Thursday 28 February, page 4: CRICKET The annual meeting of the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club was held at the George Hotel, Nottingham, yesterday, when Mr W E Denison presided over a very large number of members. In the report and accounts there was small measure for gratification. Insignificant “gates” were the rule all through last summer, and the only three-figure sum taken at any one match was £253 in the case of Notts v Surrey. There was a loss on the year’s working and the sum due to the bankers had risen from £4,628 to £4,845. This year’s programme was announced, the matches being with Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Middlesex, Gloucestershire, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire, the last-mentioned taking the place of Somerset. Flowers will receive as a benefit the proceeds of Lancashire v Notts. The report and accounts were adopted. Lord Henry Cavendish Bentinck was elected president for the year, with the Mayor of Nottingham as vice-president, while Mr W E Denison, Captain Tomasson and Mr J A Dixon were elected on to the committee. It was stated that every effort would be used to increase the membership of the club; while Mr Denison, in addressing the meeting, said that he thought the popularity of other sports had something to do with the decrease in attendances; it was not wholly the fault of the slow cricket with which Nottingham had been charged. 1 Friday 12 April, page 8: THE COMING CRICKET SEASON Two important changes will make the season of 1895 a landmark in cricket history. These are the extension of the County Championship from nine to fourteen shires, and the increase in the number of runs demanding the follow on from 80 to 120. The broadening of the championship should lead to further developments in the cricket of the five counties admitted. For, whatever may be said against the institution of any such competition, it is useless to deny that those who follow the game closely attach the greatest importance to matches in which the interest is enhanced by championship honours being at stake. Twelve months ago the M.C.C. decided that four counties, other than the nine, should be reckoned first-class for the sake of the averages only. This action in a great measure foreshadowed the extension, and the public were not surprised when the liberal scheme was issued by Marylebone of not only advancing Essex, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire, but also Hampshire, whose splendid cricket in 1894 was an unanswerable argument for their inclusion. Warwickshire were most persistent for many seasons in their efforts to bring about this result, while Yorkshire, at the time when they held the championship, beneficently pressed the claims of the lesser shires. Of course this extension dissolves the complete tournament which existed under the old regulation. Marylebone also wisely insisted that “No county shall be eligible unless it shall have played at least eight out and home matches with other counties, provided that if no play can take place owing to weather or other unavoidable cause such match shall be reckoned as unfinished.” The method for scoring is retained, thus – “One point shall be reckoned for each win, one deducted for each loss, unfinished games shall not be reckoned.” At the same time the M.C.C. have ruled that “The county which, during the season, shall have in finished matches obtained the greatest proportionate number of points shall be reckoned champion county.” The fact should be borne in mind also that “the M.C.C. Committee may bring new counties into the list, may remove existing ones from it, or may do both.” The number of runs involving the follow on having been increased by one-half (from 80 to 120) will often lengthen the time taken in which to play a match out. It will have a far more important effect, however, on a game by lessening the value of winning the toss. This alteration, which has worked satisfactorily in Australia, was not resolved upon in haste. In fact, the M.C.C., while carefully deliberating the matter themselves, invited outside criticism, and the decision arrived at seems to be a fair solution to a difficult question. The seasons at Lord’s are so consistently attractive that the mere remark that all the best features of the M.C.C. programme are preserved is a guarantee of continued excellence. The richness of a list that includes not only the appearance of the Universities and the majority of the best counties in matches with the M.C.C., but also the Middlesex home fixtures, has no parallel. A novelty will be furnished at headquarters by the revival of I Zingari v Gentlemen of England, which will aptly mark the jubilee of that rigidly amateur society. Unhappily the Festival will have a shade of gloom cast over it by the absence of the well-known figure of the late Lord Bessborough, who after his Cambridge days, as the popular “Fred” Ponsonby, helped to found the club. Oxford v Cambridge is, for a second time in its history, to be started on a Thursday, and the public may hope for a repetition of the excellent cricket seen on the previous occasion. This was in 1892 (Messrs Jardine and Hill’s year), when Oxford won by five wickets in a game in which over 1,100 runs were scored. 