Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-14
CRICKET AND ITS FOLLOWERS
Some RecoIlections OF the Tournn-
mcnt and Prospects for Future
Events on the Oval.

most successful gathering OF willow WELD
ers ever held in the west. To President
Lawrie. Captain Francis, Treasurer Douglas
and Secretary Reynolds, and last, but by
no means least. the women, thanks are es-
pecially due. They seemed to be here, there
and everywhere, and to their u%ntiring ex-
ertions much OF the success Of the tourna-
ment is due. Omaha had six days of splen-
did cricket, and the Omaha Cricket club has
won for itself a reputation for hospitality
ulch will be hard to equal, The brilliant
successes OF the club on the field came as
a surprise to their opponents, and local
players have no hesitation in saying that
tho wonderful improvement on their form
OF last year was in a measure somewhat
Of a surprise to themselves. The club, more
over, is to be heartily congratulated on it's
successful engineering of the financial side
OF the tournament. This is the first time
that any club has emerged from this annual
meeting with a balance on the right side.
When 1t is remembered that the Omaha
Cricket club is by far the poorest Of the
clubs in the association, that its member
ship is the least, and that it has no wealthy
magnatcs connected with its organization, 1t
will be readily acknowledged that 1t has
done itself proud" in bringing off an i'm
portant tournament like this with such
eclat.
1t is, perhaps, after all, not so difficult to
account for the high position taken by the
Omaha club. The team, as n whole, has
practiced more assiduously than in former
years. The men have done away with the
idea that any apology for a bowler would
do to peg away at them during practice.
They have insisted on having the best, and
prohted thereby. The regular hours and
habits had not a little to do with their won
derful success. Then again the Omaha
team has not been credited in former years
with a capacity for playing an uphill game.
Somehow or other they have failed at a
critical moment, fallen to pieces, and almost
certain victory has been turned into inglo-
rious defeat. Such criticism cannot be
hurled at them this year, however, for on
two occasions at least it required no small
amount of nerve and skill to pull the match
out of the fire. Finally, they have Loyalty
supported their captain, and only those who
have experienced the responsibility, cares
and annoyances attached to such a position
can fully appreciate the services rendered
by the man who takes upon himself this, by
no means, enviable duty.
The Omaha team hardly got into its
stride until it met the great Chicago team.
'Sis hSaiiy min " Io
pervaded the Chicago team when their cap
tain went down in such surprisingly easy
fashion, and prior to the fray not one
person in attendance would have anticipated
such a result as the former champions of
the west being put out by the Omaha eleven
for the paltry total of SO. Still, on the
days play, the best team won and won
handily. That the local players surprised
themselves goes without saying; no great
scores were made by the men, but each con-
tributed his quota, and it was the levelness
of the individual scores during the week
that contributed to our final success. There
is no question but that the Chicago team
will leave no stone unturned to reverse
matters in the coming Denver tournament,
and, therefore, it behooves the local men to
lose no time in putting themselves in shape
once more.
1t is a pity the Omaha club has no
millionaires in its ranks, else it might have
a chance of measuring its strength against
the renowned English team, which passes
through here to play Denver during the
tournament there in September. However,
an expense OF $500 for two days could
hardly be entertained by the club at the
present time. Omaha has the consolation
that If the Denver club runs up against
70 iSNIdllIdIo just DtlOTe our match with
them it will have an easier Job in putting
them to sleep" than at Omaha.
For Denver has not only secured an extra
tournament of the Northwestern Cricket as
ISOLATION, but is also assured of q meeting
with the strong English picked eleven that
mas been selected to meet the crack Ameri-
can teams this fall. The following from the
Denver News gives the information:
The Denver Cricket club received q
cablegram this morning which assures
Denver next month a red-letter day in the
calendar OF international sport. The club
on Saturday satisfactorily arranged the
guarantee and received word that the team
OF the famous Marylebone Cricket club OF
London Will be in Denver on September 26,
to play a series of games lasting two days.
Arrangements have also been completed
and the announcement made that on Sen
TENDER 2S, 20 and October 2 and 3 the
tournament of the Northwestern Cricket as
ISOLATION will be held in Denver and the
tie between Omaha and Chicago, for the
first place, will be played off. The tie is the
result OF the last association tournament.
The Marylebone club sends n team every
year to some part of the globe. Last year
it was to South Africa; this year it is to
Canada and the United States. The team
comprises some of the best known names in
The world of cricket. 1t is captained by p.
- ~ uhu tOhldlHS tue Ola crack
blues" from oxford and Cambridge. All
are first class amateur cricketers and it will
be the first time in the state that a high
class game, such as is played in England,
has been pulled off. In the team are Vernon
Hill and G, b. Bardswell, two OF the best
names on the roll of the Marylebone club.
The men leave England August q. They
hrst go to Montreal, Philadelphia and
Chicago, playing at each city. From
Chicago they come here.
The Denver Cricket club will have q
strong team to meet the visitors. Walter
scott of Colorado Springs, who has more
than local fame, has promised to play with
the local men. The team is being strength
ehed ana improved by constant practice,
The Northwestern Cricket association
tournament was secured for Denver only by
hard work since the play at Omaha last
month. Chicago and Omaha tied for first
place, and the already strong feeling of
rivalry has been greatly increased. Besides
Omaha and Chicago, st. Paul and possibly
a Canadian city will be represented,
Secretary H.. c.. Stone said this morning
that the coming of the English and eastern
clubs meant that Denver was gaining rec
o~gnition in the east and abroad. There
are several old Oxford and Cambridge men
on the eleven, which has only been or
ganized two years, This is the first year
it has played with anything like it's full
strength. The rule is to practice nearly
every afternoon and have a game every
week.
AS some of the local players are In