There was a merry gathering the Shanghai Club on Saturday evening, when the President and Committee of the Shanghai Cricket Club entertained the Inter port cricket teams, scorers and umpires to dinner, the opportunity also being taken to make a presentation to Mr. A. P. Wood, on his departure from Shanghai, in recognition of the great work he has done for the sport locally. Sir Everard Fraser, K.C.M.G., British Consul-General, presided and about 100 sat down to dinner.
The speeches were all commendably brief, being confined to genuine expressions of good comyadeship, punctuated with much real humour which kept the gathering in the most joyous of moods, Mr. G. R. Sayer, the Hongkong captain, showing a special genius in this way. The after dinner programme opened with a toast to His Majesty and silent recognition of the memory of departed sportsmen, after which the Chairman proposed the health of the people who came to get topside of Shanghai—and didn't." He said, what with Shanghai first selecting Barrett, then Hongkong losing the toss and finally the weather going against them, he felt sorry for the visitors and it was not surprising they wore beaten. Yet they played the game to the very end and, though unsuccessful, were not disgraced.
Mr. Sayer made a most joyful response, with many allusions to the absent Hancock, from whom he said he had just received the following telegram: Cheer up; we love you nevertheless. Heartily congratulate Shanghai. Invite them for next year and tell them we will have our revenge.""
The Chairman then presented Mr. A. P. Wood with a massive silver bowl, beautifully ornamented with a frieze design, as a token from the Cricket Club. He said they had to limit the subscriptions, for they found that otherwise no trunk would have held the present they would have had to buy, for "everyone loves A.P."
Mr, A. P. Wood, in response, said in part:
Great changes have taken place and, from small beginnings, the Club is now one of the most important institutions in Shanghai, but this is due to your Committees and Secretaries, who have given up so much of their time to promote the best interests of the Club and the willing assistance they have always given to me.
I am very pleased the Committee has chosen the Interport dinner to make the presentation, as it allows me to welcome and renew associations of Interport cricket dating back to 1899. The first Interport matches were played in 1866 and 1867, and after a lapse of 22 years were renewed in 1888, when Hong-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.