Cricket 1884

“ Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil.”— Byron. Registeredfor'x^ansmi^e'ioii Abroad. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1884. PRICE 2d- ISAAC D O N N IT H O R N E W A L K E R . T he history of cricket has failed to produce another instance of a brotherhood of such ex­ ceptional skill as that of which Mr. I.Donnithorne Walker is the youngest member. Other names will readily occur of families where cricketing talent has been distributed to an extraordinary degree. None of them, however, it may safely be as­ serted, possess the same qualifications as those which have made the Walkers familiar to cricketers in every quarter of the globe. Mention may be made among others of the Graces and the Lytteltons, the most conspicuous cases of the kind within the memory of the present generation. E. M., W. G., and poor Fred Grace represented a trium­ virate who might safely have been matched at one time to play any three cricketers of the day. Amateur cricket for some years now has not been thoroughly represented without one member or other of the Lyttelton brothers, the eighth of whom at the present time has few superiors either among amatpurs or professionals. Neither the Graces nor the Lytteltons, though, can claim such a concentration of high excellence as the wonderful brotherhood which has now for a period of close on forty years with­ out interruption retained a foremost position in the crieket world. Mr. I. D. Walker is the youngest of seven brothers, all of whom have at one time or other taken part in first class cricket. This is of itself a boast which lew can make, but it may further be added that six of the seven have repre­ sented the Gentlemen against the Players, and this we feel certain is a cWm without a parallel in the history Of our national game. John, Alfred, Frederick, Arthur Henry, V . E., R. D. nnd I. T).Walker indeed represent a brotherhood unequalled in the annals of cricket. Mr. John Walker, the eldest, played for Cambridge in 1846, and for many years afterwards was one of the best Amateur players of the day. Illness and accidents curtailed the active career of the next two brothers, but V. E., R. D. and I. D., will be remembered, not only as three of the very best all round cricketers of their time, but also as three of the soundest judges and keenest sup­ porters the game has ever had. Mr. A. H. Walker, the fourth of the brothers, was, if we mis-1 take not, the first who received his education at Harrow School. Illness prevented him playing for Harrow against Eton at Lord’s in 1851, but V . E. and his two successors have all been able to take a prominent part in the cricket of that School, and indeed the play there of late years has been partly moulded under the direc­ tion of the youngest of the seven. Mr. I. D. Walker was born at Southgate where the family home has been now for many years, on the eighth of January, 1844. Following the example of three of his brothers, he was educated at Harrow School which he joined just at the close of the Head Mastership of Dr. Vaughan, the present Master of the Temple. Inheriting such advan­ tages, it was no surprise to find him soon showing proficiency in all kinds of athletics, and during his school career, in addition to the honours he gained on the cricket field he was also a member of the football eleven as well as the champion racquet player, a sport in which both V. E. and R. I)., it may be added, were too exceptionally skilful. Twenty-five years ago the star of Har­ row was certainly in the ascendant in the contests at Lord’s, and in 1860, when Mr. Walker made his debut in the School Eleven, there was no lack of good players at Eton as well as Harrow. The late A. W. T. Daniel, one of the very best all-round athletes we have ever had, was captain of the latter eleven, in which was also Mr. R. D. Walker, while Eton included the Hon. T. de Grey, now Lord Walsingham, the Hon. C. G., now Lord Lyttelton, and Messrs. R. A. H. Mitchell and J. Round, all six of whom subsequently represented the Gentlemen against the Players. The Eton and Harrow match of 1860 was memorable as the first occasion on which the game was not finished, and it was also memorable for the brilliant second innings of Mr. Daniel, who contributed 112 not out to a total of 243 from the bat. In this, his first match at Lord’s, Mr. Walker went in eighth wicket down, but he carried out his bat in the first innings for 20, and Mr. R. D. Elphinstone (20) and he subscribed 40 out of 62 from the bat. In the following year, when he scored 11, the game was again unfinished, but in 1862, when he was captain, the Etonians were exceptionally strong, and Harrow were unlucky enough to lose the only match in which they Next issue of Cricket Jan- 29-