2 Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Sussex, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Warwickshire and Hampshire are the counties which will engage in three days’ matches with Marylebone at Lord’s, while the honour of opening the season at headquarters falls to Nottinghamshire, who play on the first Wednesday in May. The original idea of having cricket on the first day to harmonize the opening of the season with the anniversary meeting of the club was very happy, for it has increased the attendances at both the meeting and the dinner. Middlesex v Somerset is again the Whit Monday fixture, and the proceeds of the match are to be given to Tom Mycroft, of Derbyshire, a valued servant of the M.C.C. in wicket-keeping and as an umpire. Eton v Harrow is fixed for the Friday of the week following the University match, and is preceded on the Monday by Gentlemen v Players. It is pleasing to see the continuance of the match between the Marylebone Club and Royal Artillery, this being the only occasion on which the precincts of Lord’s are invaded by music, the famous bands of the Royal Artillery being present. Rugby v Marlborough and Cheltenham v Haileybury are set down for the week before the August Bank Holiday. Important cricket at Lord’s will again extend beyond the usual time, as Middlesex play Lancashire and Kent in August 26 and 29 respectively, these being actually the last two items on the Lord’s card. Visitors to the St John’s-wood ground will find few changes from last season. It will be noticed, however, that the ugly structure, known as the temporary stand, at the east end has been reduced to the height of the grass terrace coverings, and thus a more uniform character is given to the surroundings of the field of play. In addition to this it will enable the coaches on the big days to line up behind and view the game from the nursery. Near Pearce’s cottage, at the south-east corner, some 100ft by 16ft have been taken into the carriage way from the gardens of Nos. 43 and 45, St John’s-wood-road. This will be a decided improvement, as the extra space must tend to prevent the block that often occurred on important days at this spot. Of the new railway to London there are not any signs yet at Lord’s, but within a stone’s throw the men are at work on the north bank of the Regent’s Canal. The turf at headquarters is in fine order and reflects much credit on Pearce. The grass, which is strong and thick, was cut for the first time on Wednesday. If the weather holds good practice will be started on the 22nd inst. A further increase has been made in the ground staff, which now consists of the following 53 cricketers: - T Hearne, Farrands, Clayton, Rylott, G G Hearne, Wheeler, Sherwin, T Mycroft, W Hearn, Flowers, Barnes, Gunn, Hay, W Attewell, Burton, Pickett, Davenport, Pentecost, Titchmarsh, Chatterton, J E West, Martin, Pougher, Rawlin, A Hearne, Davidson, Carlin, Phillips, Richardson, Burns, Whiteside, Whitehead, Bean, Moorhouse, Needham, J T Hearne, Board, Geeson, Mead, T Attewell, Mee, Carpenter, Moss, Storer, W A J West, Butt, Brown, Russell, Bagguley, Hardstaff, Pike, Woodcock and Handford, with 12 ground boys who can all bowl a little. OXFORD UNIVERSITY Mr G J Mordaunt, University, will this season captain Oxford in place of Mr C B Fry, Wadham, who, however, is still in residence. In addition, there are seven other members of the victorious team at Lord’s last year available, viz., Messrs H D G Leveson-Gower, Magdalen; H K Foster, Trinity; F A Phillips, Exeter; G R Bardswell, Oriel; G B Raikes, Magdalen; R P Lewis, University; 3 and D H Forbes, Christ Church. Mr R W Rice, who was one of the team in 1893, is still up; while the numbers of good Seniors and Freshmen should make the Dark Blue side very formidable. In batting they will be especially strong, for, in addition to Mr Mordaunt, who is, perhaps, the best and most interesting batsman at either University, besides being a capital field, Messrs Leveson- Gower, Foster, Phillips and Fry are all strong in hitting and defence.