Cricket 1914

J u n e 6, 19 14 . THE WORLD OF CRICKET. H e had engagements a t various times with the Germantown C.C. at Manheim, in New York, and w ith the Moorestown C.C. T h e Haverford College team will sail for England on the “ Minnehaha ” on June 13, and are due in London on the 22nd. It is hoped th a t Mr. C. C. Morris, an old Haver- fordian, and one ot the best bats Philadelphia has ever had, will come as manager. Y e t another coincidence. In each innings of Leicester­ shire at Catford B lyth e bowled n overs for 18 runs and o wicket. H a m p s h ir e ’ s team will not be an easy one to choose if ■orwhen it chances that everyone is available. The county’s amateurs include E . M. Sprot, A. Jaques, Major J. G. Greig, C. B. F ry, the Hon. L. H. Tennyson, Lieut. G. C. Harrison, A. J. Evans, H. C. McDonell, and A. C. P. Arnold. W ith H . A. Haigh-Smith and H . Hesketh-Prichard, these would make b y no means a bad eleven. The professionals with claims to be considered are Mead, Bowell, Brown, Stone, Newman, Kennedy, Remnant, and Livesey. T a r r a n t insured his benefit for ^250. I t is s t a t e d that Bow ley, the Sussex colt, besides having a birth qualification for Surrey, is qualified for both Sussex and Hampshire, because his home at East Liss is on the border-line of the two counties and his bed is placed across the line ! No doubt he takes care that his head is in Sussex, the county to which he has attached himself. And yet— footwork is such an important part of batting that— well, one gives it up— especially as exactly the same story was told about Roberts, another Sussex colt, on what seemed good authority a year or two ago ! C o n w a y , who has made fugitive appearances in the Worcestershire X I for the last three or four years, is Worces­ tershire-born— a distinction which can scarcely be claimed by any other Worcestershire professional, unless (though this is doubtful) b y Fred Wheldon. B o w i e y was born at Brecon, and learned his cricket in D erb yshire; Burrows hailed from Yorkshire, and the clever little stumper with the almost colourless hair, Straw, from Notts. Arnold came from Devonshire; Pearson, Corden, and Bale from Surrey ; Gaukrodger from the North of Ireland, Collier from Banff, Wilson from Oxfordshire, and Cuffe from Australia. B u t Worcestershire is not alone in this matter, even in these days, when birth qualification is more highly con­ sidered, and Notts say they will not enlist Aubrey Faulkner because he is a colonial. H a m p s h ir e have Brown and Bowell from Oxfordshire, Pailip Mead and Livesey from Surrey, and Remnant from Kent. Northamptonshire have, or have had, Seymour from Sussex, Woolley and Haywood from K e n t ; Middlesex Jack Heame from Buckinghamshire, Tarrant, Roche, and A lbert T rott from Australia. Murrell, the younger Hearne, Clarke, and Hendren are all, one believes, Middlesex born. O f the Gloucestershire side, Langdon was born in Sussex, Dennett in Somerset, and Gange in South A frica. Somerset have Braund and Hardy from Surrey, and Robson from Yorkshire. Warwickshire play Quaife (Sussex), Kinneir (Wilts), Santall (Northants), Baker and Charlesworth (Lancashire), and Jeeves (Yorkshire). M ow in g C r icke t P itches . B y B a l d w y n P u g h . When a cricketer looks at the grass on his pitch a t the beginning of the season, w ith a view to bringing it into playable condition, his first idea is to get out the mowing machine and cut down the grass as closely as possible, after which the roller and machine are kept going as long as any grass, energy, or funds remain. The possible effect of such monotonous and harsh treat­ ment of the turf is seldom considered where the “ condition of the pitch ” is made superior to all other considerations, and so on the majority of grounds the policy of constant “ cutting ’em and rolling ’em ” is pursued w ithout any regard being paid to the ultimate fate of the turf. Whilst close mowing early in the season is of the greatest importance, it is also frequently the cause of the turf of a w icket being spoilt much sooner than it need be ; and it is w ith a view to assisting those responsible for the condition of the pitch and ground that this criticism is written, being assisted w ith some practical hints. When the grass on a w icket has been allowed, as it so often is, to look after itself during the autumn and winter months, it becomes long and ragged, while the procumbent and creeping stems that thicken the turf have grown aw ay from the ground. If this grass is cut very closely at first it suffers from the drastic use of the machine, and instead of tillering and forming a close bottom (which it is so important to get in the spring), the grass throws up embryonic flower stems which cause it to assume a coarse and almost tussocky nature. It is by the mowing of cricket pitches at the wrong time and in an unsuitable manner th at the greatest harm is often don e; and where it is desired to keep a good “ sole ” of grass on the pitch throughout the season it is well to p ay greater attention to the smallest details in regard to mowing. First of all, commence cutting as early in the year as possible. February is often the most suitable month for commencing mowing, although the turf can w ith advantage be mown in most cases all the year round, whenever the climatic conditions w ill permit of this being done. But judgment must be exercised as to mowing in the winter, as the grass should not be touched when it is too wet, or whilst frost or snow are about (though mowing when there are only two or three degrees of frost on the grass will'often do good) ; neither should a fine fescue turf be touched when a cold east wind is blowing. The greatest benefit to turf from mowing is derived in the months of February to May and September and October. Where grass has been allowed to grow during the winter, two or three cuttings should be done w ith the scythe, after which the mowing machine may be used ; but it is impor­ tant before using the machine at the beginning of the year to see that the knives of the cutting barrel as well as the ledger blade are sharpened and re-set and each bearing part is freed from rust and well oiled, as a free-running machine is not only easier to the user, but produces far better results on the grass. A t the first two or three cuttings the ledger blade, that is the fixed lower blade of the machine, should be set as high as possible, and gradually lowered in subsequent mowings until the turf is mown closely enough. The best time to mow is just when the dew or rain is drying off the grass, and, where practicable, between the hours of nine and eleven in the morning will be found the best period of the day. Do not mow a very fine turf in strong sunlight, but wait until the late evening or mow early in the morning. A t the commencement of the season it is a good plan to mow diagonally across the pitch two or three times, as b y this means any strong growing shoots of rye grass may often be cut and the turf is thickened.