Cricket's Historians

The Influence of W.G.Grace source, may safely anticipate Nemesis, all rights being strictly reserved.’ The Preface by William Whittam begins: ‘The Editor tells me it is necessary to have a preface. Well, Gentle Reader, like the needy knife-grinder, who had no story to tell, I haven’t the least idea what to say in the way of a preface.’ As for the actual contents, in the 1883 edition, the batting and bowling averages for Lancashire, Yorkshire, Notts, then Middlesex and Gloucestershire are printed, but not for Kent, Surrey or Sussex. Pen pictures of current Lancashire and Yorkshire players are shown, but not Nottinghamshire. Another section, which is perhaps unique to the annual and of interest to cricket historians, is a long list of the ‘Principal Cricket Authors and Reporters’. William Whittam was a printer of scorecards in Yorkshire; he died in Sheffield in January 1910 aged 76. G.T.Groves, who later moved to London, died in October 1916. His son, G.J.Groves, was also a sports reporter and a very good club cricketer, he played a few games for Nottinghamshire in 1899 and 1900. 58