James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1895

T H ED U T C HC R I C K E T E R S . 2 9 C H A P T E R II. T H ED U T C HR I C K E T E R S in E N G L A. B YJ. B. H A T T. During the last season , the Dutch Cricketers paid a second visit to our shores . In 1892 they played a series of matches in Yorkshire --but their doings were shorn of a good deal of interest , whenit was found that the team was by no means a representative one. Fromone cause or another , four or five of the players chosen bythe Dutch Cricket Union, including Feith , by far the most reliable batsman, wereunable to accept and their places had to be filled by menpretty well downin the list . To make matters worse , the team came over with one reserve man, so that, even under the unusual strain of a fortnights ' continuous work, scant allow- ance could be made for wear and tear . In Holland, it may be remarked , the playing ofcricket is practically confined to the Sundays, and it is only under special circumstances , such as the advent of an English Eleven that the week-days are drawnupon for matches . It was, moreover , found impossible to follow the example of other visiting elevens , accustomed to cocoanut matting , whoare wont t osecure a few days' practice on a turf wicket before the commencementof an English tour . Bearing these facts in mind, our Dutch friends have no reason to be disheartened with the result of their visit , especially as they will have taken awaywith them lessons which they will not be slow to put into practice . W e hope that in a year or two they will be able to pay us another visit , and w e are sure that with their best team to the front their plucky efforts to master our national game will be rewarded , if not with complete success , at any rate with a much fuller measure than fell to their lot in 1894. Fromthe statistics that follow it will be seen that the Dutchmenplayed ten matches, lost seven, w o ntwo, anddrewone (in their favour). TheGentlemenof the M.C.C. madethe highest score against them, 429 for seven wickets , while the deadliest bowling they encountered seems to have been that of the Hampstead C.C. , Spofforth and Thornton dismissing them in the first innings for 28 (nine being extras ). Solomon played the highest innings for them--84 against the M.C.C.-and, as he scored consistently throughout the tour, he heads the list of batting averages . Posthuma, who was reckoned the sheet anchor of the team, played up to form in the first match or two, but then fell off , doubtless owing to theconstant strain of bowling . Weiss, Schröder and Trompde Haas also came out with double figures in the batting averages , and Hisgen played one good innings . The bowling was considerably better than the batting , and the credit of this lies mainly with Posthuma and Trompde Haas, who, out of 108 wickets that fell to the bowlers , secured 83 between them, the former having 51 and the latter 32. Posthuma is a left -hand bowler , breaking both ways and with great variety of pitch and pace . DeHaas bowls right -hand over , fairly fast , with an easy action and can get a considerable amount of work on the ball . The fielding still lacks precision and smartness , and in the present state of grounds in Holland , it is