B.— This must be in the way of a joke— the Bulletin is an alleged humorous paper.) We acknowledge— that we don’t know (and really don’t mind) whether it appeared in the Bulletin or not, or indeed where it appeared. The sentiment of the verses is irreproachable ; and some of the advice is quite good ; but the Editor suggests that the man who counsels a batsman to break his duck by a snick to leg has yet a good deal to learn about the game. Furthermore, though it’s better to stop a ball with your body than to let it go past, it’s cleaner and neater— also more effective— to use your hands. Footer has fled and hockey is dead, But this is no time for repining ; For who can be glum ?— the wicket is plumb, The sun overhead’s brightly shining. So bring out them all, bat, wickets, and ball, And sling me a silly half-volley ; I’ll hit it to heaven, and score an eleven— I feel so uncommonly jolly ! Oh, batsman, don’t flinch a tenth of an inch ; The bowler is bowling greas’d lightning : But snick him to leg and break your duck’s egg, And scramble across to the whit’ning. Come, back up your man, sneak a run when you can ; Watch the ball till you see all the stitches ; And don’t play the fool; with yorkers the rule Is smother the ball where it pitches. And bowler, to you a caution or two, To save your own side from disaster ; Don’t mind if you’re hit, tempt the batsmen a bit, And vary your slows with a faster ; Keep him all in a fret as to what’s coming yet, For if he gets set he will trouble you— And if (for his sins) you bowl at his shins Don't shout for a mean l.b.w. And you, fieldsmen all, dash in to the ball; Get in front so that if it goes by you It must bore a hole through you, body and soul, However that process may try you. If the batsman should sky one ever so high Don’t get in a fidgetty flutter, But quietly stop just where it will drop Into fingers quite guiltless of butter. Oh, footer has fled and hockey is dead, They’ve gone with the snow and the holly ; But summer is here, so, cricketers, cheer, For who can be now melancholy ? The grass glistens green with emerald sheen And birds sing in every thicket ; Send care to the dogs and put on your togs And never say die while there’s cricket.

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