THE article below comes from the (London) Times, where it appeared as a letter to the editor in 1907, and was reprinted by The Irish Times. Its author was a prominent cricketer, albeit a one with very eccentric views. It’s a fascinating glimpse on a bygone era and some hilarious bygone attitudes.
Ernest Ensor was a notable cricketer more than a century ago. Born in Cheltenham, he was educated at Trinity and spent years here, but only played once for Ireland.
He didn’t become a regular on Trinity’s first XI until 1894, his fourth year there, although he played against Essex and Leicestershire the year before.
His best season was 1895, when Dublin University played four games granted first-class status, in which he took 23 wickets at 20.35. He was picked for Ireland the following summer but bowled only six overs v I Zingari taking 0-15.
He continued with Phoenix for a time after graduating, and was an occasional commentator on cricket. He contributed a chapter on Ireland to PF Warner’s Imperial Cricket in which he foresaw the game dying out and Polo taking over! He also condemned both soccer and rugby league, because, as historian Edward Liddle wrote “The latter was full of cheats and spies while the former was ruined by, again the inference is clear, by the lower orders being unable to behave while they watched it.”
He became an academic, teaching Classics, and continued to play for Cork County, dying in the city aged 58 in 1929.
Despite his uncommon surname, it is believed Ernest is not related to his cricketing namesakes, the also one-time capped David (of Phoenix) or Merrion club player Robbie.
To the Editor of The Times, September 20, 1907
Sir, - Your correspondent in his amusing paper, published on September 12, on the difficulty of maintaining village cricket, touched lightly on the fact that cricket does not flourish in the ‘Gaelic fringes’. The fact is undeniable so far as Ireland is concerned, but the explanation offered is frivolous – ‘stretches of grass which even approach the level are rare, and cricket clubs are therefore few and far between’. I have never played cricket in Wales and Scotland but it is hard to imagine any country better provided with level ‘stretches of grass’ than Ireland. The game is undoubtedly dying away in this country, but for different reasons.
There are two nations in Ireland, one small the other large. The latter have never played cricket, or Rugby football, or any game that is limited by strict rules. Their temperament forbids it. The smaller body of Anglo-Irish, growing smaller, have made Ireland a great power at Rugby football, seven or eight clubs providing an international team which often does very well indeed against the other countries, and plays a vigorous, characteristic game. I have no doubt, whatever, that the same Anglo-Irish, a most athletic race, would have made cricket successful, if success had been possible.
The football matches receive no support from the large body of Irishmen, the hostile two-thirds, who dislike games under rules, and, if they play anything, play “Gaelic football’ or ‘hurley’ under the nominal direction of a disregarded referee. The cricket matches receive no support from the hostile party, who are want to call themselves pedantically ‘more Irish’.
When the Australian team of two years ago visited Dublin to play Dublin University the College Park was filled by a large crowd of such a nature as greatly astonished the Australians. They had never till then played before a crowd entirely drawn form the upper classes of society. The lower classes associate cricket and Rugby football with the English influence which they ostentatiously detest. But while our football does very well, cricket is dying out in Ireland. Irish cricketers have always lacked time and money; now they begin to lack inclination. It is possible, though difficult, to do without gate money at cricket; and I really doubt whether unless an English or Colonial side visits Ireland, £50 gate money is taken in a season in the whole country, unless the league cricket in Ulster finds some popular support.
The cricketers travel at their own expense, fund their own hotel expenses, pay subscriptions large enough to keep professionals. The Dublin clubs manage to do it, although the strain becomes greater and greater, but the country clubs are moribund. Only the County Cork continues to fight with any success. Ten years ago there were strong county clubs in Limerick, Galway and Kildare. I have often played in matches against Limerick County when the ‘gate’ was two or three bare-footed urchins, until a few people who were not ‘anti-English’ came to the ground in the late afternoon. This was in the City of Limerick, the street corners of which support more idlers than can be seen anywhere else. Although no gate was charged, they never came to lean against the trees on the cricket ground. But now the county grounds are marked out for croquet and lawn tennis.
The feeling of the Gaelic faction against ‘English games’ is so intense that any one who plays an ‘English game’ is ipso facto disqualified by the Gaelic Association from games which they consider to be national. Of course this regulation does not affect the cricketers, who are all in the other camp, but by a curious perversity one English game is defeating the Gaelic Association, spreading over the country like an epidemic. This is Association football of the least attractive kind. There have long been professional clubs in Belfast, Dublin now has one, and there are hundreds of minor clubs.
The evening papers are filled with the peculiar literature of Association football, the record of suspensions, fines, and protects. The Rugby players of Dublin are proud of the fact that during nearly 30 years the fierce struggles for the Cup –the Leinster Cup which Dublin University fondly holds for this year - have never led to a single protest being lodged. It would be felt as an indelible disgrace on any club if in a moment of vexation it appealed against the verdict of the game to the Leinster Union.
Irish cricketers have struggled along with no money, with few supporters, not doing so very badly when you consider everything. We never allow our English professionals to play in matches, and Irish amateur bowling, in consequence, is fairly good. This season the Gentlemen of Ireland held the South Africans in a hard-fought game for two days, but failed on the third to get the necessary runs. On their previous visit, four years ago, the South Africans found the Irish bowling too much for them, and were defeated.
In spite of disadvantages, the standard of cricket in Dublin was kept as high, I believe, as the standard of amateur cricket, in England. Your correspondent referred sympathetically to the Irish boys at school in England. how they go home for their holidays and can get every kind of sport but cricket. Most of them used, at any rate until lately. To get some cricket. and learnt some useful things, especially the hopelessness of playing forward with their eyes shut on slow Irish wickets. Cricket in Ireland has a chastening effect on the unintelligent youth who can get runs easily on the fast English wickets.
Our own boys in the Protestant public schools would gladly play cricket, but are debarred so to speak, by statute. Nearly all the secondary schools earn grants from the Government by entering their pupils for an annual event called the intermediate examination. This is an elaborate test the years work by means of a long and close examination which lasts about a fortnight. The great contest is fixed – there is all year to choose from – for the second week in June each year. For the two months before that time the boys are doing extra work in school, and would have little time for cricket. After the examination the school breaks up. Thus Irish schoolboys are robbed of their cricket. There is, of course, no valid reason why the examination – should not be I the winter, when the evenings are long and dreary, and study is not so irksome as in June. But the Commissioners have made it June, the week before the longest day, and for 27 years early summer has been a time of stress and distress in Irish schools. I admit the intermediate examination is necessary and well conducted. Need it be in June.
Irish cricketers managed to keep their game alive, made sacrifices of time and money to do so, until these last few years and golf came, and swept away the recruits. There must now be as many golf courses as workhouses in Ireland. Dublin is fringed with them: the most sordid little country towns make for themselves a golf links. It is already the national summer game of the sections that plays games, and passengers are always coming over from the ‘anti-English’ party. I admit the advantages of this fine pastime for people with little time and money, but old-fashioned people may be pardoned for grumbling when they see that the boys have flung cricket over, and all play golf. There are hardly any young cricketers in the Irish clubs.
Golf has conquered, it seems, and there is no use in refusing to own that it is a splendid game. But it is a selfish amusement, as compared with cricket, and it makes no call on certain qualities that cricket develops. It is a pity that the men who play Rugby football so well should not play cricket also, should refuse the sacrifice of time and money and trouble that cricket requires. It is easy to get in a couple of rounds of golf every day, not so easy to travel around the country playing cricket. It seems as if there is little hope for Irish cricket. Your correspondent is right in his conclusion, wrong in his premises – I am yours faithfully.
Ernest Ensor
Trinity College.