Double Headers

17 “ ... with Oxford University stronger than they have been for years, the match should be productive of cricket worth going a long way to witness.” The hopes of Reigate Priory CC at their AGM, and of the Surrey Mirror ’s correspondent, for a good attendance were natural enough. But not all local cricket-lovers shared their excitement about the fixture, as evidenced by this letter which appeared in the same edition of the paper: “Dear Sir – Though we are promised the opportunity to see “Surrey v Oxford University” at Reigate on Monday next, Surrey is playing Lancashire away from home that day! 16 If the former is a 2nd XI, or Club and Ground fixture, why is it not advertised as such? Is this cricket? Yours etc, “HOW’S THAT”, Reigate, June 16th.” As stated in the Introduction, the first-class status of the Reigate match has never been challenged, either at the time or subsequently, and its credentials as a first-class match are unimpeachable. Whether ‘How’s That’, and any other residents of Reigate who shared his scepticism, ever accepted that fact we can never know. Team selection With the club having two first-class matches to play on 21-23 June 1909, Surrey’s selectors had an interesting task on their hands in picking the two elevens. Yet again, primary sources on the subject are, infuriatingly, lacking (why is there no mention of the selection issue in the minutes of the Match Committee – especially given that it was chaired by one of those who played in the Reigate game?). So once more we are forced back on speculation and assumptions. Selecting the side for the Lancashire match was no doubt straightforward. This was a Championship match, with points at stake, between two of the country’s most senior county clubs who, at the time of the match, stood second (Surrey) and third (Lancashire) in the Championship table. In these circumstances there could be no question of trying to balance the two sides for the Oval and Reigate fixtures: the match at The Oval had to take priority. So the side for the Lancashire match was unquestionably the county’s First XI, and showed only one change from the eleven that had drawn with Sussex at Horsham in the previous championship match. The selected XI was as follows – the figure in brackets is the number of first-team matches which they had already played this season (out of a maximum of 14 – i.e. 12 Championship games plus one match each against the Australians and Oxford University): J.B.Hobbs (11), E.G.Hayes (13), A.Marshal (14), J.N.Crawford (14), H.S.Harrison (5), W.E.Davis (7), A.Ducat (12), H.D.G.Leveson Gower, captain (9), W.S.Lees (13), T.Rushby (9) and H. Strudwick (11). Only two players who had played five matches or more were missing from this XI – Tom Hayward (who had played six matches, but was currently injured), and Bill Hitch, who had played seven matches, and was the player from the Horsham match who gave way to Rushby for the fixture at The Oval. 16 In fact the Lancashire match was at The Oval. Surrey in 1909