Cricket 1888

66 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD Off THE GAME. A PB IL 1888. latter department, indeed, he greatly dis­ tinguished himself by a faultless score of 135 against the Dalkeith Club, which at that time was struggling with the rival body at Kelso for the cricket leadership of the Land of Cakes. In 1864 he made his debut in a big match for All England Eleven against Twenty- two of Trentham, and with such decided suc­ cess that he took twenty-two wickets, and was accredited with an innings of 18 not out. This promise he confirmed a little later in the year for the same Eleven, against Twenty-two of Shrewsbury, with two contributions of 10 (not out) and ‘20, in addition taking three or four wickets in the course of the six overs he delivered in the second innings. On the last day of the same year he went to reside at Malton, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and it was with this place that his name was most closely identified. During the summer of 1865 he appeared but seldom, and it is evident thatfhe had not achieved any great notoriety, as he was only once during this time called upon to do battle for his native county. The two rival elevens, too, appear to have known him not, if any reliance can be placed on the published statistics of that period. It was not until the month of May, 1866, that he was introduced to the head quarters of the Maryle­ bone Club, on the oocasion of the sixteenth match between the twolElevens. Here, also, oddly enough, his efforts were attended with but little success, as George Atkinson and Howitt did all the execution in the bowling department on behalf of the United, and the third George (Freeman) was left out in the cold without a wicket to his credit, and only 9 runs to his account on the score sheets. This was, however, the turning point in his career, and to this time may be traced the commence­ ment of a career which, though necessarily brief, was more than ordinarily replete with incident and triumph. 33y the end of 1866 he had already got his foot on the first round of the ladder, and in the ranks of the United All England Eleven there were few better known than the coming bowler, who, in conjunction with Atkinson and Howitt, proved no small element of destruction in the different matches which occupied the programme of John W isden’s team. In 1867 liis star was greatly in the ascendant, and his success had already become so marked that, in the results of the season, he only ranks below Emmett, Souther ton, Mr. W . G. Grace, Mr. D. Buchanan and Tarrant. It was in this year that he was regularly drafted into the Yorkshire eleven, and—if I am not mistaken—first subjected to the criticism of the ring at the Oval. It was, too, in this year of 1867 that Surrey was for the first time made to suffer the power of his arm, and he dealt out destruction with no sparing hand, taking seven of the Southron wickets at Sheffield for only twenty runs, clean bowling among them Jupp, Humphrey, Mortlock and Griffith. In this self-same year of grace, too, he did equal havoc with the men of Notts on behalf of the North of England, in which division he appears to have been enlisted for the first time. His achievements during the summers of 1868 and 1869 were much out of the common. At the end of the former season, in the course of which he had met with a serious accident which incapaci­ tated him from participation in several important matches, he sailed with the other eleven cricketers, selected by Mr. Y. E. Walker, and commanded by Edgar Willsher, to America. There he was remarkably success­ ful, and, indeed, he was credited with one hundred and four wickets (of which seventy- four were “ slick” bowled)—a great perform­ ance. During 1869 as a bowler he was quite at the top of the tree; and, in fact, he was, beyond a doubt, just at this period, the best trundler of the day. His bowling was the most notable feature of Yorkshire cricket in 1870. In the matches at Notting­ ham, the Oval, and in the two encounters with Kent, he bowled more overs than runs were made from him, and his average throughout was a wicket for about every seven overs delivered. All told he bowled for Yorkshire 362 overs for 327 runs and fifty wickets—an average of just six and a half runs—and of these fifty,as many as thirty-three werebowled. In 1871 he represented the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord’s, but he had already made up his m ind to retire from first-class cricket, and the season of 1870 may be counted practically the end of, if a brief, at all events, a most brilliant career. The requirements of his business prevented him from helping Yorkshire in more than three matches in 1871. In the following year this small number, too, was further reduced, for he only appeared tv/ice—once at Prince’s against Middlesex, and in Roger Iddison’s benefit match at Sheffield. Tho Yorkshire eleven for the Middlesex match at that time was selected by Lord Londesborough, who, we may add, has always taken a most kindly interest in Freeman, and,in fact,we believe, be( n one of his best supporters. Though then out of practice he still proved very effective, so much so, indeed, as to strengthen the universal feeling of regret that so good an all-round cricketer should be lost to the public sight just at a time, too, when he was at his best. Since that time George Freeman’s appear­ ances on the cricket field have been inter­ mittent, and confined mostly to the county to which he was born, and in which he has passed his life. Increasing years and weight have of course affected his cricket in some degree, but hardly so much as might have been expected. Though well in the forties, time has touched him with a gentle hand, and