Cricket 1887

" Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil.”— By ron . Registered for*Transm ission Abroad. THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1887. wickets of a strong batting side for an average of five runs. Though his cricket had really shown no deterioration he was most unlucky during his last year at Eton, and, as far as we can judge, his aggregate of 109 for eleven innings was mainly due to a creditable score of 30 in the Winchester match. In spite of this ill-success, though, the executive ofthe Hampshire Club were ready and anxious enough to secure his services, and he justified their confidence in his first County match, at Southampton on Aug. 20, 1885, not only by a creditable innings of 20, but also by some useful bowling, getting three wickets in Somersetshire’s second innings in 70 balls for 22 runs. Having matriculated at New Col­ lege, Oxford, Mr. Forster went into residence there in October, 1885. The University trial games of 1886 were played in very unfavourable weather, and though he batted in very promising style for Mr. Key’s side against Mr. Page’s side in the Freshmen’s match, he was unable to gain a place in the Oxford eleven. Though not fortunate enough in this direction he still added greatly to his reputation by the excellent all-round cricket he showed for Hampshire in 1886, and on more than one important occasion he was really of great service to the county. In the later matches in particular he was seen to much ad­ vantage, and the last fixture of the season, against Surrey, witnessed undoubtedly his best performance. The wicket at Southampton on that occasion was very much in favour of the bowlers, and the Hampshire batsmen could do little with Loh­ mann in his best form. Mr. Forster, indeed, was t^e only batsman able to get double figures in each innings, and his scores of 35 and 23 were most creditable displays of batting under anything but favourable con­ ditions. He opened the present season in very promising style at Oxford, and his successful bowling in the Seniors’ match, wherein he took eight wiekets for 68 runs, had a veiw im­ portant effect, in all probability, in deter­ mining his plaoe in the Oxford eleven. For the Eleven against the Sixteen Freshmen in the followirg week he bowled with tfVen greater success, and his score of 60 for the Eleven against the Next Sixteen in the last of the trial matches effectually settled any PB IO E 2<*. MR. HENRY WILLIAM FORSTER. A m on g the cricketers whom Eton College has sent out of late years none can claim better credentials than the gentleman whose portrait occupies the central portion of this page. Though, by right of long residence and family ties he is connectedwith Hampshire, Mr. Forster is also entitled to repre­ sent another Southern county, under the birth qualification. He was born, indeed, within the im­ mediate neighbourhood of London. Southend, near Catford Brilge— where, as many C r ic k e t readers will remember, the Kent County Club for a time played its home matches some years ago—was his birthplace, and as he first saw the light there on Jan. 31, 1866, it will be seen that he completed his twenty-first year six months ago. Educated first at a private school, that of the Rev. J. Bearcroft, near Droitwich in Worcestershire, he passed out to Eton entering at that School in Jan. 1880. The playing fields at Eton were quite congenial to his tastes, and his keen interest in cricket soon attracted the notice of those in authority. Passing through the usual course necessary to qualify for a place in the Eton eleven, his promotion was rapid, and he had the satisfaction of gaining his “ blue ” in the summer of 1883, his fourth year at Eton. His first season in Public Schoo 1cricket was, as was only to be expected, not attended with any great success, though the form he showed both as a batsman and a bowler was of dis­ tinct promise. The only fault to be found with his play at the time, indeed, was a certain slackness in the field, the result in a great measure, no doubt, of overgrowth, and“ Lillywhite’s Annual” of 1884, in its notes on the Eton Eleven of the previous year, (Xpr s?ed great hopes for his future wi^n bat as well as ball. These were realised to the full extent in the following year, and some of his Eton records in 1884 entitled him to a prominent position among the Public School cricketers of the year. His best score was one of 102 against Oriel College, Oxford, but throughout the season his all-round play was considerably above the average, and the high place he occupied among Eton cricketers that year was the more creditable considering that among his rivals were Lord George Scott, Messrs. H. Philipson, F. Thomas, and H. J. Mordaunt, all of whom have confirmed the reputation they gained at Eton. A useful score of 23 was Mr. Forster’s contribution to the small total of 82 recorded to the Eton eleven at Lord’s against Harrow, but as the bulk of the bowling was done by Messrs. Bromley, Martin, and Mordaunt, he had little chance, though in the previous match against Winchester he had been singularly successful. In the second innings of the Wykehamists he took five wickets at a cost of only sixteen runs, though even this performance was in point of quality not so good as his record against the Quid Nunes, when he was credited with five