Cricket 1884

“ Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil.”— Byron. THURSDAY, JULY 10, 1884. p r i c e 2 W IL F R E D FLOW ERS. N o t tin g h a m sh ir e , rich in professionals, as it always has been, has certainly of late years pro­ duced Jib bettfef all-round cricketer than the sturdy player whose portrait we givb this week. Wilfred Flowers was born at GalVertotli Notts; oh Dec. 7, 1850. The EaStei1- tide Colts’ match; oil the Trent Bridge Ground, is, as si hilfe; tlie bticagioh oil which the promising youngsters 0f ^ ttS have their first opportunity of distinc­ tion, and it was in this fixture that Flowers commenced his career. On April 2, 1877, he figured as one of the Twenty-two Colts opposed to the Eleven, and he was fortunate in being able to secure five wickets at ft Cost of ohly eight runs. This success at once 8e* cured him higher honours, and the first fixture of the season, against Lanca­ shire, at Nottingham, saw him installed as one of the County Eleven. Though his two innings only realized thirteen runs, and he was not credited with ft wicket, his fielding was so smart. itnd his cricket all round so full of promisfc, that his position waa, eveh then, fairly Beeure. A well-hit score of foi-ty-thrce, against Middlesex, at Lord’s, was his best innings of the year, and it was no doubt his good all-round cricket then which gained for him an appointment as one of the ground bowlers attached to the Marylebone Club in the following year. His second summer in the Not* tingham Eleven was attehded with marked success, and both in batting and bowling he proved of great service. His highest score was one of 58 against Leicestershire, but he also made 57 againstGloucestershire, although for real knerit his best performance was against Yorkshire, at Sheffield, whore he scored '55 and S3. Though not quite so suc­ cessful for his County in 1879 he i n ­ formed very creditably both with the bat and hall for the Marylebone Club, and, indeed, his best records of the year were in connection with M.C.C. In the Sussex match, at Lord's, he took ten wickets for forty runs, and against Kent he ■was equally effective with the bat, punishing England against Thirteen of Kent was so excep­ tionally good as to evoke highly eulogistic re­ marks in the sporting papers. His participation, in the strike of Nottingham professionals, in 1881, considerably reduced the number of his engagements that season, and there was little worthy of especial mention in his cricket. The following summer, though, found him to be one of the very best all-round professional players, and his form during 1882, both with bat and ball, was much above the average. For Marylebone Club and Ground against Lancashire he took eleven wickets for 85 runs, and in the match between M.C.C. and Yorkshire he was even more effective, securing twelve wickets at a cost of only 47 runs. This season saw him for the first time selected to repre­ sent the Players against the Gentlemen at the Oval and Lord’s, and at both grounds he was successful, more especi­ ally at the former, where he scored iiO and 50, besides taking four wickets for 20 runs. Last year his cricket, all­ round, was exceedingly good, and his hitting throughout the season consist­ ently brilliant. His highest score was 131, for M.C.C. and Ground v. Derby­ shire, at Lord’s, and the County Eleven had good reason to remember his per­ formance on this occasion, as, in addi­ tion, he took ten of their wickets at a cost of 86 runs, His record for the Marylebone Club in 1883 was indeed a successful one, and while his average for fourteen completed innings was over 31J runs, he bowled 526 overs for G80 runs and 51 wickets. For Notts v. Yorkshire, at Nottingham, be was credi­ ted with eight wickets at a cost of forty-one runs, and he played thrio fine innings of 95, 87, and 79. T1 ougli he took seven wickets at the Oval, he did not come <ff with the bat in either match between Gentle­ men and Flayers, but he was otherwise verv fortunate in first-class cricket. Indeed, he was one of the nine batsmen who could claim an aggregate of over a thousand runs ill important matches in 1883, and his summary of the year showed 1144 runs for the Kentish bowling to the tune of 81 runs. The excellent cricket he had shown in Maryle­ bone matches secured him a place in the opening fixture of the Canterbury week of 1879, and his really brilliant hitting in his second score of 72 not out won the game for England against Kent, as many will even yet remember. During the following season of 1880 his highest score for Notts, was one of 42 against Gloucestershire at Nottingham, but he rarely failed to come Oil with either bat or ball, and his fielding in the match ojt the •Canterbury week for Eleven Of