Marylebone and Lord’s

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1052, 16 August 1930, Page 16

Marylebone and Lord’s

“THE MOST EXCLUSIVE CLUB”

Sidelights on Cricket’s Parliament

WHO are the mysterious powers behind the Test matches and who put them where they are? asks a writer in a recent issue of “John Bull.” A few are known, but there are many others who never come into the limelight. There is, of course, the Marylebone Cricket Club—and Lord Harris and Leveson Gower. The club and its members rule cricket more surely than Parliament rules Britain.

And the club simply grew as cricket grew. It has always stood for high sportmanship and everyone has been content to leave it at that. The M.C.C. means England in all Tests. So it was when the first Australian team came here in 1878 and skittled the strength of England for 33 and 19—won the match in a single day. BARBED WIRE Under ci'ickct rules. Hobbs could turn amateur tomorrow, though he will never make as much money out of the game as did the great Ur. Grace. It is all very curious and illogical, and it certainly verges on absurdity when we remember that the very laws of the game can only be enforced voluntarily. Providing both sides agree, there is nothing to prevent a match being played with a four-stump wicket. Truly a wonderfully powerful and mysterious club. the most powerful and the most exclusive club in the world. The laws of the game as played throughout the world are the exclusive property of the M.C.C. It is only in games where the M.C.C. teams are engaged that these laws must be obeyed. Unless its interference is invited, the M.C.C. docs not exercise any control over cricket or cricketers outside its own affairs. THE WORD OF LORD’S But fortunately for the prestige of cricket, the influence of the written word which emanates from the pavilion at Lord’s is immense. It is invariably accepted by all. The distinguished names which compose the larger part of its huge waiting list would make the most aristocratic club in London envious. , Babies born to millions or dukedoms are put down for the M.C.C. at birth. Some are elected to the club a few years before they die of old age. Many are dead long before their chance comes round. Only one class of membership escapes this long waiting period. Anjamateur, be he poor or rich, humblj*

born or of high station, can, if he is a # good enough cricketer and acceptable iri other respects, secure election almost immediately if he will undertake to play a certain number of matches for the club. The average applicant cannot exercise this claim and he must wait —unless the M.C.C. decides to invite him, for reasons of finance, to become a life member. MONEY FOR THE ASKING The remarkable ease with which the club can improve its financial position must awaken jealousy in the heart of the most prosperous company director. By electing a few score life members at £2OO apiece, the club can raise thousands of pounds any time it wishes. As recently as 1929 it added £40,000 to its coffers in this manner. Few, however, know exactly how wealthy is the M.C.C. It owns a valuable acreage, Lord’s Ground, in the heart of a wealthy neighbourhood, and also most , of the surrounding property known as the Elm Tree Estate. T*s total receipts from all sources shown in the last annual statement of accounts were £IOO.OO. Its total expenses were £128.000. This income greatly exceeds that of the Football Association, and it is highly probable that the total assets of the club are not far off the £250,000 mark. THE PROFITS GO An organisation with such wide though unofficial powers is inevitably the target for a considerable amount of scathing criticism, and in this respect the M.C.C. is no exception. The bulk of the criticism arises from inaccurate information. For instance, a misconception exists fairly generally as to what becomes of the profits of the colonial tours. What actually happens to the money? The greater part of it is distributed among various organisations directly or indirectly connected with cricket. The last Australian tour brought a useful profit of £3 8,000. Seventeen first class cricket counties—the Minor Counties’ Cricket Association, National Playing Fields Association, London Playing Fields Society, and Cricketers’ Fund Friendly Society—benefited from this profit to the extent of £SOO each.

The whole of the balance, after income-tax deduction, was transferred to the foreign tours fund, which now amounts to £IO,OOO. Foreign tours obviously cost a good deal of money. The last Australian tour, for example, cost £40,000. Few' know the exact total cost of the Australian tours to this country. EXPENSIVE TOURS Apart from the manager of the team, treasurer, etc., there are Jo players, each of whom receives £SO before embarkation. £4OO during the tour in England, and £ 150 after his return to Australia. Exclusive of an additional 30s a week for travelling expenses, each man nets some £6OO, provided he does not bring over his wife, relatives nor any family connections, and does not write for any paper nor broadcast. Also he must not return to England to play cricket until two years have elapsed. The Australian cricket agreement is far more severe than any similar document which binds a British professional in any sport. And reading over its terms it is difficult to regard Australian cricketers as amateurs. But they arc so regarded where their British opponents would most certainly b£ designated “pros.” The payment of players for Test matches in England is by no means over-generous—the honour of representing England is considered ample compensation. Each professional receives £27 for a Test match, and his third-class railway expenses. Reserve players receive £ 9 less. EXPENSES ONLY Amateurs receive only payment for expenses. Up to £2 a day is allowed and first-class travelling. Tn addition, luncheon and refreshments are provided during playing hours, but these must not exceed £2O a day for the team and reserves The two umpires for occasion are each paid £ls for the match, with

