Cricket 1889

e> Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron, Reguftored^ror Tramunisaion^Abroad. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1889. A R T H U R MOLD . T h o u g h Lancashire has not been able to boast a fast bowler of native extraction among its professionals of late years, the County eleven have rarely been without one of more than average ability. William McIntyre, who had occasionally represented Notts, was tried by Lancashire in the earlier days of the Lan­ cashire County Club, and did really good service, sharing with Mr. Ap­ pleby and Watson the burden of the bowling for several years. When in due course of time it came to his return Nottsfurnished his successor, and Crossland, of immortal memory, filled the breach with the most satisfactory results. A breach of the rules required to establish the residential qualification, however, resulted in a protest by Notts to the high court of appeal, the Committee of the M.C.C., and as this was up­ held Lancashire was again left without a fast bowler of any real pretensions. Mr. Appleby, who, by the way, is a Lancastrian by birth, was only able to assist on very rare occasions, and since 1885, when Crossland was declared to be in­ eligible, until this year, Lancashire bowling has been practically shared by an unequalled triumvirate of alow bowlers in the persons of Briggs, Watson, and Barlow. In Arthur Mold, however, the executive of the Lancashire County Club has been fortunate enough to find a worthy successor to McIntyre and Cross­ land. In his case, too, the credit of his selection must be attributable mainly, if not altogether, to the judgment of those who saw in him the makings of a County player, and were responsible for his en­ gagement at Old Trafford in 1887. Born in a village in the neighbour­ hood of Banbury and just within the borders of Northamptonshire, on May 30,1865, Mold learned most of his cricket as far as we can learn in that district. It was, in fact, his connection with the Banbury Club which first brought him into any real prominence. His exceptional promise at that time as a fast bowler did not escape the notice of several good judges of the game who had an opportunity of testing his powers as a bowler at Banbury, and he was recom­ mended for an engagement with the Lanca­ shire County Club at Manchester. It was soon after his arrival at Old Trafford, at the commencement of 1887, that his claims were represented to the Committee of the North­ amptonshire Club, and he made his first appearance with that County in June of the same year. The match was between Northants Club and Ground and Bedfordshire Club and Ground at Bedford, and Mold proved remarkably successful, taking seven wickets for twenty-four runs in the first, and five for thirty-nine runs in the second innings. This promising debut naturally ensured him further trials, ana in the same month at Northampton against Staffordshire he bowled with equal effect, his seven wickets in the first innings of the latter only costing twenty-two runs. Later in the seasou, too, he played great havoc with the eleven representing the Surrey Club and Ground at the Oval, and on that occasion he took in all ten wickets for 28 runs. With the Manchester Club he was quite as successful, and one of his perform­ ances at Old Trafford early in August was of quite an exceptional character. As every one knows, the Uppingham Rovers are able to put a strong combination into the field, and Mold had the rare distinction of taking the whole of their ten wickets. North­ amptonshire only took part in five matches in 18fc8, but Mold did most of the bowling, although, in a great measure owing to the want of a wicket-keeper able to stand up to him, he was, on the whole, not quite so successful as in the previous year. It had been understood, though, in the meantime, that he was qualifying to play for Lanca­ shire when the probationary period requisite for a residential qualifica­ tion had been passed, so that it was certain he would have a good trial under Mr. A. N. Hornby’s watchful eye this year. That he fully justi­ fied the expectations of his most sanguine admirers by his perform­ ances last summer will be readily admitted. In the earlier part of the season the wickets were more in favour of bowlers of moderate pace, and it was not until June that he had an opportunity of proving his real powers. His earliest performance of any great merit was against Middlesex at Lord’s, and in the first innings he was credited with six wickets at a cost of only thirty eight runs. Through­ out June he was, indeed, in rare form,and in four successivematches against Kent, Oxford University, Notts, and Surrey, he was credited altogether with thirty-three wickets at an aggregate expense of 449 runs, giving an average of just over thirteen and a half runs. His best record was against Kent, and his eleven wickets in the two innings of that County at Manchester were got for an average of eight runs. The return with Kent at Maidstone, too, found him quite as successful. His bowling on that occasion was, indeed, exceptionally effective, for he took seven of the last eight wickets in Kont’ s first innings, and all of them clean bowled, for only fifty-one rues. The wet wickets at the close of the season prevented him again having his fair share of the Lan­ cashire bowling, and his most noteworthy achievement after June, with the one excep­ tion of his Maidstone record just mentioned, was in the middle of July at Huddersfield