🧢 Captain's Log

Sat 21 Aug 1897 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDWLLD

Saturday the 21st of August, 1897, and we welcomed a touring side to Linton Park with the sun more or less behaving itself. I won the toss and had no hesitation in electing to bat — the right call, I still maintain, whatever anyone says over tea.

G Knight batted like a man possessed for a glorious 121, the sort of innings you tell your grandchildren about, while Jack Fryer (39 not out) and H G Smith (37) played the perfect supporting cast. The extras chipped in a generous 30 of their own, which I've always felt deserves its own place in the batting order. Not every man's luck held, mind — poor F Smith managed only a golden duck, and has my full sympathy over the sandwiches.

Then came the small matter of defending it. F Baker, J Bransome and E Taylor all departed without troubling the scorers, and Jack Fryer turned positively demonic with the ball, running through the order for nine wickets, well backed by H G Smith's one. I even managed to get through a spell myself, nine wickets to show for it, in between my thirty-nine runs — not a bad afternoon's work, even if I say so.

Special mention for G Knight, whose century now carries him past J N Tonge into 7th on the club's all-time run-scorers list — a name now etched rather higher up the honours board than mine.

In the end, though, we were beaten by an innings and 200 runs, which rather puts my captaincy decisions in perspective. Chins up, lads — we'll be better for it next week.

Wed 11 Aug 1897 🧢 1st XIv Town Malling CC · AwayformDDWLL

Wednesday the eleventh of August found us on the road to Town Malling, where I lost the toss for my sins and we were put out into the field. No hardship there, as it turned out — we had first use of the ball, and George Champion made the most glorious use of it, spinning through their order for 5-0 in a spell that left batsmen groping like men lost in a hedge maze. H G Smith backed him up handsomely with 4-0, and H Pile chipped in with one, while G Viner departed for a duck at our hands. Only H B Richardson, with a well-made 89, and useful contributions from W H Cooper (23) and J Todman (20), kept the innings respectable before it closed.

Our reply had its own quiet glories. George Champion, not content with his bowling exertions, top-scored with 45, F G Laurence made a tidy 44, and Jack Fryer weighed in with 39. I allowed myself a modest 45 of my own, and a happy afternoon with the ball too, taking five wickets for good measure — the sort of day a captain dares not admit he enjoyed quite so much.

There was history made besides: Champion's runs carried him past Arthur Cornwallis to the very top of the club's all-time run-scorers, while Smith's wickets took him past W Crittenden into sixteenth on the all-time list — and Champion, with 307 runs and 36 wickets this season, leads both first-team charts outright.

In the end neither side could force it, and honours were shared. A draw, then — but a thoroughly satisfying one to be part of.

Wed 04 Aug 1897 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · AwayformLDDWL

Wednesday 4th August took us away to Headcorn, and my luck was out before a ball was bowled — I lost the toss, they chose to bat, and we were left to toil away in the field on a long afternoon. Toil we did, too, for the Reverend A C Scott treated us to three figures, no less — a fine 135 — with A Hubble weighing in with 20 of his own. Small mercies came our way when F Newton and W Clinch both departed without troubling the scorers. George Champion was the pick of our attack by some distance, figures of 5-0 and a five-for thoroughly deserved, with Jack Fryer (3-0) and H G Smith (1-0) offering good support.

Our reply never really got out of first gear. Tom Peach Snr, A Heathfield and R Tree all fell without scoring, which made for grim reading up top, and it was left to George Champion to rescue some pride with a fine unbeaten 55. For my own part, that innings of 55 was satisfying, and I found some rhythm with the ball too, finishing with five wickets myself — small consolation on a day the runs simply weren't there.

There was, at least, one milestone to toast: H G Smith's solitary wicket carried him past R Morris and into 23rd on the club's all-time list. And as the season stands, I find myself leading both the run charts, with 262, and the wicket charts, with 31 — for whatever comfort that's worth today.

Beaten by 140 runs, we were second best from the first over to the last. We'll be better for it next week.

Mon 02 Aug 1897 🧢 1st XIv RC Rochester CC · HomeformWLDDW

Monday last saw Rochester CC pay us a visit, and the day began badly enough when I lost the toss and duly found myself leading the lads into the field. Rochester made themselves quite at home, F M Atkins compiling a fine 77 before falling, C E Hoadley digging in for an unbeaten 56, and R H Wakeley chipping in with 38 for good measure — between them they gave our bowling a proper working-over. George Champion was the pick of the attack with two wickets, and honourable mentions go to K McAlpine and the Reverend Thomas Burra, each claiming one apiece, presumably between rounds of encouragement to the rest of us.

Our reply, I'm sorry to report, rather fell away. Arthur Cornwallis top-scored with a gritty 23, but around him the card told a sorrier tale — McAlpine, Champion and the Reverend Burra all departed for ducks, forming what I can only describe as a rather crowded pond. As for your correspondent, I too contributed a duck to proceedings, and the less said about that the better; suffice it that the captain's example was not one to follow.

