Cricket 1887

“ Toge ther joined in cricket’s m an ly toil.”— Byron. ■ No 144. VOL. VI. Registered for Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1887. PRICE 2d. MR. CH A R LE S IN G L IS TH O RN TO N : M r . C. I. T hobnton , whose portrait will be received by C bick e t readers as a welcome addition to our gallery of distinguished expo­ nents of the game, is a son of the late Bov. Watson Joseph Thornton, of Llanwame, Herefordshire, and nephew of the late Mr. Henry Sykes Thornton, many years senior partner in the well-known banking firm of Williams, Deacon, Thornton & Co., of Birchin Lane. The subject of our sketch was born at Llanwarne, on March 20th, 1850, and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. It was under the shade of King Henry’s stately pile that he laid the foundation of the high reputation as a cricketer which he has for so many years enjoyed. He played his first match at Lord’s for Eton v. Harrow, on July 13th and 14th, 1866, and even then his powers of hitting were fairly developed. He was, indeed, the only batsman who did very much against the bowling of Cobden, Money, and Matthews, and his first score of 46 not out, of a total of 124, was the feature of the Eton innings. He suc­ ceeded to the captaincy of Eton XI. in 1868, and it was in the Harrow match of that year that he effectually made his mark as a hitter of extra­ ordinary power. In the first innings he sent the ball over the Pavilion and into the garden beyond, a hit which John Lillywhite'8 Guide described as one of the finest straight drives ever seen. His average for the three years he was at Eton was no less than 38, but curiously enough, like two other great Eton cricketers, viz., B. A. H. Mitchell and Hon. C. G. Lyttelton, he never had the good fortune to be on the winning side in that most exciting of annual contests, although during the four years he was at Cambridge, the Cantabs were victorious three times. In other sports than cricket, too, he showed nis proficiency at Eton. He was one of the best backs of his time, and decidedly above the average of football players, while in the Eton College Sports in March, 1868, he put the weight 29ft. 8ins. In 1872 he was elected President of the Cambridge University Club, and had the satisfaction of leading his men to a brilliant victory at Lord’s, helping to beat Oxford in an innings and 180 runs. In 1873, owing to illness, he was not able to play so muoh,though in a small match v. Oakham School he scored 188 not out. This was in its way a truly remarkable display of hitting. The other ten batsmen, indeed, only made 22 between them, and an idea of the severe rate at which he scored will be gathered from the fact that he hit the ball thirteen times out of the ground, two of the hits measuring as much as 140 yards. His connection with Kent cricket began while he was still at Eton, and con­ tinued until 1878. Having then taken up his residence in London, his qualification for Kent ceased, and after the required probation of two years, he became identified with Middlesex, with which shire he has since been associated. Anything like a minute account of Mr. Thorn­ ton’s career would occupy far more space than is at our disposal. A description of his most noteworthy displays during the last twenty yearswill, however, suffice to show how he has earned his reputation as the hardest hitter of modern days in English cricket. He made his> first century in a first-class fixture for Kent v. Surrey at the Oval in 1868, when he scored 110, including two 6’s, and two 5’s, in two hours and three-quarters. In 1869, when playing for Kent v. Notts on a bumpy wicket at Tunbridge, he showed to great advantage, and on that occasion scored 79 out of a total of 114, the only double figure on the side. He evinced throughout the best part of his career a marked par­ tiality for Surrey bowling, and in the match against Kent, 1871 Surrey had a warm time of it at his hands. The St. Lawrence ground has been the scene of many of his best exploits. In the match mentioned at Canter­ bury, he scored'lll including eighteen 4’s, in ninety minutes, and in the match between Gentlemen and Players in the same year, he got 34 runs (seven 4’s and a 6), in eight balls. Perhaps one of his best per­ formances was at the Oval in July, 1871, in the match between Gentle­ men of the South and Players of the South. . The Gentlemen had then 249 to get to .win,-and five wickets were down for 53 in the second in n in g s , when Mr. Thornton came in. He commenced carefully, but so on began to launch out, and fours became the order of the day. One hit, for which only four were allowed, but which . was worth eight according to a report of the matoh, went over the pavilion, and another over the scoring box, for which four again were only allowed, whileathirdoverthe pavilion followed, all three being included in one over, which produced 14 runs. Though, too, he only scored from five more hits, those last five knocks realised 25 runs, consisting of a 6, a 4, and three 5’s. The sixer was a stupendous hit, the ball going over the Bacquet Court, and pitchingbytheEntrance Gate. The score when Mr. Thornton was out was 138 for six wickets, of which he had made 61, but had six instead of four been allowed for his two hits over the Pavilion, as is the case now, the result would have been different, the Gentle­ men, as many will remember, only losing after a most exciting finish by three runs. On July 5,1876, playing for Southgate v. Free Foresters,