Cricket 1914

252 THE WORLD OF CRICKET. J u n e 13 , 19 14 . So, on June 27th, an army of Old Haileyburians will pass through the main gates b y the porter’s lodge, whence rings that thrice accursed “ chapel bell." Bronzed men from service abroad, clerics, country squires, learned men of the law and the 'Varsities, men worn by the cares of the City and 'Change, writers, soldiers, all sorts and conditions of men will flock into th at gorgeous quadrangle which is reputed to be one of the finest in England. However worn they may be by cares, however blase by the modern speed of existence, there is not one whose pulse will not beat quicker and in whose throat there will not be that treacherous little lump of sentiment, when he sees the three winged hearts of Haileybury and the motto, “ Sursum Corda.” While even an ultra-patriotic Haileyburian cannot claim for his school the cricket glories of Eton and Harrow, yet the Hertfordshire College turns out numbers of good, if not brilliant, cricketers. E. S. M. Poyntz, the present captain of Somerset, is an O.H. (Edmonstone House). D. C. ----- +----- The 10,000 Runs and 1000 Wickets. S everal communications have reached us concerning Sydney Santall’s compilation in a recent issue. These are (quite naturally and properly) addressed to the Editor. But the Editor does not care for figures. I am sure he doesn’t know how many runs he has made in first-class cricket (or any cricket), and I doubt whether he knows how many centuries he has scored. Santall’s figures crept in behind his back, so to speak, though he has not grumbled about them. The point I want to make clear is that he is the very last man to decide whether they are correct or otherwise. Personally, I find such compilations of great interest. For tw enty years past I have kept them, and each year add to every batsman’s and bowler’s totals the figures necessary to bring them up-to-date.' B ut m y records were not available as a check upon Santall’s, for mine include all matches played abroad which I regard as first-class, and also some few matches in England which have not the official hall-mark. (For instance, I hold it absurd to say th at the West Indians were first-class in 1906, but not in 1900 ; and I am never absurd wilfully, so I include the 1900 figures.) My figures, then, include matches played in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India, the W est Indies, the United States, Canada, the Argentine, and E gypt, as well as in this country. Among Australians George Giffen finds places both in the 10,000 runs and xooo wickets lists ; Warwick Armstrong, M. A. Noble, Victor Trumper, Syd. Gregory, and Clement Hill all appear with 10,000 and more runs ; and several English names would be added to Santall’s list b y the inclusion of matches played on tour— B. J. T. Bosanquet (for the batting list) is one which I remember. Some day (when the broad back of A. C. M. is turned) I may publish my own figures. They won’t satisfy anybody. No such figures ever will, because classification even now is a chancy and arbitrary business, and in former days it was simply chaotic. Meanwhile, to deal with Mr. Santall’s critics. One points out mistakes as to dates of first and last appearances in the cases of several players— among them Louis Hall and (but he won’t mind) a certain old England captain. Another says th at Santall must have included John Gunn’s 1903 batting twice over, which (if correct, as would seem to be the case) was giving Gunn some­ thing more than justice. B ut th at such things may easily be done I can testify. I remember a difficulty in making H. P. Chaplin’s figures check correctly a year or two ago— elucidated by the discovery th at at the end of the previous season I had credited him with Philip Cartwright’s innings and runs in addition to his own ! Our contributor, I know, did the work in a very short space of time, believing th at the article was needed at once. A fter­ wards he sent me several corrections. Given more time, he would have been as nearly correct as a man m ay be in such matters, I do believe ; for he has a talent for statistics and that love of them without which they are never done thoroughly. There seems a general agreement among the critics that it is a pity not to include matches played in Australia. But if in Australia, why not elsewhere ? And herein comes a difficulty. I believe I possess something more like a complete record of important cricket abroad than anyone else in this country (or probably in the