Cricket 1882

174 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. JULY 27, 1882. SU SSEX C R IC K E T—P A S T AND P R E S E N T . B y an O ld S ussex C r ic k e ter . Published by perm ission o f the Author. The Lillywlrite family has proved itself so prolific, and not least so in cricketer3, that it deserves and requires a genealogical tree, even though it may not boast of much “ blue blood,” and though I cannot give the origin of a name so singular and mellifluous. J ames L illyw h ite = M artha.............. b. 1770. . d. 1846^/61 (2) John Lillywhite (of (1) Frederick William Lillywhite= Charlotte Parker, [ West Hampnett) still living. the celebrated bowler. j July 15, 1822. B. 1800. 18", 1SS5 B- 1792>d. 1854. James Lillywhite, LillywhiteJolin (famous player, died James, b. 1825. Has been Frederick, b. 1829, Eleven the present -well- (played some- 1874). Kept a cricket em- “ coach” at Cheltenham for author of “ Cricket others, jio w n bowler. B. times). porium at Euston-sqnare, many years, where he keeps Scores and Bio- j^eb., 1842. which is still carried on. a cricket emporium. graphies.” I). 1866. I may add that Lillywhite’s father was a brickmaker on the Duke of Richmond’s estate at Goodwood, a trade which he himself followed there till 1822, when he removed to Hove, to take charge of a similar business. His tombstone at|Highgate Cemetery, erected by public subscription, with its broken pillar and somewhat pompous inscription, are too well-kstown to be further referred to here. But if I have found it difficult to do justice to the prince of professional cricketers, . yelut inter ignes luna minores, how shall I describe the champion of Sussex amateurs, Charles George Taylor, one of the greatest ornaments cricket ever bosted, who imbibed the rudiments and his first love of it in the playing fields of Eton, and matured them on Parker’s Piece at Cambridge. Taylor—the incomparable bat, the excellent field and bowler—unapproachable in tennis and billiards, whose every movement was graceful, and who, for several years, was uppermost on every one’s lips! Born to win—as has been well said of another in a different line Poeta nascitur, non fit— he was the gentleman cricketer all over. His clear, brown, full, bright eye, slim, upright and well-known figure, are still before us all. Yet here again, having had some peculiar opportunities of knowing him well, I cannot suppress a few particulars. Born in 1817, he was educated by his maternal grandfather, Mr. Harrington, the rich distiller, near London, from whom he inherited the independent means he always enjoyed. The first I remember of him was seeing him in 1838 sunning himself in the snowy- white shirt and trousers, which were his favourite costume, in front of the pavilion at Lord’s in the University match of that year, as he stripped and prepared for the coming contest. Every one knows the admiration with which the “ tail" of an eleven eyes the captain of the opposition force. I had, of course, heard of his fast rising powers, and now he had to practise them against me. Before we parted, however, on that memorable occasion, although not a whit abating my admiration of him individually, nor my conviction that he was out and out the best man there, I had no reason to feel ashamed of our inferiority collectively, for Oxford beat Cambridge for the first time for many years, and that by 98 runs. The next time I saw him was at Brighton the following year, when in company with his firm friend George Leopold Langdon, the hard left-handed hitter, and fine cover-point of many a Sussex match, but now the hard-working Rector of St. Paul’s Cray, he asked me to play in the Gentlemen of Sussex v. Players of the County, when we were beaten by 16 runs. Our fortunes, however, were to be further linked together. From about 1851 to 1855, he took a farm in the adjoining parish to the one where I was then living, in the north of our county, where I had the pleasure of renewing and confirming my acquaintance with him. There, at his friendly board I met the Zingari Eleven, whom he had had down to play a village eleven he had got up and headed. Thence he used to drive a capital pair of nags, in a phaeton as well got up as himself, through the dire mud of the Sussex lanes to his nearest station, Horley, to keep up his billiards and tennis at Lord’s. More singularly still, about 1856-7 he succeeded my father as tenant of one of the loveliest villas on the Southampton Water, belonging to the great Hampshire patron of cricket, the late Thomas Cham- berlayile, Esq., where I again visited him. After a few years tenure of Weston Grove, he took a place near Farnham, where I soon after heard of his unexpected and untimely end in 1869, still in his prime, at the comparatively early age of 52. I connot mention him without thinking of two of his Sussex contemporaries—excellent bowlers—who shone for a few years like meteors in the cricketing firmament, and then vanished away—Edw. Sayres, who still lives, and Strange. Both were brought out by him. The former was a College friend, and played in the Cambridge eleven; a fast round bowler, with a considerable and most difficult “ break ” ; and has been, since 1851, the Rector of Cold Aston, near Chippenham. The latter, I am sorry to say, died quite, quite young. George Brown—by trade a tailor, and destined to figure conspicuously in the annals of Sussex cricket, was born at Stoughton, in our county, in 