The third eleven had a similar experience against King Edward School, but the “morality” of the victory was much more pronounced, Britannia scoring 283 to their opponents’ 60 for nine wickets; obviously, a declaration at 200 or so would have been sounder tactics.
Cadet Scott scored in this match 104; and he and Cadet Alexander did some remarkable scoring together, actually compiling 103 runs off the first nine overs! An average of over 11 runs an over; rather demoralising for the bowlers!
Well, this delightful afternoon is over, all too soon; “time” is called all round, and soon there is a general exodus from the fields, cadets and officers streaming off in groups down the steps, discussing the play in enthusiastic fashion; and so off to the ship, happy and hungry, in spite of the “stodge” in the pavilion.
During a first eleven match this season a curious misunderstanding occurred. It was a “full strength” game, and Britannia, going in first, scored freely, declaring at 244 for eight wickets. There was time to dispose of the other side, with good luck, but not too much; and of course their policy was to play for a draw.
However, they began to go out pretty fast towards the close, and with about a quarter of an hour left the ninth wicket fell. The last man came in, and after a couple of overs the visitors’ umpire announced, as he came up to the wicket, “Last over.” Everyone who had a watch on looked at it, and saw that it was only 6.20; the large clock fixed on the base of the flagstaff in the corner of the ground, however, said 6.30 within a minute or so. The over was bowled, with no result, and the aforesaid umpire calmly took the bails off, and walked off the ground.
Then there was a row. Britannia’s captain pointed out that the clock was wrong, and that there was nearly ten minutes more play; the umpire maintained that they were bound to go by the ground clock, and was not at all sporting about it. Britannia’s captain, being a man in authority, gave him a good slice of his naval executive mind, but the umpire was stubborn, and time was fleeting. Luckily, however, the visitors’ captain, who was changing in the pavilion, was a sportsman of different kidney; and he immediately decreed, upon being appealed to, that, time or no time, the innings should be played out. So the recalcitrant umpire, and the batsmen, who had taken off their pads, had to come back again, and one of them was so long about it that the bowler did not realise that he had not arrived until he had commenced his run, and found that he was attacking an empty wicket! So, amid some merriment, the batsman at length got fixed up, and a few balls sufficed to decide the match, the last man being dismissed, just on the stroke of time, by a clever catch in the slips.
Moral: Have your ground clock kept right.
The season of 1903 has been a most successful one, as the following figures testify:—
First eleven.—Played, 19: won, 15; drawn, 3; lost, 0 (one abandoned).
Second eleven.—Played, 22: won, 14; lost, 7; drawn, 1.
Third eleven.—Played, 12: won, 9; lost, 1; drawn, 2.
In addition to the remarkable performance of two cadets in a third eleven match, mentioned above, it is on record that Dr. Bobardt on one occasion scored 39 runs off two consecutive overs; that Lieutenant de Burgh made what is believed to be the record score for Britannia of 229 not out (he also scored on another occasion 177 not out); and, the bowlers being determined not to be left out in the cold, the “hat trick” has been performed five times, the Rev. H. Royse, the chaplain, doing it twice.