NOTES BY SLIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2058, 3 August 1893, Page 33

NOTES BY SLIP.

The improvement in Sussex cricket this season was emphasised last week by the county handsomely defeating the premiers, Surrey. The county championship will not be kept at Eennington Oval this year, for Surrey have already been defeated six times in the county contests.

Street, who troubled the Australian bowlers in the, Surrey match last week, has evidently taken the place in the county team of some older player who has been shunted. He was tried in a few minor matches last season, and played five innings for an average of 29*3, his best score being 47 against Essex. K. J. Key and J. Shuter were both left out of the county eleven, which only contained one amateur player— W. W. Bead. Shrewsbury, who has recently been piling up some ' heavy scores, opened his season badly. He is, however, a notoriously bad starter, and last year, as well as this, he got off his mark very badly, yet he finished at the top of the

As compared with the poor show made by Shrewsbury atthe beginning of the season, W. G. Grace's success was really remarkable. Though within a few days of completing his 45th year, he was found in one short week knocking up a superb 96 against Middlesex, and going clean through the innings against Surrey. On the latter occasion he claimed 61 out o£ a total of 105, which shows (the Athletic News remarks) that the old doctor can not only stillskeep his end up, but make runs where younger men fail. The lightning-like deliveries of the phenomenal Richardson had no terrors for him, and he played the bowling with the utmost confidence.

A cable message received last week states that H. T. Hewett, one of the leading amateur

cricketers of England, has resigned his connection with the Somerset county team. He is disgusted at their clamouring againsb the action of the umpires. He has quarrelled, moreover, with L. C. H. Palairct, the Oxford captain, who is also a prominent Somerset cricketer, and who, ib will be remembered, assisted Hewetb lasb season to put up the record— 346 rune— for a first wicket partnership in Brßt-olass crioket. That was a curious cable lasb week, in which ib was suggested that, owing to differences with other members of the Australian team, G. Giffen could not always be trusted to bowl and that he fielded badly. If the suggestion be based on substantial ground, the repeated failures of Giffen with the bat may be similarly accounted for.

Cricket and the Athletic News both ascribe the improvement which is manifesbed this year in Sussex cricket, in some measure, to the inclusion of W. L. Murdooh in the eleven. The ex- Australian is captain of the team, and no doubt (says the Athletic News) his wide experience and also his capital batting have had a great deal to do with the county's agreeable change in results. After Sbacklock had taken his four wickets in successive balls in the match between Notts and Somersetshire, a uniaue compliment was paid bo him, a little girl crossing the ground from one of the carriages, running right amongst the playors and stopping the game, and handing him a present from a Notts sportsman who was present. Richardson, the young Surrey professional, who has made such a remarkably successful first year's appearance in first-class cricket, is a stalwart-built young fellow who is apparently endowed with great strength and staying powers. He is by far the fastest bowler in England, and the yorker with which he takes the most wickets is by 'some judges declared to be the most deadliest they have yet seen. His action is being narrowly watched, and several authorities — among them W. L. Murdoch — aver that he throws. The cabled report which reached Dunedin of the Australians' match against Middlesex, played ab Lord's last week, was incomplete, but the portion of the message which was omitted appeared in the northern papers. From this I learn that the Australians in their second innings scored 457, Trott making 145, Gregory 112, and Turner (not out) 65. Trott is evidently batting in great form and this is the second century he has scored lately, while, after the good account he has given of himself throughout the tour, ib is indeed. pleasing that ' Gregory should have got into three figures. The first match of the season between Lancashire and Surrey was commenced at Manchester on June 8. On the first day, the home county played far the best cricket, but on the second day they collapsed, and in the end Surrey claimed the victory with seven wickets to Bpare. Lancashire, having first bat, scored 230, Sugg contributing 55 in finestyle and Ward and A. C. MacLaren scoring 41 and 39 respectively. Surrey replied with 263, but they would have fared badly but for an unfinished innings of 147 by W. W. Read— whose play was as skilful and attractive as anything witnessed during the season— the next highest score being Brockwell's 41. In the second innings Lookwood and Richardson disposed of the Lancashire Eleven for 121 (Baker 34). This left Surrey with 89 to get and they scored 92 for three wickets (Abel not out 54). The captain of the West Derby second eleven has informed a Home paper of what he describes as a peculiar incident. They were playing Stanley, and one of their opponents struck a ball.which firmly lodged in the top of one of his pads. The West Derby wicketkeeper promptly realised the situation, and gently relieved the Stanley man of the ball, the Stanley man thereupon retiring as gracefully as he could. The Stanley man has apparently not read, cricket history, or he would have set off round the field at full speed wibh his opponents in hot pursuit. That is the old story, and has a better finish to it than that of the West Derby captain's. Maurice Read relates a couple of good anecdotes about Bob Thorns, the well-known umpire. After remarking that the first 50 he ever got in a first-class match was against Sussex in 1880, Read goes on to say : "By the way, when we were playing Sussex last year at Brighton, Humphreys bowled a ball at Mr Walter Read, which seemed to me to break about a foot. He appealed to Thorns, who seemed to hesitate a moment, and then said, 1 I'll look it up in Lillywhite's Guide to-night, and let you know to-morrow.' I'm sure I don't know how I gob through the next over, for everybody, including Bean, who was bowling, was laughing tremendously. Once, when we made about 600 againsb Hampshire, one of the bowlers continually appealed to Thorns, until he couldn't stand it any longer. Then he said, ' Look here, my son, if you can't get the men out you had better let somebody else bowl. I'm not going to get them out ! ' "