STORIES ABOUT LORD HAWKE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2343, 9 November 1908, Page 6

STORIES ABOUT LORD HAWKE.

ENGLAND’S GREATEST CRICKET

CAPTAIN

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN A FAMO US SPOR-TAIAN'S CAREER,

“It is a delightful' phuso of cricket that while you make runs you make friends.” Lord Hawke has uttered a number of cricket maxims, but the foregoing -is, perhaps, the most characteristic of the- man who has captained the “Tykes” for a quarter of a century. His lordship is a great believer in .making friends, and few men are more successful in doing'so; but, then, few men, possess such a goodly portion of that “Open Sesame” to popularity —kindly tact. HIS LORDSHIP’S' OPINION OF

PROFESSIONAL CRICKETERS. A fine champion of the professional cricketer is Lord Hawke. “I can remember the dny,” he says, “when people were so proud to be seen speaking to a great cricketer, that professionals were beset by the spectators at a match asking them to have drinks, and all that. But now, if a professional! wants a. drink —-after the match—he pays -for it himself, and resents any pressing offers from admiring strangers. Look, too, how neatly and smartly they turn out of the ground ! They live soberly and thriftily, they are good citizens, they are 'good husbands and fathers, und they are the best company 'in the world. You never see a bed-minded, vile-living professional; they’re men, good, straight chaps—some of the very flower of the land!.”

A BIT OF LOCAL CRITICISM. Here is a bit of Yorkshire criticism overheard iat Harrogate, which furnishes a. striking illustration of the manner in which the man in the crowd regards Lord Hawke. “That’s Lord .Hawke.” “Wot, ’im as makes all them runs? Blow’d if he don’t look too heavy to run out a quarter of them. 'But I like si tlie look of ’im. Sort of kind to all men, but better to a poor man than a rich.” Which is all very true, for his lordship’s looks do not belie him. CHAMPION CRICKET TRAVEL. LER. Lord Hawke must be nearly the champion cricket traveller, for he lias covered well over 100,000 miles in liis zeal for the game. His experiences on tour include many curious and amusing incidents, but for downright fun his American trips would be hard to beat. “The people,” lie once remarked, “were the personification of hospitality. Tlie newspapers did not try to report the play, but devoted their columns-to us personally. “Sammy Woods took their fancy, and in, one of the- games ho was described as follows: ‘After Demon Woods arrived the (Staten Islanders were mowed down like wheat before a sickle. He is a big, brawny fellow; but nobody knows where he gets his speed from, unless it may come from the bottom of his pockets. During the overs he thrusts his hands deep into his flannels, and. only withdraws them to field a ball. In bowling.he takes a few fancy steps like a skirtdancer, and kicks out like a Georgia mule before letting the ball go.’ ”

THE LAY OF THE LOBSTER. “While in New York,” continued his lordship, “I caught a chill and was unable to play for the next day or two. The reporters at once stated that I was laid up through eating too much lobster safcad, and someone sent me the following: THE LAY OF THE LOBSTER AND THE. LORD. • There was once a lobster in New York

They made him into salad ; His lordship ate, alas! too much, It made him very maladc.” WHEN HIS LORDSHIP BOWLED

Amongst the trophies on Lord Hawke’s sideboard i 9 a cricket-ball that was presented to !him at Ottawa, Canada. In that match he -was persuaded to go on bowling, and managed to hit the wicket. This so surprised C. W. Wright, the old Cambridge and Notts- player, that he had the ball .suitably mounted and gave it to the Yorkshire captain. “Since then,” says Lord Hawke, “Wright always declares that the age of miracles cannot be past, as we were playing against a strong and thoroughly keen team l .”

EXTRACTS FROM HIS LORDSHIP’S POST-BAG.

In the course of his tauys Lord Hawke has- been the recipient of many letters from enthusiastic Yorkohiremen in the Colonies. Many of these he has kept in an album. Here are one or two extracts from the volume :

Honorable Lord Hawke. Dear Sir, —I think you are bound to win tbo match. By Jingo! Three cheers for the Union Jack of Old England. Yorkshireman.

Dear Sir, —Three cheers! Bravo! Repeat the same! —Yours respectfully, Yorkshireman. WHEN. A MATCH WAS LOST.

All the letters, however, are not in the same eulogistic strain., for his countrymen abroad promptly took his lordship to task if a match was jest. ' Lord Hawke,-: —It’s the wishes of many of your countrymen, wrote one sorrowing supporter, that yourself and team will be in better form tomorrow, and try and remove the disgrace you have -brought upon your nation. I think it nothing but right that you should know that vou»emptied; tho pockets of your -fellow-w-oris-ing countrymen. I heard it positively asserted that you were banqueted on Sunday to unfit you for Monday. Yours, etc., - Yorkshireman.

To His Lordship Hawke —wrote another —Pardon me trespassing on your lordship’s time,; but I am an old English cricketer/ and I want to decide a bet of one dollar. About how many gentlemen teams dp you think could be raised in England to beat your team now playing? What’s the auatter with your fellows, anyhow? 1 lost a.dollar on this-game. I thought it -would be a walk-over for you. Asking your lordship’s pardon. A WAR-DANCE ON THE PITCH. •Sumo of the natives of the West Indies have no great opinion of Lord Hawke’s batting abilities, and the reason thereof is this. When an English team under his lordship were playing at Trinidad on one'occasion, a judge, offered one of the black bowlers a sovereign if he. could bond the captain before he had sagged. The

fowler won tlie money, and the -dusky truncKer did- a on the pitch ai triumph. He wus the hero of the island lor many a- year, and it is on .ocord that refreshments were cheap and plentiful for him -when lie related his epic of “The Lud. and the Egg.” AN AMBIDEXTROUS CAPTAIN.

How many people, by tho way, are aware that Lord Hawke can use his left hand almost as well as his right? Up to the time- ho was nine or ten he used to play cricket left-handed, and he still plays billiards with the left hand and shoots from the left shoulder; which reminds me that his lordship rides keenly to hounds and shoots well, while there was a time wihpn lie shone at football, running, and walking. SMOKING AND CRICKET.

In the opinion of Lord Hawke, there- is too much smoking among young players 4. “This excessive indulgence in tobacco,” he says, “does them harm. Personally, I never smoke until after five o’clock in the afternoon when playing, and I feet sure that if several of our players were to- reduce their supply of tobacco their cricket would benefit by the change.” DR. GRACE ON A PINNACLE. - I once asked 1 .ord Hawke for his views regarding some of the famous cricketers he had -met. “It- is difficult to express an opinion about them,” lie replied. “I always -place W. G. ■Grace on a. pinnacle by himself. He is the greatest player we have ever seen, and though good men have conic up since he first made a name, I don’t think wo shajj ever see his equal. I remember once playing in a team with him against ail Australian, eleven. Dr Grace was batting when I went in, and hjc cautioned me to leave Garratt’s off-hall alone. He was out the very next over to, the ball he had told me to leave alone.” ■