THE M.C.C. CRICKET TEAM IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Two defeats out of the first three eleven-aside matches was a pretty bad start for Mr. Warner’s team, a batting collapse against the Transvaal being followed by a defeat by one wicket in the first so-called Test Match. One may well ask, “Why Test Match, and of what is the match supposed to be a test?” If a test of anything it is probably a test of the judgment, or rather lack of judgment, of those who selected the M.C.C. team. If the South Africans, who are paying the piper, had called this tune and asked for a nice easy team to beat, we could better apprehend the position, but we understand that the South African cricket authorities took an early opportunity of remonstrating against the unrepresentative quality of this team sent out under the ægis of the Marylebone Club. There may be many points of resemblance between the management of the War Office and the Marylebone Club—at any-rate, they seem to have been of one mind in consistently and resolutely under-rating the strength of our opponents in South Africa.
In 1904, when a strong South African team visited this country, they modestly enough asked that they might be allowed to play just one match at the headquarters of cricket against a team representative of the strength of England.
Instead of this, the Marylebone Club put “An England XI.” into the field, and the South Africans won with great ease a victory to which they attached but little importance. This slight has been followed by this unfortunate selection of a team to represent, not the Marylebone Club, for some of the players have nothing to do with that institution, but probably the authority and wisdom of the M.C.C.; and for English cricket and for Mr. P. F. Warner—the Commander-in-chief of this at present somewhat unfortunate team—we much regret that cricketers more representative of English cricket should not have been chosen. But still more do we regret this error of judgment from the point of view of South African cricket. Here is a colony which has beaten the Australians, which has beaten most of our counties, and triumphed over “An England XI.,” at Lord’s, asking for a good England team to come out and teach her cricketers something more; and then comes this melancholy but extremely probable downfall of a moderate enough team in no way representative of English cricket.
No doubt the difficulties in the way of our best amateurs getting away for a winter’s cricket tour are very great; but if it is impossible to get a really good side to accept the hospitality of the South Africans, it would be almost better for the M.C.C. executive to confess their inability to organise a team than to send out anything second-rate.
GOLF.
The Royal Liverpool Club has come to arrangements with Lord Stanley of Alderley, for a lease of the ground at Hoylake, with the loss of which it was threatened some time ago. Considerable addition of expense is entailed upon the club, and to meet it the club subscription and other charges will have to be raised, but the result of the transaction is to preserve the round at Hoylake in its entirety, a consummation for which all golfers will feel devoutly thankful.
It is announced that the Irish Open Championship meeting will be held this year in the first week of September. Last year the experiment was tried of holding it a month earlier, but it did not succeed, and it is hoped that reverting to the old date may draw to the meeting many of the best golfers on this side of the Channel. Portrush is the place of play on this occasion.