Cricket 1887

“ Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. N o-156. VOL. VI. Registered for Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, JULY 14, PRICE 2d- MR. CHARLES ERNEST GREEN. A b io g r a p h y of a cricketer whose career has extended over such a lengthy period as that of Mr. G. E. Green in the limited space at our disposal cannot necessarily be profuse in detail. Born at Walthamstow, in Essex, on the 26th of August, 1846, the captain of the Essex County Eleven was nearly a quarter of a century ago a prominent figure in Public School cricket. Educated first at a private school, conducted by the Rev. G. Ewbank, in Brighton, he was sub­ sequently moved up to Uppingham School, where, in fact, his reputation as a first-class all-round cricketer was first established. To those who remember him chiefly by his brilliant performances with the bat it may sound perhaps a little strange that the cause of his intro­ duction to the Uppingham team— as it was subsequently into the Cambridge University eleven—was his success as a fast bowler. He soon, though, began to develop great ability as a batsman, and during the summers of 1863 and 1864 he scored very heavily. At that time Uppingham School had not,, as yet, made a name as a nursery for young cricketers, and, if we mistake not, Mr. Green was the first to bring it at all prominently before the public. Several innings of over a hundred during the latter part of his Uppingham career created an interest in his future, and as.we are able to vouch of our own personal knowledge he showed exceptional form ieven before he was practically introduced to the public at Cam­ bridge University. As we have already stated his claim to a pla£e -in the Cambridge Eleven was by reason of his fast bowling, and the records of the Inter-University match of 1865—his first summer at Cambridge—show that he opened the bowling at Lord’s against Ox­ ford with the Hon. F. G. Pelham. During the four years he played for the Light Blues his all-round cricket wasof great service, and he brought his University career to a fitting close in 1868, when he captained the Cambridge eleven, at Lord’s, with two fine in­ nings of 44 and 59. The wickets at Lord’s were then not so favourable for run-getting as they are now, and it may be remarked that no one had up to that time scored over a hundred runs in the Inter-University match. Though a few matches were played occasionally by Essex cricketers there. was no organised County Club, and it is not generally known that Mr. Green played in a few matches for Sussex as far back as 1868, his father having a house at Brighton, where the family lived for a greater part of the year. His first really active connection with County cricket, though, was with Middlesex, and from 1869 to 1879, about which time he removed to the county of his birth, he was one of the most regular, as well as most useful members of the Middlesex eleven. Unless we mistake, Mr. Green’s first appear­ ance for the Gentlemen was at the Oval in 1869, and he was generally fortunate against the Players, so much so indeed that we believe he was never on the losing side in this particu­ lar contest. His exceptionally brilliant perfor­ mance at the finish of the Oval match in 1871 will not easily be forgotten. We can our­ selves well remember the enthusiasm created by his determined hitting on that occasion. His last seven hits were 4, 3, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, and his 57 hot out emphatically won the match for the Gentlemen with only three minutes to spare. A finer display of free cricket it has never been our good fortune to witness, and Mr. Green is never likely, we fancy, to forget the remarkable reception which fell to him at the close of that memorable match—a scene of excitement such as even the Surrey groundhas rarely witnessed. Durir g the earlier part of his associa­ tion with Middlesex he frequently, too, assisted the Marylebone Club, and from 1869 to 1871 took part in most of the principal fixtures at Load’s, including the old Whit Monday match between North and South. Just about this time he was, indeed, in quite the front rank of amateur cricketers, and as his bat­ ting was always free and of attrac­ tive style, few if any batsmen were more popular with the public. It is not possible, as we remarked at the outset, to give anything like a list of his many good performances. Of onr own personal recollection, though, we can point to two par­ ticularly good aisplays, both of them, tco, at Lord’s. The first was for the M.C.C. and Ground against Yorkshire, in the year 1870, and here, as nt the Oval, his fine hitting very nearly decided the result in favour of his side. The wicket was very rough, and George Freeman and Emmett —then at their best—were as dangerous a pair of bowlers as it is possible to conceive under such circumstances. Marylebone had the worst of the game on the first innings, but in the second Messrs. W. G. Grace and Green were able to get set, and as an idea of the rate of scoring while they were together we may state that when Mr. Green was out for 51 as many as 99 runs had been made in seventy minutes. In 1874, too, when he was serving on the committee of the Marylebone Club, for the Universities against M.C.C. and Ground, at Lord’s, his exceptional powersof hittingwere seen to great advantage,