beaten by nine wickets. There was a similar story in 1887 when North won again, this time in a single day, but the teams were not fully representative. The lustre was starting to fade and this marked the end of the North-South Whitsuntide encounters at Lord’s. WG grumbled that the fixture had become overdone, with five such matches taking place during the 1889 season, North, winning three of them, having the best of it. It was becoming difficult to choose satisfactory sides as an increasing number of counties realised the value of the holiday fixtures - another indication that the crossroads were beckoning. There had been a few gaps in the Lord’s series from 1870 to 1887, such as 1880 when An England Eleven met Richard Daft’s American Eleven, England winning a game notable for some splendid fast bowling by the 21-year-old AH Evans who took nine for 59 in an innings. Evans, an Oxford Blue at cricket and rugby, enjoyed a short but glittering career before the teaching profession claimed him. His son AJ Evans played in the Lord’s Test against the 1921 Australians. In 1881 and 1882 Over 30 faced Under 30, each side winning once before the North-South fixture was resumed. After 1887 Lord’s at Whit was given over to county cricket, although nothing was scheduled in 1888 and the Middlesex-Kent match a year later was abandoned without a ball being bowled. For decades Lord’s, despite its dreadful pitches, had been the focus for the Whitsuntide games but now Canterbury emerged as the prototype for the August Bank Holiday and festival weeks. North v South 23