Cricket 1884

a p r i l 24, 1884. CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 69 TH E L A T E HON. RO BERT GR IM SVON . (From the "Field") T he death of the H od . Robert Grimston, fourth son of the late Earl of Yerulara, astat 68, leaves a blank in the sporting world which it is impossible to fill. Good men and true from time to time appear on the world’s stage as prominent figures, but the business of life draws them away generally after a bright and short career, and their names are only remembered by their co-temporaries. But when one of the best of English sports­ men and trusty advisers in all matters of noble games and manly pursuits is with­ drawn by death from the scenes which he loved so well, and mixed in for half a century since he left school, the real loss is to those who find his place empty. The Harrow ground, without the presence of “ Bob Grim­ ston,” as every little Harrow boy—and, for that matter, half the cricket world besides— spoke of him in terms of endearment, will be a waste to those now in the school who miss their well-tried friend and mentor. The pavilion at Lord’s will not seem properly furnished without the manly presence of the late arbiter of the game, whose familiar figure has been a landmark on the front benches to three generations of cricketers ; and many years will elapse before his name will be forgotten by the covert-side in “ the Vale, ” and in other places where sportsmen most do congregate. Mr. Grimston was a perfect specimen of the real well bred sportsman—there was nothing superficial about him, all he did was thorough, and whatever he undertook he tried to master every detail and principle of, and spared neither time nor trouble to carry it out with order and punctuality. If he had undertaken to conduct a rat hunt in a barn for a lot of schoolboys in the Christmas holidays, he would have set to work with as much energy as if he had been in pursuit of a grander quarry as master of stag or foxhounds, and he would have laid down the law as to how the rat hunt was to be carried out, and would have kept all engaged in it in their proper places. And if a game rat had baffled the watchful terrier and had escaped, the vermin would have had the secret sympathy of the master of the sport; but if, vice versa, the escape was due to the malfeasance of the dog, the culprit would have been smartly reproved in sound dog language. Mr. Grimston was a great lover of fair- pjay in any matter of business or pleasure, and all who had done good service as cricketers, huntsmen, whips, or in sport of any kind, and also ill who to his mind had been oppressed or neglected, or unfortunate in life, found a friend in him, and his left hand never knew what his right hand did. He was a liberal supporter of the Hunt Servants’ Fund, and inaugurated the annual match at Lord’s in the Derby week. It seems almost superfluous to record in prin that he was educated at Harrow, as that place was practically his home all the sum­ mer throughout his life. He was afterwards at Christ Church; and possibly the least likely man to describe a sportsman's charac­ ter has done so better than most sportsmen could. Mr. Ruskin, who is an ardent admirer of all that is noble and manly, though never at any time of his life physically qualified for athletics, in a conversation which took place with the writer of this about zealous pursuit of sport, said: “ I remember whan I was at Christ Church there was an undergraduate, of gentle birth, and noble physique, and kind and amiable man­ ners,and of shrewd intelligence—a Mr.Grim- eton, and his absorbing interest in dogs and horses, and manly pursuits, boxing included, was really stupendous.” From another contemporary, the account of him as an undergraduate is given thus:“ He was just the same at Oxford as he was this last summer, dressed the same, always busy and earnest in sport or whatever he took up, and wore the same kind of broad-brimmed hat ; and when we laughed at him about it, his answer was ‘ a hat is a hat, and the first I ever wore was of this shape, and I don’t care about fashion, and never mean to change the shape all my life; ’ nor did he. Being a younger son he could not keep his own horses, and trusted to the livery stables; but whatever he was on, he always went at timber, and very often came a cropper owing to his being underhorsed; and his remark used to be, ‘ Either the dealer is a rogue, and put me on a horse who couldn’t jump timber, or he put me on a horse who could and wouldn’t, and the horse is a rogue.’ ” And not to be tedious, one more characteristic anecdote must be told of him to show how he could give a case against himself according to the rules of fair play. At a private boxing party at a friend’s rooms, a brother under­ graduate had the gloves on with him, and struck him so severe a blow just below the chest, as to take all his wind away, and he was fairly doubled up, and had to sit down on a chair. Some of those present remarked that it was not a fair blow, when Mr. Grim­ ston shook his head and signified his dis­ approval, and directly he could speak ex­ claimed, “ What infernal nonsense you fellows talk; it was a perfectly fair blow above the belt.” On leaving Oxford, Mr. Grimston went to the Bar, and attended Herts sessions and circuit; but we are talk­ ing of him now as anEnglish sportsman, and his career at the Baris immaterial. Anyhow he was the Blackstone 'o f the law of cricket. The world at large knew him best in the cricket field, where he used the influence of a lifetime to uphold the game in its simplicity and purity. His name first ap­ pears at Lord’s, when an Oxford under­ graduate—as he did not play for Harrow, though next choice for the eleven—playing for his University v. Marylebone Club, and in a match immediately after, at the same place, v. Cambridge. He is described in Lillywhite’s book as not a good field, but a remarkably steady bat, with occasional hard forward hitting, very successful against fast bowling, especially against that of Mr. Alfred Mynn. The correctness of this last critique can be confirmed by all those who saw him, as they can never forget how fear­ lessly he stood up against that terrific bowler,whoseballs, according to theevidence of the late Edward ffenman and Box, hummed like a top with terrific speed. The year 1842 is mentioned in Lillywhite as that in which he took a regular and active part in the grand matches, and he continued playing in them for about ten years. He always had a high opinion in days one by, of the good local clubs about Lon- on, such as Clapton, the old Islington Albion, and also the Mitcham Club, the Montpelier, the Blackheath Paragon, and similar clubs in the south of London, as sonnd nurseries of cricket, as they often had the best professionals as given on one side or the other, or belonging to them. When the old Beehive Cricket Ground at Walworth —the home of the South London—was in­ vaded by the builders, and a suggestion was made by Mr. W. Denison—almost the only reporter for the daily press— to start a Surrey County Club at Kennington Oval, at that time a market garden, Mr. Grimston and the present Earl of Bessborough (then Mr. Frederick Ponsonby), his inseparable friend through life, formed two of a small party of sixteen who met at the Horns at Kenning­ ton in October, 1844, the late Mr. William Ward, the celebrated cricketer, being in the chair, and a resolution was passed to form a county club. In the following year another meeting was called, the present vice-presi­ dent of the Surrey Club, Lord Bessborough, being in the chair, and the Surrey Club was formed. During its early career Mr. Grim­ ston was a constant supporter when it wanted help, and brought in many good allies ; and Lord Bessborough has continued vice-presi­ dent ever since. Three years ago, when Surrey had fallen from its high estate, and had become little better than a scratch team of amateurs, with a few reliable professionals, Mr. F. Burbidge, the well-known former oaptain of Surrey, undertook the training of the colts, and asked Mr. Grimston to assist him. Mr. Grimston had for many years become estranged from the club, but, for the sake of cricket, came to the rescue, and in un­ usually cold and bleak April weather he came day by day and reviewed the young candidates for fame, saw them practise to­ gether, formed sides, umpired for them, and coached them, as he did the Harrow boys. Mr. Burbidge writes: “ You know what a good judge he was of cricket, but nobody more than I did. He would mark a young player sooner than anyone I know, and I have seen him shake his head when others would crack up some temporary star, and you may be sure that star did not twinkle long. When Young------came out first at Lord’s last summer I had not time to stay and see him play, and I received a letter from Mr. Grimston next morning saying that he was one of the best youngsters he ever saw ; and his judgment turned out to be perfectly correct.” Following up his own maxim of never half doing a thing, Mr. Grimston became a member of the Surrey Club again and took a lively interest in the county, and he had the satisfaction of wit­ nessing the fruits of his coadjutorship with Mr. Burbidge, and to see tho eleven coming back to something like its former prestige. He is almost as great a loss to Surrey as he is to Harrow, for no one dared to dispute his admirable judgment, which to all real cricketers was law. He was very conser­ vative in cricket, as in everything else, and hated innovations. The very doubtful bowl­ ing which a large section of cricketers call “ rank throwing,” and the vacillation or timidity of umpires in never “ no-balling ” any of them under any circumstances sadly vexed him. *‘ The umpires have defeated us,” he remarked once at Lord’s, ‘ ‘ and let the bowlers throw as they please. I have a £5 note in my pocket which the umpire s never dreamt of, which I meant to have pre­ sented to them if they had done their duty and had given the doubt in favour of the Inside; and that note will remain in my pooket now.” Everyone who knew him must remember how ready he was to mark good conduct and zeal in the game with a kindly sovereign. At the same time with that fairness which characterised him, he added (alluding to a well-known amateur) : “ Blank declares to me that he believes his men bowl fair, and if he didn’t he would not play them. puzzles me, for I have