CRICKET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20045, 7 September 1920, Page 3

CRICKET.

THE GAME IN ENGLAND, WEATHER STOPS ’VARSITY MATCH, (Special to the “ Star.”) l-OXHOX, Jn)y Id. The weather lias'upset- cricket- to a ra \y great extent nil over the country ("■riles Air t. U. Wilson, ex-captain of wambmlgc Lniversity XI.). Lord';, £°t tlio,l nll benefit of it, luv, although Jtton were able to,bent -Harrow rather 1 easily again—ol which more hereafter —the great 'Varsity match was knocked on Hie head on the second day. Unit it would have been a great match is undeniable, if played right out. 1 cannot remember any year when both Bides were so certain of winning. They crossed Uettington with .Harriott, put a uondorlul lidding side against another nearly as good, ’compared averages and • performances ■ and—^-backed themselves. At one time it was possible' That a new match might be arranged, so anxious was everybody to see it played to u definite conclusion. But oucc they had started, this could not be. done. As a. great Cambridge player re.markcd; Von can t very well rob Bjchmoro of his runs in tlio 'Varsity match.” And you could not rob Harriott of bis bowling periormance. The Oxford batting was tamo at one time, but there was little prospect ot their winning in any ease. the mutch, in plain language, lisided out, and it was only m tho bowling line that one- .saw anvthiim Uko the strength of the two sides, Hton heat Harrow at Lord's for the seicnth time since IPGS, Harrow not having won a match at Lord’s since then. Ihe pessimistic remark of an old Harrovian, after the first hour’s play that ,“]itou will have to get some other school to play ns hero soon,” was not to be borne out. Harrow made a show, fortunately. They will do a good deal better next year and better still in a year or two to come. WW , Hill-Wood had another great personal success, though he did not get wickets as ho, did nr 1!)19, or fsicditen his men out. His batting was confidence personified. It one thing during the ’Varsity match-could liavo made it more sad ijkui it was, it was the news that was sent over the dap that Alr John Binder "as dead. I never had the honour of knowing him personally, but overvouo who did know him* a I ways spoke of'him with a particular reverence iis'-well as f singular pride. Ho was an, even belter captain than he was a cricketer, "Inch says a lot tor one who plaved for England: that was in 1888. ' Some ciickctcrs ol his (imo have imlicsitatingly called him the greatest captain ol Ins time, a. time which included, of course, Hr W. G. Grace. Hie Lancashire and -Hampshire s match, m which the latter conn tv was beaten by .one run, must have been i. "oudcrhil one to watch. .Major TcimvBon should have won that maich for Hampshire on his form of Hu’s vear : ip diliicnlties he has been quite, exeep--oual and he quite earned his place lor tho Gentlemen at Lord’s. Cook ' however—and what- a good bowler he s and how very lew bail ones ho bu\ls—had-him lor a .nought in the Hm oU |>Hv’'^ S - .i (: °.° k P. 01 ’ Plaeo tor t.Krs i f j |] l(J Jjorcl’s match, and earned it- on the season’s work. ' Pari;i " , ’JUK “ Iv'T diiy ’ s ’ sh:),! I»are Z^n'i ' Val,or H :' r,;!r]; ’- V out of Ins u t again to nm e with (hem. H. j nf ' for »m»tcur.s ■nid is probably m full practice after his -•oachmg at Woslminster, His baiting n ilnsjmatch last year was exception.-,j' l)ye Varsity „ len gol , |: ,} ;iCC - ]n amateurs sum. mure than mv faullv memory can remember for bug time. dupp played also. There L H a ! ; Ur ? ulld »matenr at the- moment " 10 J 5 c!oiI, fe r big things .with the exception, perhaps, 0 f j yy [j -iDouglas. - , • • . . There was an idea, that Mr H. P A i son would be selected lor the great march. Possibly he could not get awav As a. man l 0 have, on (he side .'however, o-i surely compare faroumblv ■yi d r -/X ender - Fender hit-hard m the Oval match, is 0 , splendid field and a. border of re/ute. R Tl. Wilson, however,. is a far better length bowler, n more cunning one and a more persistent one. He does not, as a- batsman, flick sixes, ono admits ; but he stays there to save a inatch—do Middlesex know?— and ho was_ once guilty nf a h.undved in tne \ arsitv match. His bowling last year for Yorkshire was wonderfully sound—he lid a great deal of the harder work, and left the difficult wickets to

the professors. lie is an all-round cricketer with a groat .personality, a statistician of enormous mcmoi-v,' and one witli an engaging wit; hut if he washes his hands at you, watch out! He can bite with a 'smile, as W-G. could, though he has not the heard yet. Hendren continues at the head of the balling averages. How plc.lsant it would be. to be If. Ashton, a. ’Varsity player and a fresher at that, sandwiched between him and Hobbs. feomeoiio wrote, by (ho way, Hint. Ashton holds the record score at Fenner’s, Cambridge. I believe, however, that W. N. Roe, the old Somerset cricketer, made Hu at Fenner’s in ISSI, a uot out innings. But here I might, as too often, I fear, be wrong. - It was .a. college match and not a first class one. which accounts for my learned brother’s slip of the pen. Hobbs continues to get an odd hundred when, apparently, he cares <0 do so. 11c must keep in the very finest fettle, however, -to be a better player—for one innings—than the Jam Sahib. It is really more than likely that this bat-and-ball .conjurer will play more for Sussex. A hot day—a hard wicket—and Ranji. It is still the ambition of the Sussex spectators. •