CRICKET,

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 104, 30 October 1900, Page 2

CRICKET,

ENGLISH CRICKET NOTES. 1 REVIEW OP THE SEASON. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 22nd September. It was not until Saturday last that the last first-class cricket season of the Nineteenth Century terminated. It has been in many respects a remarkable one. Perhaps its chief characteristic has been the^ splendid performances of certain individual batsmen and bowlers. For instance, Ranjitsinghji has again exceeded his aggregate of 50UO runs, making a total of 3065 — all, of course, in first-class cricket. Last year he made 3161, but he played eighteen more innings. , So his average for this * year Is no less than 87.57 per innings, as against 63.18 last year. He has also established a new record by rnakiug five separate scores of over 200 each, his best being 275, while he and Abei have done something else that has never been tlone before, viz,, to score eleven "centuries" in a single season, Hnyward equalling Dr. Grace's record of ten. It was hoped that xtanjiwould beat the new record, and make a twelfth before the close of the season, but this honour was reserved fpr- Abel, the little Surrey professional, who takes third place in point of Aggregate, 2592, an. average of 56.34, Ray ward being second as to aggregate, 2693, and Fry in average, 61.18. It is curious that Abel should not .have been thought good enough to play> for England against 'Australia last year. It is equally cuiiqua that Albert Trott'was ■not thought good enough for the Australian Eleven, for., this ,ye,ar he has repeated his unprecedented "all-round" , feat 'of last - year, scoring oVer 1000 runs (1337) and taking over 200 -wickets (211)-. 'No other English or Australian cricketer has ever accomplished this feat. Trott has done it twice! .But it must be admitted that ,i.c was a somewhat, expensive bowler, , his wickdts costing 23 runs each. .As regards the bowling generally, it Bas been a case of York? and Lanes, first j • and the rest Jiowhcre. It is true that i Wells did good service for Middlesex -with his slows toward the end of the season, his average being onlyi 13 runs per wicket taken. But he only took 36 wickets in all. Rhodes, for Yorks., took 261, at an average only fractionally higher. Mold (Lanes.) ran him close with an average of 14, and Haigh' (York 3.) waa only behind Mold by a fraction, Webb (Lanes.) following close. Thus Yorkshire, with Rhodes and Haigh, and Lancashire, with Mold and *»ebb, were very strong in bowling, and to this they owe their decisive supremacy over ail the other counties. Yorkshire, indeed, passed through the season without sustaining a-i single defeat. But most of the great bowlers of recent seasons, have fallen lamentably from their pride of place. Richardson, the once mighty "Tom," had /an average of 24 runs per wicket scored against him j so had Woodcock ; Jack Hearne, 21, Bradley 26, Lockwood 20, Townsend 28, Hayward 32. The two young bowlers, from, whom muclj. was expected, Fargus (son of ''Hugh Conway," the novelist), and Dowson (son of the once famous Surrey batsman) proved complete , disappointments, having averages, of 30 and. 31 respectively. There has been a sad falling off in fielding, the number of missed catches being quite portentous. This has been very hard on the bowlers. Good results have been given by the alteration in rules allowing earlier '^declaration," and making the lollow-on optional with the larger-scoring side. Botn have been taken full advantage of, and so more matches have been hnished than otherwise would have been the case. But the temporary experiment ( at Lords in connection with "boundaries" proved a failure, and nothing else has been done to check the prevalent tendency toward innings of tedious length. ; At last Wednesday cricket seems about to gain some recognition from the public. Hitherto all trophies presented by public men and public bodies have been given for competition by Saturday players only, but a generous patron bas been found to remove the reproach. The proprietors of Suratura tea have promised a handsome trophy f°r competition by the United Tradesmen's Cricket Club, the allotment to be left to tue club committee. Ib is to be hoped that other cricket patrons may be found to follow so good an example. • The Secretary of the Porirua Cricket Club (Mr. 10. Windley) will .be pleased to arrange matches with any 'loams who have no engagements on any Saturday or Wednesday afternoons. Combined Drapers v. Orientals, No. 2 wicket.-- Drapers — Gibson, Wallace, Clater, Fnirbairn, Ell, Drxon, Tucker, Aleorn.'Paul, Birch, Parker; emergencies, Lo,mns, Duthie. Union Club v. Tradesmen. — Manning, Miller, Markmoh, Cusoc, O'Sulliyan, Ur-. win, Langdon, Gunn, Bernasconi, Valkmann, James ; emergencies, Cards, Tarraint, Ludwig.

Shipping business has been busy at the Bluff lately. On the 17th iiwt. tlio ICllmiirii took away 11,159 crates of rabbits, nud 4750 carcases of mutton. The Waiinate, now loading, takes 5300 crates of rabbits, 13,500 carcases of mutton nud 400 quarters of beef. The Wakanni, due at the port on Saturday, will clear with 20,000 crates of rabbits. 8000 carcases of mutton and 1100 quarters of beef. In round numbers these three vessels take away from tlje port 36,500 crates. of rabbits, 26,300 carcases of mutton and 1500 quarters of beef.