There was a silver lining amid the wreckage: Jack Fryer's 16 runs nudged him past A W Fulcher into 5th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, a small mantelpiece moment on an otherwise chastening afternoon. Cornwallis continues to sit 2nd in this season's run charts with 196, and Champion leads the wicket-takers with 26.

In the end we went down by 189 runs — not our finest hour, and it's back to the nets before we trouble Rochester's bowlers again.

Wed 28 Jul 1897 🧢 1st XIv BC Brenchley CC · AwayformWWLDD

Brenchley last Wednesday, and for once the coin obliged me — heads it was, and in we went to bat. Runs came in useful dollops rather than a torrent: George Knight top-scored with a fine 49, F E Wallis chipped in 30, and George Champion 29, though poor Ernest Cruttenden will be nursing a golden duck for a while yet. We were all out, the ledger simply recording it as such, and turned our attention to the field.

Brenchley's reply never quite got going. A White's 23 was the best of it, while A Hodges and C W Barsley both departed for ducks at our hands — a pleasing symmetry with our own morning's misfortune. The bowling honours belonged, deservedly, to George Champion, whose 5-0 was as fine a spell as this reporter has seen all season, with G Knight (3-0) and Jack Fryer (2-0) offering able support. Your humble captain — yes, George Champion, wearing both caps today — was rather chuffed with his own 29 with the bat and 5 wickets besides.

There was extra cause for cheer: G Knight's 49 lifted him past Leslie Wilson to 11th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, and his 6 wickets took him past R Morris to 22nd among the wicket-takers, while I find myself, somewhat sheepishly, leading both the 1897 run and wicket charts with 207 and 24 respectively. We won by an innings, and, the scorebook insists, a baffling minus 81 runs to boot. A grand day out, arithmetic notwithstanding.

Wed 21 Jul 1897 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformDWWLD

Wednesday the twenty-first of July found us facing the visitors, and, winning what I like to call the toss and they might call a formality, I put them in — first use of the ball being, in my experience, the only decision a captain can make that looks clever regardless of outcome.

They batted with more application than our early enthusiasm deserved, F G Hughes leading the resistance with 38, well supported by F E Wallis's 32 and P F Lancaster's 31, before the innings finally folded. G Attwood and H Mason departed for ducks at our hands, but the story of the innings was George Champion, who simply ran riot, returning figures of 7 for 0 — the sort of spell that makes the rest of us look decorative. Rev J C Wilson and K McAlpine chipped in with a wicket apiece, presumably out of politeness.

Our reply saw F S W Cornwallis carry the innings past his fifty to 55 — a personal contribution I shall allow myself to call satisfying, if not immodest. H G Smith and, in a splendid twist, George Champion himself both made the walk of shame for nought.

Off the field, honours multiplied: Champion reached 50 career wickets and now leads our 1897 wicket charts with 14, while Rev Wilson's 14 runs eased him past Rev J R Leigh into 23rd on the all-time run-scorers' list. Neither side could force the issue, and honours were shared — a fair result, and, on reflection, rather a fitting one.

Mon 19 Jul 1897 🧢 1st XIv RC Royal Engineers CC · HomeformLDWWL

Monday 19 July 1897, and we welcomed Royal Engineers CC to Linton Park under skies kind enough for a captain's optimism. The coin obliged, and I had no hesitation putting us in — a decision I felt rather clever about for at least the first hour.

We batted with real purpose. P F Warner led the way in fine style with 90, the pick of the day by some distance, well supported by Arthur Cornwallis with 47 and A W Fulcher with 46 — the extras column chipped in a handsome 40 of its own, which the Engineers' bowlers may wish to forget. All out in the end, but a total built on substance rather than luck.

In the field we gave as good as we got. Captain T Bigge top-scored for the visitors with 48, F G Guggisberg made a watchful 44 and C B O Symons added 22, while S D Barrow departed for a duck without so much as a murmur off the bat. J N Tonge was superb with the ball, snaring 4 for none, with the Hon H A Milles and F Marchant each picking up a couple in support.

Two milestones worth raising a glass to: A W Fulcher's 46 lifted him past Jack Fryer into 5th on the club's all-time run-scorers' list, while S Christopherson's two wickets edged him past Tom Peach Snr into 7th among our leading wicket-takers.

Honours shared, then — a draw that flattered neither side but satisfied both. A good day's cricket, and no complaints from this captain's chair.

Sat 17 Jul 1897 🧢 1st XIv ? · HomeformWLDWW

Saturday 17th July, 1897, and the fixture gods smiled on us with a home date and a coin that fell our way. I put the opposition in to field, which in hindsight looks like a shrewd captain's call rather than the coin toss it actually was.