only a year or two since, he was still bowling with very much of the “ devil” which used to mark his delivery when he was at the height of his fame. Only a summer or so since, indeed, one of the most experienced cricketers and most capable judges of the game we have, claimed that he was even then one of the very best bowlers of the day. Nay, more, we believe it is a fact that he was really asked not more than three seasons ago to represent the Gen­ tlemen against the Players, a compliment which he was very loth to decline owing to the calls of his business. To many C rick et readers George Free­ man’s form in more ways than one will be still most familiar. When he was at his best he was a singularly fine all-round player. His delivery was remarkably easy for a bowler of his pace, and there was so little apparent effort about it, that it hardly looked to be any­ thing like so fast as it was. A more graceful style there could not be; it was, without the smallest exaggeration, the poetry of motion. For his great pace his precision was surprising, and were proof of this required it would be found in the number of wickets he bowled. He very rarely over-pitched the ball, and one of the greatest secrets of his success laid in the fact that no batsman, not even Mr. W . G. Grace with his extensive reach, could drive him or hit him to leg at all frequently. In addition, too, to a certain amount of spin the ball got up very quickly off the ground, and lie was very difficult to time. It is something to say, perhaps, with the many giants cricket has produced, but to our mind Freeman was beyond a doubt the best fast bowler we have seen. He was, too, by no means a poor per­ former with the bat. His strong and power­ ful frame was all in favour of hitting, but he had in addition no mean powers of defence. He was, indeed, a better batsman than his scores represent, as he would in all probability have shown had so much not been required of him as a bowler. Though he made several good scores which might well be enumerated here, space will not admit of any amplification of his history. His best performance of all in the batting line was for Twenty-two of Malton against the All England Eleven. On that occasion he made 123 runs by really sound cricket, and the excellence of the achievement can be guaged when it is added that his score was got against such a brilliant array of bowlers as J. C. Shaw, Tarrant, Alfred Shaw, Hayward and Tinley. George Freeman, too, won golden opinions from all kinds of men by his demeanour off, as well as on, the cricket field. It was the writer’s good fortune to see most of his cricket, and a more cheery soul or genial companion there could not have been. Very successful in his business as an auctioneer, his good fortune has been the source of congratulation to those who can remember him as we can. Honest worth on the cricket field has met with its fitting reward in the greater sphere of everyday life. Our portrait is from a photograph by Messrs. T. and J. Holroyd, of Harrogate. C rick et of Thursday next will contain portraits of the various members of MR. YERNON ’S TEAM, Now just reaching home from Australia, Lord Hawke having kindly furnished us with a photograph of the group for this purpose. We expect also to be able to give Results of the Tour with the accompanying Averages. CRICKET IN OUTH AUSTRALIA. FAST SCORING. NORWOOD v. GAWLER. Played on the Adelaide Oval on March 3. Play only lasted three hours and a quarter, and during this time runs were got at the rate of 140 an hour. N orw ood . J. Mackenzie, c T., b E . H. Coombe... ... 51 W . Giffen, c Thom p­ son, b B urton........... 115 W. Hoath, c T., b E. H . Coombe ........... 6 J. J. Woods,c Draper, b E . H. Coombe ... 15 F. T. Harcus, c Thompson, b Bur­ ton ............................51 F. Bleechmore, c Ross, b Adams ... 45 G. G. Liston, not out ......................... 101 J. E. Gooden, not out ........................... 56 Extras....................13 Total ...453 LOW SCORING. H ERON ’S GH Y LL v. NUTLEY. This match was played at Heron’s Ghyll, Uckfield, on Friday, April 6th, and was pro­ ductive of several cricket curiosities. The first innings of the Nutley team realised but four runs, in which was a bye. W. Humphreys’ lobs secured eight wickets for- no runs, the bowler also perorming the “ hat trick.” In their second overture Nutley collapsed for six runs only (one bye), Quaife taking the first three wickets by the “ hat trick.” The home eleven, thanks to a good innings of 59 by Quaife, scored 104 runs, and thus won by an innings and 94 runs. Score : N utuey . First Innings. Second Innings. H. Goldsmith, c Quaife, b Humphreys ............... 0 c Hope, b Quaife 3 Ovenden, c Hope, b Hum­ phreys........................... 0 b Quaife ......... 0 Quaife, b Humphreys ... 0 b Quaifo ......... 0 Whitewood, b Humphreys, 0 c and b Hum­ phreys ..r ... o Alf. Paine, c and b Hum­ phreys........................... 0 b Quaife ......... 0 Page, cHope,bHumphreys 0 st Phillips, b Humphreys ... 1 Burgess,b Humphreys ... 1 c Pursglove, b Humphreys ... 0 Norman, b Humphreys ... 0 c and b Hum­ phreys ... ... 0 Baldwin, c and b Quaife... 2 b Quaife ... ... 1 Crouch, not o u t............... 0 not out ... ... 0 Hastion, c and b Quaife... 0 b Quaife ... 0 Extra ..................... 1 Extra......... 1 Total Total H eron ’ s G hyjll . Humphreys, lbw, b Quaife ................. 1 W . Quaife, b N orman 59 W ebble, run out ... 11 H. Phillips, run out... 4 Hope, run out .......... 0 Pursglove, lbw, b Payne ................. 2 Clements, l b w , b Payne ................. 4 W atson, b White- wood......................... Evans, b Quaife ... Minns, not o ut.......... H. W alter, b Payne E x tras................. 6 Total ...104