world) ; but mine is not absolutely complete. A few matches are still lacking, and others have holes in them— discrepant totals, incomplete bowling analyses, and the like. One critic— himself a statistician of note— has gone to the trouble of working out the figures of the Notts players. He makes William Gunn’s total 25,676; Shrewsbury’s 26,518; A. O. Jones’s, 22,772 ; John Gunn’s, 16,328 ; Iremonger’s 15,561 ; William Barnes’s 15,588 ; Flowers’s 12,938 ; George Gunn’s 13,638 ; William Lockwood’s 10,673 ; Richard D aft’s 10,020 ; Hardstafi’s 11,023 ; and adds George Parr’s— 6963 in first-class, 9994 in minor matches (A.E.E. v. X X I I ’s, and so on). As to the bowlers, he credits Alfred Shaw with 2122 wickets ; Attewell with 1976 ; Wass with 1597 ; Lockwood w ith 1376 ; Morley with 1263 ; Flowers with 1180; John Gunn with 1058 ; George Wootton with 1029 ; and Hallam w ith 1012. Several of these took an enormous number of wickets in minor games, but these figures are for first-class, matches only. In both batting and bowling totals Australian tours are included. J. N. P. ------------ + ---------- Obituary. J am es Y e a d o n was bom at the Yorkshire village bearing the samejname, on December n , 1861; he died there on May 30. He was a well-known wicket-keeper, and a fair batsman. In 1886 he appeared for Yorkshire Colts v. Notts Colts at Sheffield, and a year later for^Colts of the North v. Colts of the South, at Lord’s. In 1888 he kept wicket for Yorkshire in four matches, making six catches and stumping three. His best score was 22 against Cambridge Univer­ sity. Shortly afterwards he had the misfortune to be run over, with the result that one leg was so badly crushed as to put an end to his cricketing career. During the season of 1898 Yeadon was one of the first-class umpires. M r . B en jam in P resto n was born at Lowestoft, on April 20, 1846, and died at his native place, on June 4. He was educated at West­ minster School and at Caius C ollege, C am bridge. H e p la y ed in the Cambridge Eleven of 1869, scoring 5 and o against Oxford. Although he played in all the trial matches the following season— when he was Treasurer to the C.U.C.C.— and secured an average of 21, he stood down from the University match, which will always be memorable for Cobden’s “ hat trick.” From 1867 to 1885 M r. Preston was an occasional member of the Suffolk County Eleven, his highest score for the county being 68 v. Essex in 1876. For Cambridge his best score was 48 v. B irk en h ead P a rk in 1870. M r . C h a r les A lu r e d L a m be r t S w a l e , of Ingfield Hall, Settle, committed suicide by drowning himself, on November 26, 1913, at the age of 43. Mr. Swale was captain of the Settle C .C . and a well-known member of the Yorkshire Gentlemen C.C. M r . A lfr e d H ugh S t r a t fo r d , whose death was recorded in last week’s issue, was three seasons, 1871-1873, a member of the Malvern College XI. H e played in 18 matches for Middlesex between 1877-1880, scoring 231 runs in 23 completed innings, and taking 61 wickets for 1,054 runs. In 1876 he accomplished two remarkable bowling per­ formances in club cricket, taking 17 wickets out of 20 for Incogniti v. Ealing, and 18 out of 20 (besides making a catch from another bowler) for Kensington Park v. Bickley Park. Mr. Stratford was bom at Kensington, in London, September 5, 1853 ; the date of his birth being erroneously stated last week. A. C. D ------------ + ------------ Answers to Correspondents. G. W.— The Oxford captains during the period you mention were : 1871 and 1872, E. F. S. Tylecote; 1873, C. J. Ottaway; 1874, W. Law ; 1875, A. W. Ridley; 1876, W. H. Game. Apologies for delay in replying; card was mislaid. ----- +----- T h e Rippon twins (Sydney 93*, Dudley 41) batted well for Bath v. M.C.C. on Saturday. It is curious that one should have heard nothing of this very hefty pair until the present season. They must have been getting them in the past. C. S an d o e , of All Hallows School, has done the hat trick twice this season. F or Christ’s College, Brecon, v. Brecon Sports Club on Saturday, A. B. Price took all 10 wickets for 6 runs. H a r r o d ian s (148) beat Catford Excelsior (47) heavily at Mill Lodge, Barnes. K. N. Clapton (54) and C. L. Wheeler (29) were chief scorers for the winners, and L. T. Bateman bowled very effectively. A. F. Andrew stuck well to his work at the crease for the losers, and took 6 or 64. K ew (116) beat Putney (41). F. Charity made 51 for the winners, and Grimes took 6 wickets cheaply.