Cricket 1883

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. Registeredlor TrtmsnUa^ion Abroad. THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1883. P R I C E 2 d. C. T. STUDD . I t has been the good fortune of very few players to attain the highest honours of the cricket field after such a brief novitiate as the subject of our present sketch. It would be easy to cite in­ stances of phenomenal players who have distinguished them­ selves at as early an age, but they are the exception rather than the rule. It is not often that anyone can claim to have reached the very foremost rank of cricketers after an apprenticeship of only six years. Yet Mr. Charles Thomas Studd can fairly boast that his career has not extended over this period. Indeed, his name does not figure at all in the records of cricket till the year 1877. For several years the name of Studd has been actively identified with Eton cricket, and following the example of his elder brothers, C. T. Studd soon made for himself a reputa­ tion on the playing fields under the shadow of King Henry’s stately pile. Bis first appearance in any match of importance was for Eton against Winchester, in 1877, when the Eton Eleven was under the command of the present Sussex captain, Mr. H. E . Whit­ feld. The Etonians that year had a strong team, and the three brothers Studd were the principal contributors to the long total of 390, made against Winchester, E. K. subscribing , G. B. , and the youngest of the triumvir­ ate, C. T., 53. His debut in the V great match of the year against Harrow was not so successful ’a run-getting, but though he was only credited with nine runs he was of some service with the ball, and in Harrow’s seoond innings his Dowling resulted in the downfall of four wickets at a comparatively small cost of forty-five runs. His first year in tho Eton Eleven fairly estab- ished his reputation, and in the following season, though he did little either with bat or ball in the match which Winchester won by six wickets,, he was the highest run-getter against Harrow at Lord’s,with two fine scores of 20 and 56. On this occasion his bowling, though he took five wickets, was rather expensive, but in the following season of 1879, when he was captain, he was singularly successful with the ball, and against Harrow in particular he bad a splendid analysis, taking eight wickets at the cost of only forty-six runs. Exactly a month later, on August 11, he made his debut for Middlesex against Yorkshire, at Huddersfield, and though he failed to score in either innings, his bowling, with a wicket all in favour of the bowlers, was most effective, showing seven wic'kets for sixty-eight runs. In the remaining matches of Middlesex, that season, he did not fare so well with the ball, but both at Nottingham and Clifton he batted well, and in the three matches in which he took part he scored 56 runs and took fifteen wickets. On his School form his inclusion in the Cam­ bridge University Eleven of 1880 was almost a certainty, and the Freshmen’s Match showed him to be not only the most suc­ cessful bowler but also the highest run-getter of the twenty-two new players. He did not represent the University in its first engagement of the season against Mr. C. I. Thornton’B England Eleven, but his fine innings of 68 contributed in no small measure to the bril­ liant victory of Cambridge over Yorkshire by ten wickets, and his excellent second score of 62 against Oxford, at Lord’s, also helped materially to turn the tide in favour of the Cantabs in the Inter- University match of the year. Mr. Studd took part in five matches for Middlesex in 1880, but with the exception of his second score of 65 not-out, against Surrey, at Lord’s, he did little with the bat, and his principal successes were obtained for Cambridge Univer­ sity, in whose batting averages he was second to Mr. A. G. Steel. The Cambridge Eleven of 1881 had not a particularly favourable season, out the three brothers Studd were the most conspicuous members of the team, and C. T. Studd was certainly one of the best all-round players. Mr. Studd’s highest innings for the University was his 132 against the Gentlemen of England, but throughout the season he did well in every department of the game, and against Oxford, at Lord’s, he not only got the most runs but had the best bowling analysis. That year, too, Mr. Studd had the highest batting average for Mid-