Cricket 1886

Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. MR. ARTHUR APPLEBY. T hough for some six years now disassociated from first-class cricket, Mr. Appleby’s name is so well known to the present generation of players as to thoroughly warrant his inclusion among the celebrities of the day. For fifteen years, indeed, he figured prominently as one of our best amateur cricketers, and we are only acceding to a general wish in perpetuating to the best of our abilities a distinguished career on the cricket-field, Born at Enfield, near Accrington, with which district his connection has remained uninter­ rupted to the present time, on the 22nd July, 1843, Mr. Appleby has just completed his forty-third year. On the completion of his scholastic career at the Grange School, Thorpe- Arch, Yorkshire, he turned his atten­ tion to business, and his intro­ duction to what is termed first-class cricket was when he made his debut for the County of his birth. His primary trial was for the Gentlemen against the Players of Lancashire at Cheetham Hill on August 10 and 11, 1866, so that Tuesday of last week was the twentieth anniversary of his association with County cricket. That his form then was quite satisfactory there can be no doubt, as he was chosen to take Mr. E. B. Rowley’s place in the next match to be played under the auspices of the Lancashire Club. The contest in question was against Surrey at Liverpool on Aug. 23, 24 and 25, 1866, and he fully justi­ fied his selection, taking in Surrey’s first innings six wickets at a cost of only 30 runs, besides scoring 20 and 10. His all-round cricket on that occasion was, indeed, so good that on the completion of the match he was asked by Mr. W. Burrup, then Hon. Sec. of the Surrey County Club, if, in the event of his being chosen, ho would play at the Oval for the Gentle­ men against the Players in the follow­ ing year. As it happened the invita­ tion did not come from the executive of the Surrey Club, in 1877, but from Mr. R. A. Fitzgerald, Secretary of M.C.C., and, consequently, Mr. Appleby’s introduction to the great match of the season was under the auspices of the Marylebone Club. The absence of some of the leading Northern professionals weakened the Players considerably, and the Gentlemen were able to gain an easy victory rities at Lord’s it was only natural that when unable to play in both matches he should have preferred to have taken part in the fixture there. In 1871 he was in excellent form for Lancashire with both bat and ball. In four matches he was able to show an aggregate of 125, including a fine innings of 99 against Yorkshire, at Sheffield, and, in addition, was credited with thirty-three wickets at an average cost of just under eleven runs. About this time* too, he was, perhaps, at his very best as an all­ round cricketer. During the winter of 1872 he visited America and Canada, with the English Amateurs under the care of the late Mr. R. A. Fitzgerald, a trip in which he met with marked success. Of the 809 wickets which fell to the English bowlers, 108 were to his credit, and of these, got at an average cost of just over eight runs, as many as 76 were clean bowled. In batting, too, he did good service, five not outs in his eleven innings enabling him to take the second position in the averages of the tour. During the summers of 1873 and three following years, the brunt of the bowling in Lancashire matches was borne by Mr. Appleby, Watson, and McIntyre, and in the first of these the three named did all the bowling for Lancashire in the four matches of that season. Since then his best record for the County was in 1877, in which year he was at the head of both the batting and bowling averages, though it must be added that he only took part in four matches. A score of 69 not out against Yorkshire at Huddersfield was his best performance with the bat, but with the ball he was consistently successful, and he was credited in all with nineteen wickets at an average cost of 8.15. Though Mr. Appleby played for Lancashire against M.C.C. and G. at Lord’s last year, his career as a first-class cricketer ended in 1881, in which year he bowled with great success for the Gentlemen against the Players in John Lillywhite’s benefit match at Brighton, taking six wickets in the first innings for 92 runs. For a period of fifteen years he was in quite the front rank of amateur cricketers, and, indeed, but for his business he would have figured in most of the best matches. As it was, we believe, he could have gone to visit Australia with both Mr. W.G. Grace’s and Lord Harris’s teams, had he been able to spare time. Mr. Appleby’s connection with eight wickets to spare. This result was materially assisted by the effective bowling of Messrs. Appleby and W. G. Grace, who between them took nineteen of the twenty wickets of the Players. Mr. Appleby on this occasion bowled for the Gentlemen throughout the match, and his record was a distinctly credit­ able one, showing eight wickets at an expense of sixty-four runs. From that time up to the summerof 1881whenherepresentedthe Gentle­ men atBrighton forthe lasttime,there werefew if any years in which he did not receive an invi­ tation to play at both the principal metropoli­ tan grounds for the Gentlemen. The require­ ments .of his business prevented his acceptance of the double invitation on every occasion, and as his first opportunity came from the autho­ No 131. VOL. V. Registered for Transmission Abroad. AUGUST 19, 1886. PRICE 2d.