Cricket's Historians

Wisden challenges Lillywhite publication had been such a commercial success for him over a number of years? To emphasise this point, it should be added that Fred Lillywhite had set up a sports business with Wisden at 2, Coventry St, in October 1855, but Fred Lillywhite and John Wisden had quarrelled in October 1858, the partnership had split, leaving Wisden in sole charge of their Coventry Street business. Lillywhite had moved to The Oval. John Wisden retired as a professional cricketer at the close of the 1863 season – born in Brighton in 1826, his cricket had been principally for Sussex, but in 1847 William Clarke recruited him for the All England Eleven. Wisden broke away from Clarke’s side in 1852 and, with James Dean, formed a rival professional wandering side, the United England Eleven. Later he formed a partnership with George Parr (Clarke’s right-hand man) to set up a cricket ground at Leamington, but this partnership was also later dissolved. Wisden does not seem to have been a man for business partnerships! The second edition of his annual was a total change from the first. Almost all the book (aside from the Oxford v Cambridge match series) was devoted to the games played the previous season, as well as the scores of the 1863-64 matches by Parr’s Team to Australia and New Zealand. Had Wisden seen that there was much interest in the principal scores given in The Cricket Chronicle , but not the mass of minor games also published there? The third edition followed the format of the second, though adding the detailed scores of the All England and United matches against local 22s. What was lacking was any bowling statistics – Printed Match Cards of the day did not normally include bowling, but these details did appear in newspapers. No doubt to the delight of cricket followers another annual was launched in 1865 John Lillywhite’s Cricketers’ Companion for 1865 . This first edition was 160 pages in length and priced at one shilling. The page count was larger than Fred’s Guide, which in 1865 only contained 124 pages. Unlike the cricket public, brother Fred was not amused by John’s new venture. In format and content the two were very similar. Both had pen pictures of 31