A W Fulcher played the innings of the day, a glorious 115, and George Champion followed up with a handsome 55 to keep the scoreboard ticking along nicely. The Hon J R Tufton chipped in a useful 36, though A E Leatham and R Upcher will be quietly grateful the club gazette doesn't dwell on ducks longer than a sentence allows. The extras column, ever the reliable twelfth man, added a stout 26. All told, a total to be proud of, and one I like to think I had nothing to do with beyond standing at the non-striker's end looking encouraging.

In the field the Reverend Thomas Burra turned in a spell of genuine devilry, six wickets for none, spinning the visitors into all sorts of knots, with George Champion lending fine support with four of his own. G Style's unbeaten 33 and W Marchant's 23 were the only real resistance; J S Hardy and W H L Roberts departed without so much as troubling the umpire's finger.

And yet, dear reader, cricket delights in irony: despite bowling them out for nothing and taking ten wickets between two men, we lost by 217 runs. I shall leave the arithmetic to wiser heads and simply say — back to the nets, and thank heavens for extras.

Sat 03 Jul 1897 🧢 1st XIv SS Sutton Valence School · HomeformLWLDW

Sat 03 July 1897 – v Sutton Valence School

Called correctly at the toss and, in a fit of confidence I hope was justified, sent us in without a moment's hesitation. Arthur Cornwallis then made the decision look thoroughly wise, sailing past his fifty to 57 in fine style, with Jack Fryer chipping in a handsome 35 alongside him. Elsewhere in the order the less said the better — S Smith's contribution amounted to a duck, and he took the long walk back to the pavilion to the sympathetic silence such occasions demand.

With the ball in hand we found our range early. F G Apthorpe threatened to make a match of it with 32, but H D T Alexander departed without so much as a squeak from the scorers, and the innings unravelled from there. Jack Fryer was the chief architect of the collapse with a superb 4-0, George Champion lent fine support with 3-0, and the Reverend Thomas Burra did his bit with 2-0 — proof, if any were needed, that the cloth is no obstacle to a wicked yorker. I even managed a modest 18 with the bat myself, more for the honour of the thing than the scorebook.

There was extra reason to raise a glass afterwards: Fryer's 35 runs saw him leapfrog Ernest Cruttenden into 5th on the club's all-time run-scorers list, while Cornwallis continues to lead our 1897 charge with 126 runs and Burra tops the wicket column with 7. We came home 23 runs to the good. All told, a thoroughly good day for the club.

Wed 23 Jun 1897 🧢 1st XIv Headcorn CC · HomeformLLWLD

Wednesday last, 23 June, and Headcorn came to Linton Park with the sun out and, for once, the covers staying firmly in the shed. I called correctly at the toss — a rare enough event to mention — and never seriously entertained the notion of doing anything but batting first.

What followed was a proper feast. J N Tonge played an innings of real substance, a superb hundred that anchored everything around him, while Arthur Cornwallis chipped in a handsome fifty and the Reverend J C Wilson added a sturdy 49 for good measure — the sort of clerical contribution that suggests a man more comfortable behind the stumps than the pulpit on a Wednesday afternoon. Between them they left Headcorn with a mountain to climb.

Climb it they did not. R E Lewis battled gamely for 23, but the Reverend Thomas Burra was simply unplayable, spinning through the order for 5 wickets without conceding a run, ably assisted by Tonge (4-0) and, appropriately, Wilson again (1-0) — the Reverend duo evidently preferring sermons of the short and devastating variety. A personal 120 with the bat and four wickets to follow made for a day I shan't forget in a hurry, and Cornwallis's 69 saw him leapfrog George Champion to the very top of our all-time run-scorers, while Tonge's four scalps lifted him past W Crittenden into fifteenth on the wicket-takers' list.

A win by 232 runs, then, and a thoroughly splendid afternoon's cricket. Onwards.

Wed 16 Jun 1897 🧢 1st XIv BC Brenchley CC · HomeformLLLWL

George Champion's ton against Brenchley deserved a report of its own — here it is.

Wednesday last, at home to Brenchley, I called correctly at the toss and, with the sun out and the outfield running true, there was never much doubt in my mind — we batted. It proved the right call, though I say so myself. George Champion played an innings of real substance, 121 struck with a maturity that belied the rest of us, while Ernest Cruttenden anchored things beautifully at the other end for an unbeaten 63, and M A Atkins chipped in a handy 35. All out we may have been, but it was a total with genuine heft behind it.

Defending it was another matter entirely. Brenchley set about the task with W Hodges to the fore, 81 the bulk of it, well backed by J A Perkins's unbeaten 53 and A Hodges's 45 — the sort of batting that keeps a captain fidgeting at mid-on rather longer than he'd like. G Knight was the pick of our attack, and the Reverend J R Leigh and Cruttenden both chipped in with a wicket apiece, but Brenchley matched us all out to all out, and honours were shared.

I'll confess a certain pride in leading from the front with the bat, and prouder still to note that Champion's 121 has now carried him past Arthur Cornwallis to the top of the club's all-time run-scorers — no small feat. A draw, then, but a thoroughly entertaining one: honours even, and Champion the undoubted man of the match.