100 Years Ago: 25 July 1924

by John Ward

Day 3

Derby: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire

Parker Wins for Gloucestershire

GLOUCESTERSHIRE 92 and 161. DERBYSHIRE 87 and 157 (S W A Cadman 76, F G Peach 16, A Morton 20, J Horsley 11, H Elliott 11; P T Mills 2/38, C W L Parker 7/74). Gloucestershire won by 9 runs. Overnight score was: Gloucestershire (2) 4/0 (Dipper 2*, Lyon 2*).

Charlie Parker’s superb bowling foiled what would have been Derbyshire’s first victory of the season.  Parker bowled throughout both innings and finished with fifteen wickets for 109 runs.  For quite a while this morning the Derbyshire batsmen held him at bay, with Sam Cadman playing a superb innings that in the end was worth almost half his team’s total, helped by his overnight partner Fred Peach and then by fellow veteran Arthur Morton.  When the score reached 115 for only two wickets Derbyshire looked well on course to victory, but then Morton was bowled by Percy Mills, and Parker took over.  Ten runs later he had Cadman out playing on, and the middle order crumbled.

Derbyshire were 135 for eight at lunch, needing 167.  Jim Horsley and Harry Elliott put up a determined stand until Horsley ran himself out, and then Mills took a bit of thunder from Parker by taking a good return catch from Elliott to finish the match.  Derbyshire still await a victory this season and this was their closest miss.  I’m sure nobody would begrudge Derbyshire at least one victory this season.  (“Just as long as it’s not against us . . .”)

Bournemouth Week: Hampshire v Lancashire

Brown Sets Lancashire Back

HAMPSHIRE 173 and 178 (C P Mead 60, J A Newman 10; C H Parkin 3/52, E A McDonald 2/65, R K Tyldesley 5/37). LANCASHIRE 199 and 89/1 (J W H Makepeace 41*, G E Tyldesley 26*). Match drawn (Lancashire 3 points, Hampshire 1 point). Overnight score was: Hampshire (2) 171/7 (Mead 60*, Newman 8*).

Lancashire seemed to be on course for a victory over Hampshire today when they were foiled by rain.  It took them only a few minutes and 7 runs in the morning to polish off the Hampshire innings, with Philip Mead playing a ball from Dick Tyldesley on to his stumps before adding to his overnight score.  Lancashire were set 153 to win, and again began their innings very slowly, with Harry Makepeace scoring only 9 runs in his first hour at the wicket.  Charlie Hallows was out for 12 to a brilliant high return catch by George Brown.  Makepeace and Ernest Tyldesley were batting steadily towards victory when rain came.  They were able to play again briefly after a while, but then the rain returned, although no more than a drizzle, and ended the match with Lancashire needing 64 more runs with nine wickets still in hand.  They will not receive much sympathy from the Bournemouth spectators who had to endure some very boring batting from them in this match, although the pitch was not the easiest to bat on.

Leicester: Leicestershire v Kent

Brilliant Woolley Century

KENT 222 and 285/9 dec (F E Woolley 141, J C Hubble 34*; A Skelding 2/59, A Shipman 4/77). LEICESTERSHIRE 141 and 68 (E W Dawson 13, J H King 15, G Geary 21; A C Wright 2/10, W H Ashdown 4/13, A P Freeman 4/28). Kent won by 298 runs. Overnight score was: Kent (2) 154/5 (Woolley 72*).

Kent simply overwhelmed Leicestershire today.  They already had a lead of 235 when play began, and Woolley was in his most brilliant form this morning.  He played one effortless drive after another, including a six on to the top of the pavilion.  Altogether he made 141 in about three hours, almost half his team’s total when they declared, leaving Leicestershire to make a theoretical 367 to win.  Woolley hit 2 sixes and 16 fours.  Leicestershire showed no real fight and sank easily for a miserable 68 runs, with Bill Ashdown and Tich Freeman the main beneficiaries.

