Cricket 1887

“ Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. Beglstered for^TranflmissIon^broad. THURSDAY, MAY 26, 1887. PRICE 2d the Uppingham bowlers to the tune of 58 out of a total of 169, he was even more effective against Malvern, contributing 61 to Repton’s first score of 149. As in 1879, he took part in eleven completed innings for Repton in 1880, but with a greater amount of success, having this time a very creditable average of over 26 runs for the year. The following summer found Mr. Steel in residence at Cambridge, but unfortunately for his chances of a place in the University eleven he had put his knee out at football, and was unable to play cricket during the one season he had at Cambridge. From the same cause he had reluc­ tantly to give up all idea of active cricket in 1882, and it was not until the following year that he was able to identify himself with the county of his birth. His first appearance for Lancashire was against Oxford Uni­ versity at Oxford on May 31, 1883, and though neither of his innings was long.enough to allow him to show his powers of hitting to advantage, he did fairly well, obtaining double figures each time. Altogether he represented Lancashire in three matches during the summer of 1883, but his aggregate only amounted to 69, and of this sum 37 was the result of one innings—a capital display of hitting in the home match against Kent at Manchester. The season of 1884 was a fortunate one for Mr. Steel, and Lancashire cricket derived material benefit from his assistance during that summer. In all he repre­ sented the county in eight matches, and his twelve completed innings realised an aggregate of 393 runs, placing him third in the list of Lan­ cashire batsmen for the year with a verv creditable average of 32.9. His highest score, and perhaps his best too, was his hundred against Surrey at the Oval, an innings which did much to change the aspect of the game and give Lancashire in the end the victory. In two hours he scored 100 out of 149 runs made while he was in, and with the exception of a possible chance, a return to the bowler, there was no mistake in a fine display of hitting. In the following match, against Kent, at the end of the same week at Maidstone, he rendered equally good service, and in this case as at the Oval nis brilliantly hit first innings of 77 contributed in a great measure to the success of his side. In addition to these acores he was credited with several others of cricket, and, indeed, he was at the head of the batting tables with an average of over twenty runs for eleven completed innings. He was then only in his seventeenth year, but his bat­ ting had already created a very favourable impression,and Lillywhite’s Cricketers'Annual speaks of him as “ a thoroughly good bat and fast scorer, with formidable hitting powers.” This estimate of his abilities was fully con­ firmed by the excellence of his cricket for Repton in the following season of 1880. This year good, instead of ill-luck, followed him in the two principal fixtures of the Repton season. Against Uppingham, as well as Mal­ vern, he was indeed remarkably successful. In each case, though, his successes were con­ fined to the first innings,andwhile he punished MR. HAROLD BANNER STEEL. T h e Graces, the Walkers, the Lytteltons, the Hornbys, the Fords, and the Steels, are in­ stances of the remarkableway in which cricket skill permeates the members of afamily. Lancashire has, indeed, good reason to be proud of the fact that it has given birth to, as well as reared, a brotherhood bearing such a high reputation in the world of cricket as that of which H. B. Steel is a junior member. Though D. Q., A. G., H. B. and E. E. are the quartette best known to the general body of C r ic k e t readers, the Steel brotherhood has altogether furnished six players who have shown aptitude for the game in some degree. With the exception of D. Q. and A. G., H. B., who is the fifth of the brothers in point of age, is the best known, as the youngest, E. E., though he repre­ sented Lancashire on some occasions a few years ago, has latterly been unable to spare time for county matches, and consequently been iden­ tified mostly with local cricket in Manchester. Like most of his brothers, Mr. H. B. Steel was born in Liverpool, and, indeed, he resides still at the place of his birth, South Hill Grove, in that city. He first saw the light on the 9th of April, 1862, so that he only recently completed his twenty- fifth year. His elder brother, D. Q., made a great name as a oricketer at Uppingham School, and it was, perhaps, only in the natural fitness of things that the family interest in the School should be retained. Mr. H. B. Steel’s career at Uppingham was not a long one, and, indeed, it ter­ minated after two years with the migration of the whole school to Borth, in North Wales, during the summer of 1875—the consequenoe of an attack of scarlet fever. Mr. Steel’s ability as a cricketer soon made itself manifest at Repton, and the summer of 1879 found nim a member of the school eleven there. During the two years, too, in which he played for Ilepton his services were of the greatest value. In his first year he was not very successful in either of the two Inter-School matches in which the Repton eleven figured, and his aggregate for four innings against Malvern and Uppingham was only thirty-one. Still, though it was, as already stated, his first season, he showed on the whole very fine