Veteran Cricketers’ Record made in 1878 is Still Unbroken.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 627, 3 December 1932, Page 17 (Supplement)

Veteran Cricketers’ Record made in 1878 is Still Unbroken.

SUMMER, and particularly when England and Australia meet in a test match series, old cricket records are broken and fresh ones established—but one old resident of Christchurch, as he sits in his Riccarton home in the days of his retirement, can pick up the newspapers and scan the cables with little fear of finding that a record which he and another made as long is fifty-seven years ago, has gone by he board.

Mr David Ashby has passed his ightieth birthday, but his interest in -he game is as keen as ever, and one of his clearest recollections is of that glorious occasion when he and Billy Frith bowled out a strong Auckland epresentative eleven, on their home ground, for the score of only 13 runs, eight of which were byes. That was in 1878, and the annals of first-class cricket in New Zealand show nothing since to compare with that magnificent bowling feat.

Dave Ashby was only twenty-three years of age when he elected to try his luck in a new country, and left England for New Zealand. His first concern was to find work, and “when he landed at Nelson in 1875 he could not find a position in that locality, so with a companion he made his way as best he could to Canterbury. Christchurch saw no better luck attend him, so he and his friend packed their swags and s^ar^e< i out to walk to Dunedin.

That seems a stupendous feat in these days, the sort of thing that would only be indulged in by a trained athlete, for a wager. Bv the time the pair had reached Ashburton the same conclusion was beginning to dawn on Dave Ashby’s friend.

'* They say Grigg, ci Longbeach, will take on anyone who i* willing to work,” sa:d the friend, and, being mere willing

to work than to walk any further, made for Longbeach and the prospect of a job. Ashby was undeterred, and kept going till he reached the southern city, only to find that jobs were as scarce there as in the other end of the Island. First Game in New Zealand. “ I played a game of cricket at Lawrence, said Mr Ashby, when reminiscing a few days ago. “No one took particular notice of me down there. However, I was getting short of money, and as there was nothing doing in Otago I set out for Christchurch again. If his cricketing ability, developed while he played with masters of the game in Surrey, was not noticed in Dunedin, it certainly was in Christchurch. He managed to get a game in a club fixture at Hagley Park, and the men of the United Club’s first team were surprised to find their best bowling defied to the tune of a merry fifty by an unknown, fair-headed youth, and to see their wickets fall to his fast round-arm bowling. There were plenty of enthusiasts then who were on the look-out to encourage all talent, and they started immediately to look round for a job that would keep young Ashby in Christchurch. One was found for him by the late Mr William Wood, in his flour mill at Addington, and through that opportunity he came permanently into the cricket of Christchurch and the province of Canterbury. It is worthy of note that Mr Ashby retained his position with W ood’s flour mill for fifty years, finally receiving a pension from the sons of

i ec original Mr Wood, who are now the proprietors of that well-known business. So great was the impression he made in that first club game that Ashby was

immediately included In the Canterbury :side to play Otago, and he scored a ibrilliant 56 against that side. He was prominent with both bat and ball for many seasons, playing in the representative games and against all the visiting sides from other countries. Had there been a New Zealand eleven at that time he would have been one of the first selections, for he was undoubtedly one of the finest all-rounders in the country. At that time cricket was very strong in Canterbury. Among the names Mr Ashby calls to mind are those or Arthur Ollivier, a sound batsman and a great fighter, C. C. Corff, Johnny Fowler, a splendid bat and a wonderful fieldsman, H. W. Moore and H. FI. Secretan. He mentions as one of the men who worked hardest for the game the captain of the Canterbury side, W. F. Neilsen. Neilsen was a fine captain, and was so keen that on two occasions he himself arranged for tours of the Canterbury side, when the authorities would not undertake the project. He died early, while still in hiis twenties, and Mr Ashby says that it was impossible to estimate the loss to the game. Neilsen it was who, in 1878, arranged the trip to Auckland that ended so auspiciously. “ He got it up on his own account,” said Mr Ashby. “ Those who were in control at the time would not do it. and if we had not won I doubt if the match would have received official notice! However, we did win, and the game is recorded as an interprovincial fixture. “ Frith and I got them out for 13 in the second innings,” said Mr Ashby.

