Cricket 1884

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— B y ro n . R.giBter^ ?o rT ?a n g Ii°L IAbro.d. THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1884. PRICE 2d W ILL IAM NEWHAM . T he improvement in Sussex cricket of late has been in a great measure due to the zealous co­ operation of certain Amateurs who have iden­ tified themselves very prominently wijh the County eleven. Ardingly College during the last few years has played a conspicuous part in the renovation of the Sussex team, Messrs. Bettes- worth, A. Blackman, and W . Newham, to whom the County has been so much indebted recently, have one and all hailed from Ardingly, and indeed the School has been a very useful nursery for Sussex cricket. At the present time Mr. Newham tanks first among the batsmen of Sussex, as he ranks high among the Amateurs of the South. Though most of his cricket was learned 011 Sussex grounds he was not born within its limits. Shrewsbury was his native place, and as he was bom in that town on Dec. 12, 1860, it will be seen that he has not yet completed his twenty-fourth year. He was educated at Ardingly College, and his first ap­ pearance in the Eleven of that School was in 1877. Though then only in his seventeenth year his cricket was of a very promising kind, and for eighteen completed innings he had a very respect­ able average of over twenty-one runs. Pour years later, before he had yet at­ tained his majority, Mr. Newham had secured a place in the Sussex Eleven, and, indeed, in 1881, he had fairly identified himself with the County team. His first year was not altogether a successful one, but despite that his eight innings only realised 76 runs, his batting was quite good enough to war­ rant high expectations of future excel­ lence. These hopes were soon amply fulfiiled, and in the following season of 1882 his reputation was thoroughly established. During that season Sussex had a fairly strong batting side, and the highest aver­ age fell to Mr. Newham, who was credited with an aggregate of 334 runs for eleven completed innings. His best score in point of numbers during the season was his 133 for Ardingly College against Mr. Chee3ewright’s Eleven, but in two other matches he was credited with over a hundred, and his 101 against Hants, at Brighton, was one of the only two centuries registered to the credit of Sussex batsmen during 1882, Though Mr. Whitfeld beat him in the County averages of 1883, Mr. Newham’s batting was of very great service to Sussex during the year, and be was only second in the batting tables to his Captain, Mr. Whitfeld. Altogether, during last season, he was credited with an aggregate of 362 runs for sixteen com­ pleted innings, but his best performance was undoubtedly against Surrey, at Brighton, and his scores of 50 not out and 92 were, with the exception of Mr. Whitfeld’s second innings of 66 not out, the only redeeming feature of the Sussex batting. So far, this season, Mr. New­ ham has played with consistent suc­ cess for his County, and, indeed, he may be fairly considered the best bats­ man Sussex possesses at the present time. In the memorable match against the Australians he was one of the very few Sussex players who failed with the bat, but in most of the other fixtures he has scored freely. Against Glouces­ tershire he made 61, and against Kent, in both matches at Brighton and Ton­ bridge, he was very successful. In the former he was credited with 76 and 48, and in the return at Tonbridge he made his highest score of the year (137), put­ ting on 198 while he was in with Mr. Whitfeld in the second innings. His sixty-one against Gloucestershire, and his 57 and 40 against Hants, at South­ ampton, were all capital displays of batting. For intrinsic merit,though, his best performance, after all, was against Notts, at Brighton, and his two scores of 28 and 85, against the bowling of Shaw, Flowers, Attewell, Barnes and Wright, were quite sufficient to stamp him as a batsman of superior merit. With very few exceptions, indeed, his career this year has been a continuous record of successes, and even on Mou- day last he was credited with another capital performance for Sussex, making sixty-nine—the highest score on the side—against the bowling of Derby, shire at Brighton. A s a batsman Mr. Newham has few superiors among Amateurs, and indeed it is a matter for regret that his professional duties have prevented his appearance in some of the more important fixtures. His de­ fence is very strong, and as he can hit v<ry freely when set, he is a dangerous batsman if allowed to make any stay at the wickets. He is, too, a capable field anywhere, and as ho is a very keen cricketer in every way he has bei n of invaluable service to the County of his