My Cricketing Days

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 538, 15 December 1928, Page 27

My Cricketing Days

Reminiscence is a thing in which I rarely indulge. There are occasions, however, in which lifelong habits go by, the board and resolutions are shattered. My two brothers and I first played together in the Eton Eleven In 1877. I had previously played against Winchester in 1875 and 1870 and against Harrow in 1876, being twelfth man in 1875. In the match against Winchester we made 52, 54, and 53 runs respectively. G. B. and I went in first and, I believe, scored 100 without loss of a wicket. EtO" won comfortably. Against Harrow we had a good game, but it was spoilt by rain and stopped at an interesting point. My brother, G. 8., who was the smallest of the three of us and at that time used a bat not quite full size, was a very steady player. He used to go in first with me, and in the last innings of the match we had 188 runs to make. It was in this innings that G. B. hit a ball over the ropes for six, much to our delight and the amazement of the

spectators, for the contrast between the smallness of the player and the largeness of the hit was remarkable. We remained together until the score was about 50. and when rain stopped Play a little later 110 runs were needed to win, but we still had nine wickets in hand. it may encourage young cricketers to know that in my last year in the Btou Eleven I began my cricket for the school with five o’s, the last two a Pair of spectacles and the last one of ail due to an excellent catch at long leg. That is what I call luck! If a new choice had so begun his career, the powers that be would never have Itad patience to wait until nis luck turned.

From Eton I entered a firm of indigo and tea brokers of the City of London, to learn the business with a view to going into a similar office in Calcutta. Instead of my being paid for my seryices, the firm required a big premium to teach me my job. After two years my plans were changed and I went to Cambridge University. Mr. A- G- Steel gave me my blue in my first year, and so enabled me to play again with my two brothers G. B. and £'■ T. Eventually we each played four times against Oxford. It was "Punch” who first referred to my brothers and me as "a set of Studds,” a title which became as famous journalistically in the cricket

Sir Kynaston Studd’s Memories

world as “the three Graces.” A young son of a friend, a well-known banker in the City, was given a set of studs. Each was engraved with the initials of on- of us. Whichever Studd made top score on any day when ail three were playing, the stud with his initials went top in the shirt at dinner that night.

In one of our Oxford and Cambridge matches there occurred a humorous incident. One of the Oxford men, after he had made his stroke from the pavilion end, instead of running toward the nursery wicket. turned round and ran a considerable distance toward the pavilion. He was only recalled to a knowledge of his error by the roars of laughter of the spectators. Fortunately for him, he was running behind his own wicket and could- not be run out. C. T. was a remarkably good steady howler. I, on the contrary, was erratic, but sometimes useful. In 1884, Cambridge was playing against the Australians at Cambridge. Murdoch was well in, with little prospect of being got rid of, and recently he had made 200 runs in one innings, so the outlook was not happy. Knowing the erratic sort of ball which might easily be sent down, a field was placed by the ropes at square third man. Sure enough, the third ball of the over, instead of being straight, was a wide long hop, but so had that it tempted Murdoch to hit. Murdoch did hit, and was well caught by the deep third man. The ordinary bowling was resumed next over.

That match gave me the most interesting over I ever had. The Australians had a new slow bowler with a great reputation. The day was fine, the wicket true, the batsmen in good fettle, with the result that in this particuar over every ball but one was hit for four or else out of the ground The most famous match we played together was that in 18S2, against the Australians, at Cambridge. It was this Australian team which for the first time won the rubber against England. The Australians won the toss and we got them out with 157. There were no mistakes in the field. C.T. made 118 in our first innings, and in the end the Australians put us in to make 166. They were quite happy as to the result, but G. B. and I happened to be in form, and at lunch time 100 runs had been scored without loss of a wicket. We won the match by six wickets, my score being 66, G. B.’s 48, and C. T. 15 not out. The biggest score I ever made was 156 for the University against the Gentlemen of England when we had to make over 300 runs in order to save the follow-on.