“ There was rain and the -wicket was drying, so we got a lot of help that way,” he added modestly. “ Dashed Good Bowling! ” To hear him describe the achievement one would think that dismissing a strong representative side for 13 was an everyday thing. Others, however, tell a different tale, and all insist that the sensational collapse of the Auckland men was due to brilliant bowling. Only recently a cricket enthusiast of this city met Mr Alfred Whittaker, and asked him if he remembered that historic occasion. “ I should,” was Mr Whittaker’s reply, “seeing that I was the umpire!” “ The wicket must have been bad to enable them to bowl Auckland for so few rung.” j “ No,” was the reply, “ it was nothing but dashed good bowling, though what little element of luck there .was certainly went against the batsmen.” Ashby took five wickets for two runs, and Frith three wickets for 3 runs. Ashby bowled sixty-two balls and Frith sixty. Charlie Frith, whom Mr Ashby considered one of the best bowlers New Zealand ever had, was unable to bowl on that occasion through an injury to his finger, but Billy certainly made up for his brother’s inability. The Auckland side included such men as W. W. Robinson, R. J. Yates, Lynch and W. F. Buckland. Other Canterbury men whose names are recalled by Mr Ashby in connection with his early cricket in Canterbury are those of J. S. Sweet, an express trundler of irreproachable length, George Watson, a first-class left-hander who made 170 against Otago on one

= j occasion, E. Fowler, an Australian t player who came to Canterbury and ! was a fine wicketkeeper and a sound bat, and E. T. A. Fuller, a great bowler - Then came on Johnny Hartland, a product of Christ’s College, and de > Maus. Famous Names. , “ Bert de Maus,” said Mr Ashby, . “ was one of the very finest batsmen in New Zealand at the time, but he f was somewhat lazy in the field. Then there were Mr F. Wilding, a fine allrounder with a great temperament. He often dragged us out of a tight place. ; “ I remember when Dan Reese first turned out in the Midland field, in 1 knickerbockers. Dan developed into the finest all-rounder we had, and his >| brother Tommy was a good player, too. - We trusted a good deal to Christ’s Coli lege and new arrivals from England for s °ur best cricket talent. There were some university men arriving in the , province, and Christ’s College turned . out some wonderfully, good players. i Hartland was one and Johnny Cotterill ' was another. My first club was the Midland, but l we were so strong in bowling that Frith > and I went over to United. We had > more interesting matches then, but one - captain bowled the life out of me, so . I went back to Midland.” When the English eleven visited Nevv Zealand in 1876 Mr Ashby played ’ against men with whom he had come i into contact on the cricket fields of ’ England. Jupp and Southerton were > his personal friends. - “ They were too good for us,” is Mr Ashby’s recollection of the match beJ tween the visitors and Canterbury.

1 “but we put up a good showing. That match was played at Hagley Park, and! there was a wonderful attendance for! • a city of only 25,000 people. Fifty! runs were as good as a hundred then.” Australians Beaten. Mr Ashby played against another English side a few * years later, and against Murdoch’s Australians, a side which included such mighty players as Spofforth, Blackham, Gregory and the Bannermans. That was the historic game in -which the Australians were beaten by Canterbury by six wickets. Australia’s first innings produced only 46 runs, Ashby taking two for nineteen,' Charlie Frith three for 22, and Billy Frith three wickets for only two runs.! In the second innings Australia made; 143, but Fuller took eight wickets for! 35 runs. That is an excellent indica- ‘ tion of the calibre of the Canterbury! bowling in those days. The defeat was the only one sustained by the Australians before they went to England. A tour of which Mr Ashby has pleasant recollections was another inaugurated by the enterprising Neilsen, who ; actually took a Canterbury eleven to i Melbourne on his own account. There l the side played six games against the : leading Melbourne clubs, and came out: ) of the tour with credit, winning three | matches and losing three. In that; l series of games Mr Ashby had fair'j l success with the ball, and was several 1 : times top scorer for his side. : Travelling in those days was a real : proposition. When Neilsen’s side was returning from Auckland by boat, with - an engagement to play Wellington on - the way, rough weather was encoun- . tered. and the ship arrived in the Well-

