Cricket's Historians

The Influence of W.G.Grace and then joined with the Notts pair of Shaw and Shrewsbury in prompting several later tours, died in 1929. In 1888 James jun claimed he was more or less destitute, so he presumably had relinquished his interest in Lillywhite, Frowd? Lillywhite, Frowd continued as publishers of the Annual (Wright & Co ceased their interest in 1894) until it closed. At the time the Companion and Annual merged, the other chief competitor, Wisden was going steadily downhill. W.H.Knight, the editor, had died on August 16, 1879. An obituary in the 1880 edition of Wisden ends, ‘to none more so (is his loss felt) than the proprietors of this Almanack, who have lost in him a painstaking and conscientious compiler.’ George West was appointed as Knight’s replacement. West who had been a sub-editor on The Field , was appointed to succeed Charles Box, as cricket correspondent of The Times , within a year of his appointment as Wisden editor. West also wrote on many other subjects apart from cricket. Unlike Alcock he did not seem able to ride several horses simultaneously and the Wisden Almanack was the one which suffered in consequence. John Wisden himself died in April 1884; Harry Luff bought both the Wisden sports outfitters business and the Almanack from the Wisden estate. Luff had already acted as manager of the shop in Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square and therefore knew the business. One of his first actions was to remove West as editor of the Almanack. West who hailed originally from Devon and claimed relationship with the famous sportsman, Squire Osbaldeston, continued his work on The Times until ill-health forced his retirement, not long before his death in 1896, aged 45. West had also been the editor of Feltham’s Cricketer , an annual that came out twice – in 1877 and 1878. He was probably responsible for Feltham’s Cricket Directory for 1883 . This ran to 175 pages and apart from scores, did publish some records. These re-appeared with additions in W.G.Grace’s book of 1891, which is noted in detail later. With the Almanack at its lowest ebb, Luff decided to bring in Charles F.Pardon as the new editor. It proved an astute move. C.F.Pardon had 49