Cricket 1889

“ Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron . No. 209. VOL. VIII. Registered for Transmission Abroad. THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1889. PRICE 2d M R . S Y D N E Y M O R L A N D C R O S F IE L D . W h a t e v e r exception' may be taken to the composition of the Lancashire eleven by the purists who are wont to claim that birthright ought to form the one qualification for a place in a county team, as far as the professional element is concerned, no objection of any kind can be urged even on this score, at least, against the majority of the amateurs who have done such good service for Lanca­ shire of late years. Mr. Hornby, the Steels, Mr. Lancashire, the Rowley Brothers, Mr. Eccles, and Mr. Appleby, are, we believe, all natives of tho county for which they have played. And though the fact that he represented Cheshire some few seasons sinco seems to have, suggested to some of the un­ initiated the inference that Mr. Crosfield is not a Lancastrian by birth, such a conclusion is alto­ gether unwarranted. As a matter of fact, though he has lived in Cheshire for some time, Mr. Cros­ field first saw the light (on November 12, 1861) in Warrington. His early education was received in Surrey, but Wimbledon School has never, as far as we know, borne a very high reputation as a nursery for cricket, and except that he got into the eleven there in the summer of 1878, no facts, certainly none of any great interest, have been furnished A respecting his school career. After leaving Wimbledon, however, the chances for developing his cricket were more numerous. Wisely identi­ fying himself chiefly with such powerful organizations as the Sefton Club of Liverpool, the Man­ chester Club, and the Gentlomen of Cheshire, he had consequently ex­ ceptionally favourable opportunities for bringing his undoubted capa­ bilities as an all-round player prominently before tho notice of the moving spirits of the chief cricket centres in Lancashire and Cheshire. The Lancashire execu­ tive, to its credit, be it said, has never been slow to encourage rising talent, and that Mr. Crosfield was deemed worthy of a trial is proved by his inclusion in the eleven which represented Lancashire against Oxford University at Oxford on May 31st, 1883, and two following days. For a first appearance in county cricket too, his perfor­ mance was more than usually creditable, and he had the distinction of being the highest scorer on the side, a rare record under such circumstances, with two excellent innings of 43 and 49. Such a promising debut was not likely to be overlooked, and he took part in six more matches for the county in 1883, though his first remained as his highest scores of the year. Mr. Crosfield’s appearances for Lancashire in 1884 seem to have been confined to the opening fixture against M.C.C. and Ground at Lord’s, and for the three following years circumstances apparently impelled him to throw in his lot with Cheshire. From 1885 to 1887, indeed, he figured in the Cheshire eleven, and with no small credit to himself as well as with distinct advantage to the county. In 1886 and 1887, in particular, Mr. Crosfield’s batting was invaluable to his adopted county, and among several good scores in the former year were his 52 not out against Yorkshire at Hull, 40 and 24 against the same county at Stockport, in the first of which he carried his bat through the innings. The summer of .1887'was even more prolific of runs for him. Against Lancashirej at Stookport, in the second innings, he contributed 52 out of a total of .129; while for the Gentlemen .of Cheshire he had an average of 69,made up of such scores as 126 not out, on which occasion he also went in first,against the Gentle­ men of Notts, at Nottingham, 90 against the Gentlemen of Yorkshire, at York, and 53 not out against Liver­ pool, at Chelford, and minor sums. Last year Mr. Cros­ field was once more . included in tho Lancashire eleven, and with the exception of Watson took part in more innings than any other member of the team. Though his average was only twelve, he did good service on more than one im­ portant occasion, and his 67 against Middlesex at Manchester, in par­ ticular, was a well played, as well as invaluable innings. A thor­ oughly keen cricketer, Mr. Crosfield is eminently suited for an eleven with such a sportsman as Mr. A. N. Hornby at its head. With plenty of pluck no one is of more value at a : ' crisis, and, in addition to being a reliable batsman with not only de­ fence, but hit as well when required, he is also a fine field, and a fair, medium-pace bowler, as he has proved in local cricket. It will be seen that as an all round player he is not likely to be out of place in any eleven. With thegun, too, Mr. Cros­ field h a s. even a more brilliant record. At one time he used to do a good deal of pigeon shooting, and for two years in succession was second for the big prize (Grand Prix de Casino) at Monte Carlo. His best performance, though, and one which we believe to be a record, was done in a match at the Manchester Gun Club against Mr. T. Stone of Newton, who was at the' time one of the best shots in the North of England. The conditions were a hundred birds each, Mr. T. Stone (two hands) at 31 yards, and Mr. Crosfield (one hand) at 26^yards. The latter, who won easily, settled 91 birds to 71 of his opponent’s, killing