time were Jupp, Tom Humphrey, Southerton, and Pooley. Soon after came Lohman as a bowler and Maurice Reed as a bat. Strachan was captain of the side, and Tobin was another amateur. There were not many good amateurs playing just at that time, but in the years 1878 to 1880 the gentlemen could beat the players almost “ as they liked.” The amateur sides included such renowned players as the Lyttelton brothers, A. D. Studd, C. T. Studd, afterwards a missionary to China, J. T. K. Studd, who became Lord Mayor of London, the Lucas brothers, and W. G., G. F., and E. M. Grace. G. F. Grace was described by Mr Ashby as a splendid all rounder, but he died early. Trumper’s Great Knock. Mr Ashby places W. G. Grace as the finest batsman and Spofforth as the finest bowler the game has known, but for an individual innings he mentions that of Victor Trumper against Canterbury at Lancaster Park. 44 Poor old Joe Bennett was sending down splendid balls,” said Mr Ashby, 44 but no matter how well Joe bowled, Trumper hit them all over the paddock. It was a marvellous exhibition of the art of batsmanship.” Mr Ashby only goes to see the most important cricket fixtures now, but his interest in I the game is unabated. Naturally his j thoughts turn more toward bowling than batting, and it is his opinion that the bowlers of England cannot be what they were fifty years ago. 4 4 4 If they were,” he said, 44 the New Zealand team would not have made such big scores against them.” Of Canterbury batsmen, he places Dan Reese, Bert de Maus, and J. D. Lawrence at the head of the list, and when bowlers are mentioned the names of Fuller and Charlie Frith leap first into his mind. There are others who would say that the name of Ashby should be well to the front, and mention with admiration those fast, somej what round arm deliveries which worki ed in so deceptively from the leg. An interview with Mr Ashby leaves [ an impression that would warm the ' heart of any cricketer. He was and is the ideal cricketer — a sportsman and

I ington harbour at midnight on the j 1 | day they were scheduled to play. The ] i Wellington men had evidently asked c the crew of a sailing vessel lying in i | the harbour to let them know when 1 j the Canterbury cricketers arrived, for c ) hardly had they berthed when a cannon ! roared from the sailing ship, and woke \ the whole of Wellington. j “We met Moorhouse, the engineer, i at the hotel,” said Mr Ashby with a t smile, “ and we did not get to bed till after two o’clock. But we beat Well- ' c ington next day!” ( Took Grace’s Wicket. The first time Mr Ashby travelled to | Otago with a Canterbury side the journey was wholly by water, but on the . second trip the team went by rail as j far as Oamaru. Then they embarked on a paddle steamer, and as the weather was rough and the ship rolled the journey was not without its thrills, j Mr Ashby’s first recollection of big j cricket was when he played for the i Colts of England against an M.C.C. side 1 at Lords. i “ I got a few wickets,” said Mr Ashby. “ Indeed, another Surrey boy and I c were getting them all, and the skipper ' said he would have to take us off to give the others a chance. Arthur ( Shrewsbury was playing with us then, c and he was the only man 1 knew who! could play Alfred Shaw properly. Shawl 1 was probably the greatest slow bowler 1 of the time. 1 1 “ I was given one game for Surrey! against the M.C.C. at Lords, and - another against Notts. At Lords I ' bowled against W. G. Grace, and he i was caught off my bowling. “ You may talk of vour Trumpers ; and your Bradmans,” said Mr Ashby, - “ but it is hard to credit them with being quite the equals of W.G. He ! had to play on wickets that were com- ! paratively bad. He was really won- - derful.” j One of Alfred Shaw’s sayings comes ; in most appositely here. Shaw was noted for his accuracy, and could pitch' ; ! the ball with almost uncanny exacti- | tude. After a long spell of bowling to ; - W. G., when that great man was ini i his best form, the exasperated Shaw | was heard to exclaim, “I put’s ’em!, ! where I likes, and ’e puts ’em where I’e like's!”

1 Other players of Surrey in Mr Ashby’s a gentleman.