Cricket 1914

206 THE WORLD OF CRICKET. J u n e 6, 1914. A lready he had proved that he had cricket in him : but in i g io he made a marked advance. L et it be admitted that the Cheshire bowling was not specially deadly, yet his 109 not out and 51 not out against it at Trent Bridge meant good work, and he made his runs well, too. This double performance got him a trial in the first X I a few weeks later ; but he failed to score on his trs t appearance, v. Sussex on the home ground. His best in five innings that year was 39 v. Derbyshire at Blackwell. The second X I (for which Lee had totalled 409 in 15 completed innings in 1910) had lapsed in 1911, and the young player had a regular place in the first. He made no high score— 40 v. Leicestershire and 42 v. Lancashire, both at Trent Bridge, his best— but he usually got some runs ; he was now and then useful as a change bowler, and he always fielded well. His best performance with the ball was 4 for 17 v. Sussex at Nottingham ; and as the four included Albert Relf and Cox it was no bad bag. He totalled 362 runs w ith an average of 14 48, and took in all 14 wickets at 28'35 each. In 1912 he had to give w ay to Alletson in the earlier matches, and did not play for the County till the middle of June. B ut Alletson, of whom so much had been hoped after his wonderful innings a t Hove in 1911, could not get going, and Lee stepped into his place. An innings of 93 not out, for which he batted 195 minutes, v. Lancashire at Trent Bridge enabled his side to save the follow-on, and substantially increased his reputation. Bu t until the last match, when he hit up 52 not out in 80 minutes v. Derbyshire at Blackwell, he did nothing more. His total in 1912 was 255, his average 19 61, and his 4 wickets cost 64 each. The young professional who has had a p retty good trial during two or three seasons and has done only moderately well is in jeopardy, and (unless he belongs to the swollen head band, who see no fault in themselves) he usually knows it. If he has real ability and the right temperament the knowledge does not hurt him ; it m ay even benefit him. I t did not hurt Lee. He was more essentially on trial in 1913 than in 1910, because in the earlier year comparatively small deeds were enough to satisfy his judges. Now he had to make good, as the American vernacular hath it. Lee made good. He did nothing startling in the earlier matches, though scores of 38 v. Sussex, 39 v. Gloucestershire, 36 v. Lancashire, and 37 and 68 v. Hants justified his continued selection. It was at Hove th at he played the innings which established him. His first duck in big cricket had been v. Sussex ; his first century was v. Sussex. It was a really fine innings. His side were 76 in arrears on the first hands ; but when he got out all danger of their defeat had been averted. He was missed in the slips at 65, and he gave one other chance ; but he stayed 5 hours 20 mins., and he scored 180, and, though never forcing the pace, he h it 31 fours. He and John Gunn added 231 in partnership. His 75 v. Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge a little later were made in^2$ hours, and he and George Gunn sent up 175 before a w icket fell. In the next match, against Yorkshire at Dewsbury, the same pair had a first w icket partnership of 94. Lee made 57 then. Against K ent at Canterbury he batted finely for 63. Then came his 200 not out v. Leicester­ shire at Trent Bridge. He batted just over 5 hours for that, scoring at a very good pace throughout, his driving being excellent, and his p lay on the leg side very clever. He was missed at 84, and had two slices of luck afterwards ; but an innings of 200 w ithout a chance is a rare thing. Two sixes and 16 fours were his chief strokes, and he and A. W . Carr, whofscored faster, added 333 in 3 hours for the second w icket. In the course of this innings he completed his thousand runs for the season, and at the finish had the excellent figures of 1087 in 35 innings, tw ice not out, average 32 93. He also took 25 wickets, though th ey cost nearly 30 runs each. He has started this season in style, w ith 126 v. M.C.C. at Lord’s and 83 v. Sussex at Trent Bridge, and is likely to score a heap of runs before it ends. Lee is of robust build. Not particularly tall, he has broad shoulders and powerful arms. There is promise of endurance as well as of ability in him ; he may be expected not only to bat well, but also to bat for a long tim e without tiring. As a bowler, it is hardly likely he will ever be more than a useful change ; but the leg break merchant is a particularly useful type of change, for some batsmen detest him as they detest no other type. ----- +,----- A u s t ra lia and New Z e a land , During the luncheon adjournment on the second day of the Australian Team’s last match in the Dominion, v. New Zealand, at Auckland, opportunity was taken by officials of the New Zealand Council and the Auckland Cricket Association to say a few farewell words to the visiting Australians. The president of the council, Mr. Heathcote Williams, after apologising for the absence of the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes and Sir Joseph Ward, congratulated Mr. Arthur Sims on the results of the happy idea he conceived a few months ago of bringing a representative Australian team to New Zealand. The result had been a visit from as fine a lot of fellows as one could wish to meet in any part of the world. Amongst the team were several international players of repute, and the whole team were players who had made their mark in the cricket field. One result of their visit would be that the cordial relations already existing between Australia and New Zealand cricketers would be still further strengthened. It was a New Zealander who had brought them over, and it was no disgrace to New Zealand to be beaten by such a team. The Australians had come over specially to teach New Zealand how the game should be played. They had done much good, and, as cricketers and men, would never be forgotten. Mr. Sims, in reply, said that he was glad the visitors had not outstayed their welcome. Everywhere they had gone they had been treated with the greatest hospitality, and in every place in New Zealand the local authorities had gone out of their way to make the visitors’ stay as pleasant as possible. Such was the feeling now existing between the two countries that New Zealanders could get a team from Australia at any time they liked and of any calibre they liked. He thanked the New Zealanders most heartily for the welcome they had given the visitors. Mr. M. A. Noble, in supporting Mr. Sims’s remarks, con­ gratulated the Auckland Association on securing such an admirable ground as Eden Park, a venture in which no mistake had been made. He owed a debt of gratitude to New Zealand, for when he first entered first-class cricket many years ago, his first tour away from Australia was to New Zealand. He hoped that the present tour would have a beneficial result on cricket in New Zealand, and that it might make for a little more enthusiasm amongst the people of the Dominion. But he also hoped that the Australians would be remembered, not only as cricketers but as men. If that were the case, they could feel that their visit had not been altogether in vain. There was, he concluded, no reason why cricket should not go ahead in New Zealand. Mr. Frank Laver said that everybody in New Zealand had done much for the visitors during their tour, but he wished to thank in particular Mr. F. C. Raphael, secretary of the New Zealand Council, and he congratulated the council on having such a man as secretary, a man whose interests were so much with them. Mr. Raphael’s kindness to the visitors had been such that they felt they would like to recognise it in some small way. Mr. Laver then handed to Mr. Raphael a magnificent silver rose bowl, on which the autographs of the team were engraved. Mr. Raphael briefly, but warmly, thanked the Australians for their present, which he said was wholly unexpected. Regarding their visit, he remarked that they had fully upheld the traditions of Australian cricket, and nothing more need be said.