Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-04
NOTES OF The CRlCKETERS
Something of the Match Game with
Denver which IL to BE Played
Here on the Fourth.

Here on me ouTths
Only four more Saturday games can be
utilized bv Omaha cricketers for practice
preparatory to the game against Denver on
July 4, and considering the fact that the
weather has hitherto been so unprCpitious
for play, this will be none too much time
for the locals to get themselves into first
class trim for the struggle.
Omaha should be able to put a very
strong team in the field for the ab5ve men
toned game, in fact a stronger one at least
from a batting standpoint than the one
which landed Omaha at the top of the heN,
at the tournament here last
summer. In the trundling department
Omaha has always been strong and this year
Is no exception to the rule. Out of the
eleven who will represent the city no less
than nine can handle the ball to pretty good
advantage IL necessary, but against bowlers
of the caliber of Bate, Simms, the Vaughan
brothers and Lennon no team, however
strong, should make 100 runs, and Denver,
II its showing here last summer can be
taken as a criterion to go by, should not
make over seventy-fve.
Against a score of this kind Omaha should
be an easy winner, and if the boys will put
in some good licks at the nets between now
and then there is no doubt but what we can
demonstrate in a decisive and artistic man
ner that the Hungarians from Colorado are
not in our class when it comes to playing
cricket.
Captain Francis has generously offered a
fine bat to the batsman having the highest
average at the end of the season and in or
der to give the poor players a chance to win
the coveted prize he has, with the aid Of a
ca1pptoI .nn,,noittnn Communicated III
for the best players, The following is the
report of the committee on the subjects:
The following players to dave the number
Of runs set opposite their names deducted
from their seasons average:
Bate, 10; New, 10; Taylor. 5; Tufield, 5;
Vaughan, 8; G. Vaughan, 8; Cameron, 5;
Simms, 3; Lennon, 8; Neale, 5.
Rules-D No average to count for prize
unless the player takes part in not less
than 60 per cent Of the games from May
80 to end of season.
(2) Games prior to May 80 are not counted
on account of poor attendance, owing to
cold, wet weather not constituting such
games representative ones.
(3) Games with foreign clubs not to be
counted. The bowling and general playing
on such occasions being so much sharper
than in purely practice games it would in
-'S N''Ne >aN No'h ~ aNS " luOSb
who took part in favor of those who did
not.
az In case OF tie between the two high
est the man having the highest score be-
fore deducting handicap to be declared the
winner.
l will give a bat to the man having the
best average, subject, of course, to deduction
of the handicap. The bat to be presented
at the beginning of next season.
l find it impracticable to fix a handicap
for bowling averages. | recommend that il
be decided without a handicap, but subject
to the requirement of bowling in a certain
number of games. Foreign as well as prac-
tice matches to count. j. FRANCIS.
The idea of handicapping the best play
ers Is perhaps a good one. as there is no
question but what in an open competition
the prize would go to one of about four
players who always lead in batting and
the dances of the other players would be
50 small that all interest in the contest
would be lest. The committee, it would
seem, has put a very heavy handicap on
Bate and New, as supposing either of these
men have an average of 20 at the end of
the season, when their handicap has been
deducted they will only have an average of
5. However, in their case the penalty is
none too heavy, as either of them, if UP to
their usual form, ought to have a fair show
in the contest.
In the cases of Lennon, Taylor, G.
Vaughan, Cameron. and, perhaps, Tufield,
the writer thinks the committee has been
too lenient.
Taylor, Cameron, G. Vaughan and Lennon
are certainly reasonably sure of being very
close up to Bate and New in the open av-
orages at the end of the season and to class
them as ten runs lower in the averages
is not quite fair, If their records can prove
anything. In seasons gone by G. Vaughan,
Cameron, Taylor and Bate have always been
woll punched, with only a run or two eepa-
rating them at he finish, and why their
capabilities should have suddenly grown less
is hard to comprehend.
1t is to be hoped the committee will see
It's way clear to reconsider the handicap
ping of these four men at least, and the
writer would like to see them penalized at
least five more runs apiece. As the handi-
cap stands now, Bate and New have a
fair chance against some of the poorer bats
men of the club, but the race for the COW
eted prize rests between the four above
named men, and the poorer batsmen, whom
the handicap was supposed to help, are in
no better condition than before. In this
criticism Of the committees action the
writer wishes it understood that he does not
imply that the members of it intended to
be unfair, but simply that their judgment
was bad.