travelling privileges as for professionals, but the humble scorers must be satisfied with £7 10s. Compared with other sports, cricket does not offer inducements of a very high orderIt is true the big professionals, like Hobbs, Hendren, Sutcliffe and Hammond, are well looked after. They attract so many people that they must have special teftns from their clubs. Undoubtedly they make a comfortable income from the game. They also do very well out of benefits, far better than the football professional, who is limited to £650. The highest sum received in a cricket benefit went to the late Roy Ivilner—£4,ol6 in 1925. BENEFITS—SOMETIMES Other large sums were £3,000 to Herbert Sutcliffe last year, and £3,703 paid to the other Yorks professional. G. 11. Hirst, in 1904. Wilfred Rhodes, of the same club, received over £2,200 in 1911, and a further £2,000 from a testimonial fund in 1927. But benefits have not always been profitable to cricketers. Conditions were such that up till quite recently the beneficiary was often actually out of pocket on the receipts from the match. This arose from the fact that the player was charged the expenses incidetal to his benefit match, and also the expenses of the away match with the same county. If, therefore, the home match was spoiled by the weather, it is obvious that the player had no fund from which to meet the heavy expenses incurred by the two matches. There is the classic instance of one famous “pro,” now a well-known umpire. After dropping heavily on his first benefit, his club offered him a second. “Really, gentlemen,” He protested heatedly, “I simply cannot afford it!” Amateurs do not have benefits, but it is not unusual for them to accept substantial testimonials. W G Grace will be remembered by many in this instance. The testimonial was a national affair raised by a newspaper, and W. G. benefited considerably. But he still retained his amateur status. ELASTIC EXPENSES Long before that it was the custom of the Grand Old Man to put in a stiff

expenses bill. His excuse was that he could fill any ground in England And ho was right. Today some attempt is made to disguise such payments to amateurs, but it is true to say that a first-class man can still charge expenses in accordance with his worth to his side. There is the true storyconcerning one of the best amateur * cricketers who ever played for England. The occasion was during a Test match. Liberal expenses had already been allowed, but the amateur did not consider these enough. He decided to add an extra charge for conveyance from the station to his hotel A peer of the realm captaining the side. Noting the charge, he sent for the amateur FIND HIM A JOB “My dear X.,” he murmured, “you seem to have overlooked the fact that your hotel adjoins the station . . .” Tliero are many cases on record where a promising amateur has been found a well-paid job. such as treasurer on his club's staff. There are many examples, too. especially in the wealthy metropolitan and northern clubs, where other young amateurs have l,»een found light and profitable jobs in business in return for their services during the cricket As things are today, it is obvious that almost every promising amateur would have his county cricket record cut short as soon as he left school or university. He simply could not afford to play except during the holidays unless he were wealthy—and few cricketers are. The rules of the game, however, permit with gracious serenity irregularities which in other less-favoured sports would not be allowed in any circumstances. In Australia, conditions for amateurs are more or less the same, except that the average Australian amateur is usually so generously paid that it Is unnecessary for his club to find a good position for him in private life. There are few people this side of the world who know the financial considerations which Australian cricketers enjoy in their own country. The average English “pro.” makes little money out of the game. His earnings vary from £2 or £3 a week up to £ls a week for the big-name men. Some of the wealthy clubs are able to pay winter wages, and there is always a chance of a colonial coaching appointment for i good all-round man if he maintains his form. STONEWALLING In many county teams where there is a strong supply of good amateur talent available, competition is very hard for tho professional. Cricket is a game that can bo played well' into middle life, and old professionals arc not easily replaced. The great personalities of the cricket world are not as widely known as are those in other sports. The new president of the M.C.C. is chiefly famous for his services to London as its last Lord Mayor. Sir Kynaston Studd, however, is a great cricketer. He has played for Eton and has captained Cambridge. His work for popular education at | the Regent Street Polytechnic, where : lie was honorary secretary in his ! younger days, will be long remembered, i He is a great personality, and he will certainly leave his mark at Lord’s as j he left it at the Mansion House when ! his time is up. SEVENTY—STILL YOUNG The same applies to W. Findlay, the | new secretary of the M.C.C. He fills i perhaps tho most difficult and coveted I position in the cricket world, and, in ; addition, he has to follow Sir Frederick Lacey, one of the greatest legislators tho game has ever had. But Findlay has the advantages of being trained under the great Sir Frederick, a job worth about £BOO a year with allowances, and a delightful residence gratis on the Elm Tree Estate. The great W.G. has passed and the present Grand Old Man of cricket is Lord Harris. He is over 70, and has played in and captained English cricket teams all over the world. £ He has also captained England, both here and in Australia, and his wicket is still very hard to get once he has got his “eye in.” Lord Harris is the honorary treasurer of the M.C.C. and with Harry White enjoys universal respect to l.he point of worship among cricketers. Harry, however. Is not very well known. He is the groundsman at Lord’s. WIZARD OF TURF His task is to keep the most* famous pitch in the world in good condition, and he has been credited with knowing every blade of grass on the field. The clasic Lord’s turf was moved from Dorset Square when the club changed its headquarters years ago. Thanks to Harry White, it remains today in better condition that it lias ever been. Harry was never a famous cricketer. Sound with both ball and bat, lie made his runs and took wickets for Hertfordshire in the Minor Counties championship. CLASSIC PITCH But he knows all about turf, and in a climate where a shower of rain can wreck a side of giants in an hour there are many great cricket stars ' who would gladly exchange some of their skill with the bat for Harry's knowledge of the Lord’s pitch. But Harry keeps his knowledge to himself

Perhaps that is why the last Test match, which will decide the ownership of the Ashes, is played at the Oval.