Double Headers

19 University early in the season; and ‘Razor’ Smith had 25 wickets at 8.72 from just four matches, including 11-52 against Worcestershire at The Oval. Smith had also played an innings of 201 in Surrey’s previous competitive game at Reigate, the Minor Counties match against Buckinghamshire in August 1908. Surely all three of these bowlers would be contenders for the Reigate side? Turning to the Second XI players, there was fortunately a bit more form to encourage the selectors, even though there were no outstanding claims. William Abel, Arthur Rutty (a former Oxford student) and Spring had all made scores in the 60s in the three Second Eleven matches so far 17 , while Wilkinson had a 46*, and George Platt had taken six wickets in the match against Lancashire II. There had also been some good performances in Club & Ground games in the early part of the season. Abel had taken 20 wickets in the eight (mostly single-innings) matches in which he had bowled, and he made scores of 78 and 65 in matches at The Oval on 17 and 18 June, against Sutton and Battersea respectively. Goatly’s batting had been even more successful, including scores of 170*, 94 and 71 in his seven C&G matches to date (the 71 and 170* again coming on 17 and 18 June). Platt had taken 29 wickets in his first eight C&G matches of the season, including innings returns of 7-26 and 6-30; and Spring had hit 45 and 88* in one (two-innings) match early in June. Like Razor Smith, Spring also had ‘form’ at Reigate, having performed the match double there when he scored 102 and took 6-44 and 4-50 for Surrey II in a Minor Counties match against Berkshire in June 1907. On this evidence, the likeliest candidates for a place in the side at Reigate might have been perhaps Abel, Platt, Spring, Goatly, Hitch and Smith – though had Abel’s and Goatly’s performances on 17 and 18 June come too late to impress the selectors? Other contenders might have been Rutty (the established Second XI captain) and maybe Henry Blacklidge, who had been a steady performer for the Second XI in 1907 and 1908, together with the established second-choice wicket-keeper Herbert Vigar. But there were other considerations too. A match against Oxford University might be an opportunity to call in some amateurs, especially those with Oxford connections. And as the game was going to a cricketing ‘outpost’, was there perhaps some local player who might be worth a run out in the side, to create some additional local interest (and additional revenue)? And as this was to be a first-class match, would a side made up of players who could not establish themselves in the First XI – or in many cases, could not even break into the First XI – be strong enough to give a good account of themselves, and thus to maintain Surrey’s reputation? No doubt these factors all had a part to play in the decision to search wider for potential players for the Reigate match, and in the final team selection. But quite what possessed John Shuter 18 – Chairman of the Match Committee, remember, so he was in the best position to influence these 17 The three matches played so far were against the Second Elevens of Lancashire, Kent and Yorkshire. None counted towards the Minor Counties championship, which was being played on a regional basis this year. 18 Those eventually selected for the Surrey side at Reigate are named in bold type in the following paragraphs. Surrey in 1909