Bagshaw dodged the fast rising ball and ducked when they went over his head proved that things were very lively. How I went on I can’t remember but we survived and then the fun began.” Wright was run out for 57 at 144 and Bagshaw left undefeated with 90, Kortright’s figures being 13-0-59-0. The competitive nature of these matches, even though they did not rank as first-class, is self-evident and there was a rift between the counties after this game. Hulme had been absent owing to a league engagement when Derbyshire batted and his subsequent return to take ten wickets in the two innings left Essex so incensed that no fixtures were arranged between the counties in 1894. Hampshire became Derbyshire’s holiday opponents, although the matches at Southampton and Derby that summer were not deemed first-class. Derbyshire had fallen out with Essex over the Hulme incident; now, in 1894, they started falling out amongst themselves. Wright recalled that George Porter, their fast-medium, bowler, suffered from problems with ‘hot feet’. “At the end of the day’s play he could always be seen emerging from the dressing room to change his boots in the open air.” It was a reference to this misfortune that brought to a head a serious quarrel between Chatterton and Davidson. Practically throughout the whole of one season, although they were together, almost daily, either at Lord’s or in county cricket, they did not speak to each other unless circumstances compelled them.” “We had concluded a game in London, prior to the Southampton match, in such good time that some of the players were able to get across to the Isle of Wight to enjoy the Sunday on the island. During dinner it seems Davidson made a remark across the table to Porter, who took it so much to heart that he burst into tears, got up and left the room. Then the dramatics took place. Chatterton, head of the table, rose and addressed Davidson, laying down the terms under which they were to meet on and off the field for the future unless one desired a severe thrashing.” Nevertheless Porter’s experiences of the Hampshire fixtures were not all unhappy. Tom Soar and Harry Baldwin bowled unchanged in Hampshire’s victory by an innings at Southampton in 1895, Derbyshire reversing the result in August with Porter returning a match analysis of 14-100. Derbyshire, with Wright, Bagshaw, Chatterton, Storer, Walter Sugg, Sydney Evershed, the captain and the allrounder George Davidson, were a powerful batting side at this time; had the great days of the later fast bowlers Arnold Warren and Bill Bestwick coincided with this array then the county would have been a force in the Championship. As it was the death of Davidson at the age of 32 in February 1899 was a grievous blow and fortunes slumped. Hampshire, too, had a useful team in the 1890s, strengthened periodically by the availability of army officers who were stationed nearby. Captain EG Wynard was the finest of their regular batsmen; Major (later Brigadier-General) Robert Poore the most sensational. Poore, an attacking player with a powerful off drive, made full use of his height, 6ft 4in, at the crease and had been a prolific batsman in Indian cricket. He was posted to South Africa and represented that country against England in 1895-96, with little success. Arriving in England, Poore made his Hampshire debut in 1898 and the following year – his only full season - averaged 91.23 before military duties restricted him to occasional appearances. Poore was prominent in a run-feast at Derby over the 1898 August Bank Holiday but had to play second fiddle to the home batsmen. The weather was glorious, the pitch, prepared by the long-serving groundsman Albert Widdowson, perfect and a crowd of 2,300 ringed the playing area by one o’clock on the Monday. Joining the Party 48