Cricket 1885

‘‘ Together joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1885. p r io e 2 a TnoooH he can hardly bo classed in the rank of even professional cricketers it may be fiirly claimed for Painter that he will bear comparison, at least as a batsman, with most of the by no means numerous array of paid players produced by the Southern Counties of late years. So many of those taking part in Southern cricket, too, are not ofLome production, that the qualification of birth is in a measure a special recommendation in favour of a young cricketer. In Painter’s case his credentials for Gloucestershire are of the strongest. The County, indeed, can boast not only that he was born, but that all hiB early cricket was learned, within its limits. To the village of Bourton-on-the-Water, in the extreme east of the shire of Gloucester, belongs the credit of hiB birth and training. Born there on Nov. 11, 1858, his repu­ tation as a oricketer was based on the excellence of his all-round play in local matches. It was not until 1879, though, that he first came into any prominence. Several noteworthy performances recorded to his name during tbe following season had the effect of bringing him into public notice, and one bowliDg feat in particular, in a match in Barrington Park, where he took nine wickets at a cost of the same number of runs, gave rise to consider­ able talk in tho County. His name just about this time, too, seems to have been brought before the executive of the Gloucestershire Club, and with satis­ factory results. Mr. W . G. Grace, at least, was bo far impressed with his form as to give him a place in the two earliest fixtures of 1881. His first show for the County was at the Oval, on June 9, against Surrey, and he certainly proved of some use, scoring 37 by vigorous hitting and 4, in addition to taking two wickets in Surrey’s first innings at a cost of only ten runs. In his next match against Middlesex, at Lord’s, on the following Monday, he was less fortunate, and he was the least successful of the last eight batsmen in the first against Middlesex, at Lord's, led to the belief that he would be of great use. These expecta­ tions, however, wcra not realised and his play generally afterwards was rather disappointing, the best of his sixteen remaining innings being his second score of 21 against Somersetshire at Clifton. Despite his ill success,however, Mr. W. G. Grace did not lose confidence inliisabilities.and his captain'sjudgment was proved by the remarkable advance in Painter’s position as a batsman last summer. The exceptionally tine batting shown by the Gloucestershire eleven during the later fixtures of 1884 will be well remembered. The chief contributors to the long scores made by the county during August were, as many will also call to mind, Painter, and Messrs. W . G. Grace, Brain and Pullen. To Painter, too, belonged the distinction of having next to Mr. W. G. Grace the highest aggregate of the year, 648 for twenty- four completed innings. His hitting in several of the Clifton matches was most brilliant, and, indeed, he re rely failed to score well against every ) md of bowling. His first innings of 58 against Notts at Gloucester was the highest in the match, though this paled completely before his big >er- formances against Lancashire ind Surrey at Clifton at the close of he season. His highest score was his 1?3 iu the last fixture against Surrey, but this was hardly of such intrinsic merit as his 116 against Lancashire eleven days before. On this occasion he was only two hours and a-ijuarttr at the wickets for his 116, and so impressed were the spectators with his hitting that a collection of nearly £30 was made for him on the ground at the end of the day’s play. At the end of the season Painter was chosen to represent the South against the Australians at the Oval. The ground, though, was not at all in favour of the batsmen, and he fell to Spof­ forth each time without scoring. So far this season in the three matches in which Glouces­ tershire has figured he has done uniformly well, and if the fast wickets only continue he is sure innings of Gloucestershire, failing to contribute to the small aggregate of 27 runs made by An engagement with the Clitheroe in 1881 and 1882 prevented giving very much of his attention to first- class cricket during those two seasons, and, indeed, he was not seen in ihe Gloucestershire eleven at all during the latter year. The follow­ ing summer, though, saw him entirely at the disposal of the County, and altogether he figured in eighteen innings. He opened the year well too, and useful scores of 25 and 26