Weston-super-Mare: Somerset v Middlesex

Allen Shatters Somerset

SOMERSET 82 and 208 (J C White 24, J J Bridges 21*; N E Haig 5/78, F J Durston 3/24). MIDDLESEX 317. Middlesex won by an innings and 27 runs. Overnight score was: Somerset (2) 157/6 (White 10*, Daniell 4*).

The match lasted only half an hour this morning as Somerset, seeing no reason to hang around, hit out freely, especially the last man Jim Bridges, who put on 40 for the last wicket in 20 minutes with Jack White.  Actually very soon after White was out and the match ended, heavy rain began to fall and continued throughout the day, so a little more resilience may have given Somerset an undeserved point for a draw.

Hove: Sussex v Warwickshire

Parsons and Stephens Take Warwickshire Home

SUSSEX 199 and 215. WARWICKSHIRE 264 and 151/5 (J H Parsons 58*, G W Stephens 50*; M W Tate 3/54, A F Wensley 2/40). Warwickshire won by five wickets. Overnight score was: Warwickshire (2) 11/2 (Parsons 1*).

With Warwickshire needing to score 151 for victory, with two wickets down already and Maurice Tate in the attack, probably nobody imagined it would be a walk in the park for them.  When four wickets were down for 37, including Willie Quaife for 10, the visitors’ hopes rested mainly on whether Freddie Calthorpe could do it for them again, as he had done in the first innings.  But Tate bowled out Calthorpe for 13, the score was 66 for five, and all seemed lost.  But now George Stephens came out to join the dogged opener Jack Parsons, who had struggled but survived against Tate, and the two not only saw Warwickshire home without further loss, but they did it in just over an hour by positive, aggressive play.  Tate bowled 25 overs in the innings as Sussex did all they knew to gain a victory after six successive defeats, and he was well supported by Bert Wensley, but it was all in vain.  Arthur Gilligan, still struggling after his injury, was unable to bowl.  The excellent batting of the Warwickshire pair won the day and condemned Sussex to a seventh defeat, and both achieved well-deserved fifties.  Stephens reached his by hitting a six to bring up victory and his fifty at the same time.

Bradford: Yorkshire v Glamorgan

No Play — Rain

GLAMORGAN 116 and 106 (C F Walters 20, D Davies 54; G G Macaulay 4/37, R Kilner 2/39, A Waddington 4/17). YORKSHIRE 248/3 dec (P Holmes 118*, W Rhodes 9*). Overnight score (1st day) was: Yorkshire (1) 248/3 dec.

The weather was drier today, but Yorkshire took no chances with it and declared at their overnight score, putting Glamorgan in again 132 runs behind.  The pitch was soft after the rain but not really difficult.  Again Glamorgan made a disastrous start, with their first four wickets going down, all to George Macaulay, for 19.  Then came the only proper stand of the innings, between the cautious but stylish Cyril Walters and the aggressive Dai Davies, who at one stage hit Macaulay for four fours in an over.  They put on 54 in only 40 minutes, but once they were separated it was the turn of Abe Waddington to wreak havoc with his best bowling of the season, and he took four cheap wickets for only 17 runs as Yorkshire won by an innings.  As in the first innings, one batsman scored virtually half the team total.  Glamorgan were bowled out in two hours and the match ended at half-past one.

Day 2

Lord’s: Army v Royal Navy

Army in Massacre

ROYAL NAVY 119 and 33/2 (K A Sellar 13*). ARMY 533/7 dec ((T O Jameson 46, F G Rogers 154, P V Williams 123, M B Burrows 49*; A R Cadell 3/144, T E Halsey 2/78). Overnight score was: Army (1) 208/4 (Jameson 34*, Rogers 21*).

