Cricket 1914

J a n u a r y , 1914. THE WORLD OF CRICKET. 15 Barlow. Barlow was also umpiring when wc played Leicestershire at Edgbaston in 1895. A peculiar incident occurred during that game. On the second day, though it was a glorious afternoon, the state of the wicket would not allow of play. The crowd grew very angry. In order to satisfy them a scratch match was hastily arranged. Barlow entered into the fray with great enthusiasm, and was deputed to open the attack to Mr. De Trafford. Before many minutes had elapsed the Lei­ cestershire captain dispatched a ball from “ D ick y ” into the crowd. It was instantly seized by some indignant spectator, who quickly hurled it over the fence into the River Rea, which runs at the back of the ground. The exhibition thus came to an abrupt conclusion, greatly to Barlow’s disappointment. It does one good to see old stagers as keen as he. Porter. George Porter, the old Derbyshire cricketer, who stood well over six feet and weighed about 17 stones, was another umpire who often stood with us. One of his first matches was a t Edg­ baston, when we were playing Lancashire. The wicket was a beauty, and the heat overpowering. The northerners took advantage of this, and batted all day. When the hands of the pavilion clock pointed to six I said to Porter: “ Thank goodness there is only another half-hour, George ! ” He looked at me, and pathetically replied : “ Eh, lad, I ’m watching yon as well as thee.” Poor old chap, he was wearing cricket boots that day. When play ceased he found he could not get his ordinary footgear on. All who knew him can imagine the conspicuous figure he made as he trudged painfully through the Birmingham streets in his buckskins. Porter was a fine bowler when my career began. There were few men who could make the ball “ rear ” up more awkwardly than he. John Tyldesley and Jack Sharp. John Tyldesley scored his usual century in the game just referred to. He has a great partiality for the Edgbaston en­ closure. In his second county match he collected 152 not out on it. That was in 1895. Two years later he helped himself to a hundred in each innings. 1 well remember a gentleman coming up to me in that game and saying : “ Santall, why don’t you block Tyldesley’s strokes ? ” I answered : “ Give me another four men and I think I might perhaps begin to do it.” John’s strokes take some blocking, for he has every stroke on the board. When he and Jack Sharp get together we always look out for squalls, and generally get them. Had not Aston Viila had such a fine outside-right as Charley Athersmith was 15 years ago, Sharp might have been seen in the ranks of Warwickshire. I believe he did come to Edgbaston for a trial, but the first time I saw him perform was on Lord Ellesmere’s ground at Worsley, when T was playing for his lord­ ship’s team against Mr. Stanning’s X I. What capital matches those were, and how much they were appreciated by the villagers. We had great times at the Hall after the day’s cricket was over. found Lockwood still had the ball in his hand. Everybody laughed except “ Punter,” who was very much annoyed. Harry Wood had something to stop in those days ! Whiteside. Another wicket-keeper whose job was no sinecure was White­ side, of Leicestershire. He wore a chest protector and two pairs of pads on the Aylestone Ground at Leicester, and he needed them. Whiteside was a very useful man with the bat when his side were in a tight corner. In a match there many years ago Leicestershire had to play against the clock. Whiteside arrived, and informed us he had come to play out time. I at once bowled him a full toss, which went very near his head, whereupon he turned round and shouted : “ Come on, I can play you with the handle ! ” And he proceeded to do so. I think the incident upset the little man, as Field sent his off stump on a voyage of discovery in the next over. “ W. G.” I must say a few words about Dr. W. G. When a boy I often saw him play, both at Nottingham and in London. Whenever he got out I felt like shedding tears, and longed for the day when I might perhaps play against him. That day came in August, 1894. To my great delight (it makes such a difference when one is no longer a mere onlooker !) I succeeded in securing his wicket with the second ball I delivered to him. The redoubtable Shilton caught him at second slip. He instantly informed me I should have to stand him a “ small bottle ” for making the catch, and was quite indignant when I refused. The Edgbaston ground was not one of the Champion’s happy hunting-grounds. It is one of the few great enclosures on which he has never made a century. I shall never forget the reception he had from the Birmingham people when he played there in 1895. He had just completed his 1,000 runs in May. Quite 14,000 people were present that day, and they fairly “ brought the house down ” when he came in to bat. Lilley caught him at the wicket twice in the day, Gloucestershire having to follow on. Hayward. Last (but far from le a st) I come to Tom Hayward. When I was a youth at Peterborough, where I was born and learned my cricket, I often played against Tom ’s elder brother Dan, who is now head man at Fenners. When Dan heard I was taking to the game as a professional, he said to me : “ Why not go to the Oval ? I have a young brother there, who is going to be the finest batsman in England.” He never spoke truer words. That was in 1891. Three years afterwards I met Tom in my first match at the Oval. In that game I got him caught by Billy Quaife at cover from a skier. That was my first wicket in county cricket. Since that day he has given me weary limbs on many occasions, but there has been no player I have enjoyed watching more. Every movement he makes, every stroke he executes, is cricket as it should be played. My advice to all young cricketers is— Take Tom Hayward for your model. Richardson and Lockwood. I shall never forget poor Tom Richardson singing “ Tom Bowling ” there. He was one of my ideals ; the finest fast bowler it has been my lot to play against and one of the kindest- hearted men I ever met. Playing at the Oval once, Pallett and I were batting, when Tom bowled my partner out with a most remarkable ball. It pitched about 6 inches outside the off stump, and Pallett, refusing to be tempted, let it go, when it whipped back and sent his leg stump flying out of the ground. Mind out, young un,” I have heard him say many a time to a debutant, and then he would give him an easy one to get off the mark with. He and Billy Lockwood were the pair of bowlers I had to face on m y initial innings in first-class cricket. I had not been batting long before “ Locky ” bowled me his wonderful slow ball, the best of its kind I ever saw. When it passed my bat I had finished my stroke quite a long time. Looking round, I saw W. W. Read at point laughing heartily. I smiled back, but my smile was rather a sickly one. Lockwood’s action and run up to the wicket were perfection, although he was a terror for bowling no-balls. In one of our matches with Surrey at Edgbaston, Humphreys, the old Sussex lob-bowler, was umpiring, and had called him once or twice, at which Lockwood remon­ strated. An over or two afterwards he went well over the crease. “ No ball,” shouted Humphreys, but to his surprise TH E DEVON AND SOMERSET W AND ER ER S. This club’s 21st annual tour will be in Lincolnshire this year, July 4-13, with headquarters at the Seacroft Hotel, Skegness. The six matches played will be with Skegness and District (two), Spilsby and District, Notts Ramblers, Grantham, and Lincoln Lindum. Mr. W. S. Donne, of South Court, Castle Cary, captain and hon. sec. of the club since its formation, has never missed a single tour. The card of this year’s programme shows that the club has broken fresh ground nearly every year, visiting in succession from 1894 onwards the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Lake District, Holland, Paris, the Isle of Man again, Ireland, Somerset, North Wales, the Channel Islands again, the Eastern Counties, East Yorkshire, Lancashire, Sussex, Liverpool and District, Kent, Essex, East Yorkshire again, and East Kent. Paper Covers.— Price is. net. Post free, is. 2d. CURIOSITIES OF FIRST-CLASS CRICKET.— 1730 1901. A few copies only left of this interesting work. Interleaved for Notes, and bound in cloth. 5s. net, postage 3d. Collectors of Cricket Literature should secure one of these.— E. S e a l e , 10, Imperial Arcade, Lugdate, E.C.