Cricket 1887

“ Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. RegisteSfloiUanBmSstou’ Abroaa. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1887. PRICE 2d. MR. F R A N C IS ED E N LACEY . S uccess at cricket, as in spheres of greater importance, is often in a great measure a matter of opportunities. Ability is sure to assert itself on the cricket field, as it will indeed in the long run in any vocation. Cir­ cumstances, though, prevent in many cases a cricketer reaching quite the position he would be certain to occupy had he met with the same fortune as some of his fellows more favoured in respect of leisure or associations. It would not be difficult to instance at the present day many amateurs who have suffered to a certain degree from a want of opportunities. In the first place, hard and continuous practice is necessary even to retain proficiency at cricket. It happens often that a cricketer misses some part of his youth from inability to get a fair chance of showing his skill. It is not, too, by any means of unfrequent occur­ rence to see the best years of a crick­ eter in a measure wasted, merely because he happens to belong to a County or Club which prevents him gaining the confidence sure to result from playing in the best company, and at the same time securing as conspicuous a place in the public estimation as he would had his cricket sponsors been possessed of greater influence. Mr. Lacey, we are of opinion, is a fair illustration of our contention. Though not so well known as many of his contemporaries, Cambridge University has of late turned out few better players. It may also be asserted, without fear of contradiction, we are inclined to think, that there are not very many amateurs, just ac the present time, of greater merit as all round cricketers. Mr. Lacey was born at Wareham, in Dorset, on October 19, 1859, and is now, consequently, in his twenty-eighth year. He received his early cricket education at Sherborne School, which can boast the distinc­ tion of rearing other Blues, among them Messrs. W. H. Game, of Surrey, and E. W. Bastard, of Somersetshire, both Oxonians. His career as a cricketer at Sherborne was a distinguished one, and his last term there was marked by a remarkable series of high scores, including no less than six innings of over a hundred in School matches. Matriculating at Caius College, Mr. Lacey went from Sher­ borne to Cambridge direct. In the Fresh­ men’s match of 1879 he was fairly successful with both bat and ball, and in addition to two useful innings of twelve and twenty-three, took nine wickets at an average cost of under nine runs. Still his form does not seem to have impressed the Cambridge captain of the year—the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton—and it certainly does seem to an unprejudiced critic singular, particularly in the face of his high scoring in the interim for Hampshire, that lie should have failed to gain a place in the University eleven until 1882—his fourth year there. Meanwhile, as just stated, Mr. Lacey had been plajdng by no means an unimportant part in County cricket. His first appearance for Hampshire was on June 14, 1880, at Brighton, against Sussex, and a more favour­ able debut is rarely recorded in a county match. He punished the Sussex bowlers, in­ deed, to some tune in the first innings, and his score of seventy was an unusually good display of free cricket. Of Hampshire cricket there appears to have been none in 1881, and his most conspicuous performances were in connection with his college. His highest score was one of 271 against Clare, and his average that year for Caius was an exceptionally high one of eighty-five. Although, too, he opened the season of 1882 with a particularly good display of batting for Hampshire, he was still not played in the earlier matches of the Cam­ bridge University Eleven. In the two matches he played for Hampshire, for three innings, with one not out, he had an aggregate of 223 runs, and in the first of those just referred to, in May, against Sussex, at Brighton, he was credited with two fine scores of 157 and 50 not out. It was, in­ deed, his batting which gave the victory to Hampshire, who lost seven wickets in the attainment of the 137 wanted to win. It was not until the middle of June, though, when the trial matches at Cambridge had been completed, that Mr. Lacey at last secured a place in the University Eleven. His first chance was against Surrey at the Oval, and though he only got 13 and 28, the latter was the highest score on the side in the Uni­ versity’s second innings. In both matches at Lord’s, against M.C.C. and Ground and Oxford, though he did little on the first hands, he showed good cricket in the second, and he had the satisfaction of making the winning hit against Oxford at the end of an excellent innings of 39 not out. On leaving Cambridge Mr. Lacey entered the Royal Agricultural Col­ lege, at Downton, and during the last four years his cricket has been chiefly played in the extreme south. In 1883 he was not so successful for his county, but in the following year he made full amends, and his average for six completed innings was a fraction under 76 runs. His chief perform­ ances were both at Southampton. This time Kent and Somersetshire bowlers felt the power of his arm, and those who follow the records of cricket at all closely will well remember the remarkable success which at­ tended his batting in the first match of the Next Issue March 31