Cricket's Historians

Wisden challenges Lillywhite with an invaluable guide to the cricket season and though his role in the publication of Scores & Biographies is frequently derided, the fact must be obvious that, without him, the volumes might never have seen publication. David Smith in his analysis of the editions of the Guide proves that Fred Lillywhite cut corners and reduced the production costs to a minimum, but does that really matter? Lillywhite was assisted by Arthur Haygarth, who not only wrote pieces in the Guide but provided facts, particularly on the biographies of current players. Perhaps Lillywhite ought to have acknowledged Haygarth’s help, though the latter was a very wealthy man who treated the whole idea of collecting scores and biographical material as a hobby. With the death of Fred Lillywhite, the Guide effectively died; John Lillywhite had purchased the copyright and John Lillywhite’s Companion for 1867 appears with the extended title: ‘Lillywhite’s Cricketers’ Companion: With Which is Incorporated Lillywhite’s Guide to Cricketers For 1867’. The 1867 edition is 30 pages larger than the 1866 edition, there being a general increase in information given in each section, rather than any complete innovation. The 1867 edition contains an advertisement for the first four volumes of Scores & Biographies – ‘which was commenced by his late father and continued by his late brother Frederick (and) has been placed in his hands for sale by Mr F.P.Miller (who has expended £2,000 upon it).’ Returning to The Cricketers’ Almanack (Wisden) the issues for 1867, 1868 and 1869 are made largely up of detailed match scores, but no description of individual games, or any bowling analysis. The 1867 edition has a new section, ‘The Births and Deaths of Celebrated Cricketers’, culled without acknowledgement from Haygarth’s researches printed in Scores & Biographies – about 400 players, are included. John Wisden does not publish pen pictures of current players. The 1869 edition contains an article for the first time, namely: ‘Individual Innings of 200 or more Runs’. More significant however is that the article is credited to a compiler, W.H.Knight. The reason for the list was twofold, first E.F.S.Tylecote hit 33