The Navy scarcely looked worthy of first-class status today as the Army batsmen massacred their bowling.  Captain Tom Jameson was out early, bowled by the best bowling of the day from Lieutenant Alexander Cadell, but Francis Rogers of Gloucestershire hit a powerful century, 154 in only 1¾ hours, and he was joined by Peter Williams of Sussex.  The two put on 139 for the sixth wicket, and then Williams and Brocas Burrows added 143 for the seventh before the declaration when Williams was dismissed.  The Army led by 414 runs on the innings.  The weather was deteriorating when the Navy went in again in bad light and drizzle, but they lost two wickets before the umpires finally called off play.

FOURTH TEST TEAM

Arthur Gilligan has withdrawn from the fourth Test match against South Africa which starts tomorrow, as he is under doctor’s orders to rest again, as he is still suffering from the effects of the blow over the heart he received in the Gentlemen and Players match at the Oval.  He has perhaps unwisely continued playing up until now, but has not recovered yet.  The former England captain Johnny Douglas has been called in to replace him as fast bowler and captain; he was in superb bowling form for Essex and in Gentlemen v Players at Lord’s.  This is just as well, as the debutant Jack MacBryan is the only other amateur in the side, and to appoint a professional as captain would be totally unthinkable.  George Geary and George Duckworth are also set to make their Test debuts.

With the series won, the selectors have decided to choose only those players who are available to tour Australia during the winter, and so Jack Hobbs, Jack Hearne and George Wood have all be omitted.  The team therefore will be chosen from the following twelve players:

Herbert Sutcliffe, Andy Sandham, Jack MacBryan, Frank Woolley, Patsy Hendren, Ernest Tyldesley, *Johnny Douglas, Roy Kilner, Maurice Tate, George Geary, Dick Tyldesley and +George Duckworth.

Douglas has also been invited to tour Australia again this coming winter as a member of the M.C.C. team; he captained the side in that country on their last tour in 1920/21.  He is expected to accept.

It is reported that Cecil Dixon will take no further part in the South African tour and is returning home for reasons of family illness and business.

County championship positions: Middlesex 77.14, Yorkshire 73.33, Surrey 67.69, Lancashire 66.31, Kent 57.77, Somerset 55.29, Nottinghamshire 53.84.

TOMORROW’S MATCHES (first-class)

Test Match:

Manchester: England v South Africa (Fourth Test Match)

County Championship:

Bournemouth: Hampshire v Warwickshire

Leicester: Leicestershire v Glamorgan

Northampton: Northamptonshire v Essex

The Oval: Surrey v Kent

Stourbridge: Worcestershire v Lancashire

Leeds: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire

No matches: Derbyshire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Sussex.

There may be some slight relief for the South African team in the fourth Test match at Old Trafford which starts tomorrow — weather permitting.  As noted above, England will be without their captain, Arthur Gilligan, as well as Jack Hobbs and Jack Hearne, but there are very capable players replacing them.  The series has been decided with England winning the first three Test matches handsomely, so there will be less pressure on their players.  Perhaps a little more even match is possible, and perhaps some outstanding performances from top players such as Herby Taylor, Dave Nourse and Sid Pegler, all of whom have been rather disappointing so far this series.

In the county championship the only Big Six clash is the return between Surrey and Kent at the Oval, with Hobbs available to play for Surrey, but Frank Woolley missed for Kent, so the home side perhaps have an advantage there.  Middlesex and Nottinghamshire have byes; Yorkshire and Lancashire have weak opponents they should beat easily enough if the weather allows them — although Gloucestershire have been doing much better recently.  Down in the basement Essex play Northamptonshire, with both counties eager to enlarge their meagre number of points.

WEATHER FORECAST: Jupiter Pluvius retreated for a few days, but only to collect reinforcements, and he is now about to swoop in again for his latest attack with the aim of annihilating cricket in England.  Widespread disruptions are expected.

John Ward is an ACS member and a long-serving Zimbabwean cricket statistician. If you would like to contribute to this newsletter, please either respond to the email in which you received it, or leave a comment below.