1783, resided at Emsworth, and, becoming subsequently the lessee of the Royal Brighton cricket ground, made his debut in 1818. Single-wicket matches were much more the fashion in those days, and in that year a very celebrated one came off at Lord’s, in which Brown played a principal part. Mr. Osbaldiston, with his tremendous bowling, was challenging and defying the world, when Mr. Ward heard of Brown, and made up a match. Osbaldiston and Lambert were to play Budd, Thumwood, Howard, and Brown. After Brown had bowled for a little while, Osbaldiston said, “ You won’t keep up that pace long, I know,” “ Oh! yes,” said Brown, “ I can bowl like that all day, if you l i k e a n d he did bowl in that fashion for four hours and a-half without intermission. Off 230 of his balls only 8 runs were made. When he went in he drove the first ball through a paling, and across a lane that ran outside the ground. He was an uncommonly powerful man, and a regular “ hitter,” though not a fine bat. His arm was said to be as large round as an ordinary man’s leg, and proportionately muscular. So tremendous was his pace, that he always had two long-stops, and generally all the field behind the wickets. The tips and byes, however, which were obtained from him, took a heavy discount off this advantage of pace. In 1819 he threw a 4J oz. ball 137 yards, on Walderton Common. This was, and perhaps is, tho longest throw on record. “ Little D e n c h ,” of Brighton, who “ stopped” to him, had always a sack stuffed with straw fastened to his hest. At Lord’s a man once tried to stop a ball with his coat, but Brown bowled light through it, and killed a dog instantaneously on the other side. The “ B’s” were a lucky letterofthe alphabet,and often beat England, and among them, associated with Budd, Beauclerk, Beldham, Broadbridge, and others, we often find the name of G. Brown. He was the father of seventeen children—two of whom have since played in county matches—and died at Somptingin 1857. I come now to the last of our heroes. Thomas Box, the celebrated wicket-keeper, whose sudden death at Prince’s Ground, in 1876, at the age of 70, will long be regretted, and is still fresh in the recol­ lections of our cricketing readers, belonged to the last generation of our county players. By trade a cabinet-maker, he for some time kept the Egremont Hotel, at Brighton, and, after experiencing, I fear, some vicissitudes of fortune, and pecuniary anxie­ ties, became ground-keeper at Prince’s. In his prime he was unsurpassable, even if he was ever equalled, behind the wicket. Wenman, Herbert Jenner, and Lockyer have, of course, their admirers, and it may be a moot point which of their styles was most to be commended. There can be, however, no doubt of this, that he rendered Sussex infinite service in filling, well-nigh to per­ fection, a post which, if insufficiently represented, must make the best eleven worthless. Smart, trim, and dapper, almost to a fault, in his dress and manner, with a cheery smile, nerve and cool­ ness which nothing could intimidate, a faultless action, and a “ return” as quick as lightning, it was the greatest treat to watch the ease and dash with whioh he managed that difficult post in a first-class match. He had none of that elaborate posture which modern wicket-keepers seem so fond of cultivating—an exaggerated and extravagant action—but there was an inexpressible grace in the ease and quietness with which he would “ take ” the most awkward balls, sometimes even from Brown. Highly gifted as he doubtless was by nature for the difficult task, he was fortunate in having to “ keep” to two such men as Lillywhite and Broadbridge, for their balls were a medium pace, rose well, and were easy to “ take.” This soon perfected his talent, and gave him the very best opportunity for exhibiting it to advantage. It was a long time, however, before he could do anything with the bat, and it was not till 1837 that he evergot a large score ; afterthat he improved rapidly, and was for many years among the fore­ most bats in his oounty, or, indeed, in England. In 1849. in Sussex v. England, he performed also a singular feat in bowling. Although he had never handled a ball, exoept behind a wicket, he got out Parr, Felix, Mynn, Martingell, and Hinkly with “ lobs," for nine runs a man, after all the bowlers had been tried I Of the brothers Slater, Wm. and John, both natives of Storrington, Wm. was the the “ crack.” He was born in 1790, and died in 1852, at Brighton, where he was a joiner. He was a great wicket-keeper and left-hand bat. John’s post was long-leg. Morley, a contemporary of the Broadbridges, born in 1785, at Amberley, did not die till 1857. Of him the remarkable feat is recorded of having played in a first-class match (Gent, of Sussex v. the Players) in 1850, when he was 58 years old_a thing unapproached, even by that fresh veteran Southerton, who only as yet numbers 52 summers. He was by trade a pewter pot maker.* Wm. Broadbridge, a good bat and hard hitter and wicket-keeper, died in 1860, <et 69, having survived his brother 17 years. In Sussex v. Hants and Surrey, in 1820, he stumped seven and caught two —a feat,.which I am not sure if Pooley has ever surpassed. Wm. Hooker was born at Upperfold, Midhurst, in 1796, and first appeared at Lord’s, in 1823. He carried on the business of a tanner, at Midhurst, and generally took “ point,” or the wicket. (To be continued.) 'Those remarks were published 1879,