CRICKET.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1915, Page 10 (Supplement)

CRICKET.

NOTES. The veteran ".Johnny" Fowke donned the. gloves again for his old club at Christclnirch recently. It is two years since he played, but, nevertheless, he showed a great deal of his old agility. He chased the. hall like a two-year-old, It is interesting to note that the combined ages of (lie two wicket-keepers appearing in this match is on the verge of 110 years. Fowke celebrated his fifty-sixth birthday by his re-appear-ance.

Ernest Pullein. a well-known Lincolnshire County and Lincoln Lindum cricketer, early in September performed a dual feat which must rank as a record unparalleled in the annals of the game. Assisted by a favouring wind and bowling slow left-arm swingers, he took the whole of the wickets of opposing sides on two successive Saturdays at a cost of 31 and 2:1 runs respectively. He was playing for the Lincoln Lindum v. the Rest of Lincoln in the first instance, and in the second for a team representing South Lincoln v. North Lincoln.

When Alfred Shaw published his reminiscences in 1001 he touched 011 the powers of the late W. G. Grace, of whom lie was a contemporary, in these terms: "When I hear comparisons made between Dr. W. G. Grace and some of the great batsmen of the present day, I feel it necessary to remind the new generation that the doctor had not only,better bowlers to face, but worse wickets to bat upon. It was 110 uncommon thing to meet with a dead shooter one delivery, and find the next fly up to the ribs. Dr. Grace would come down 011 one with a snap, the other he used to play over in marvellous fashion. He had not only a wonderful eye, but a masterly knowledge of what to do with every variety of ball, and how to do it. Bowl him a ball 011 the off stump, and lie would play it to the off; place him one on the leg stump, and he would play it to the on. If either was a foot short or a foot too far up, he would score oil' it. Then, again, the ball which rose nastily on the off side and needed cutting, he would put down between tlie slips. It was not his practice to leave such balls alone, as so many modern batsmen do, and on perfect wickets, too," If you except the reference to the quality of the wickets, all that Alfred Shaw wrote about "W.G." might with strict truth be written of Victor Truraper, who was relatively a greater batsman on bat than on good wickets. One could go even further, and say that if you bowled Trumper a ball on the oil stump, he could play it to either off or on side with equal facility, as he desired, and he could place a ball on the leg stump to the oil'. But between "W.G." and Trumper a comparison can be made only by men who were young with the great Englishman—who was 07 years—and who saw the real Trumper in action.