Cricket 1890

8« Together joined in cricket’s man ly toil ”—Byron0 Registered foAVanTmiasion Abroad. THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1890. PRICE 2d. E D W A R D W A IN W R 1 G H T . S in c e the game first took hold in the North of England Sheffield has been famed as one of the best nurseries for oricket talent. It has been the birthplace and home of many sturdy players who in their generation have done, and some of whom are still doing, loyal service to Yorkshire cricket. Sixty years ago the rhymesters of the period were lauding the skillof ThomasMarsden, a Sheffielder born and bred. At that time the contests between Shef­ field and Nottingham were as pro­ ductive of keen rivalry and public interest as the matches between Yorkshire andNotts—verymuch the same fixture under a more imposing title—have been in later years. A brickmaker by trade, Marsden was one of the best single-wicket players of his day, although he suffered the penalty of vaulting ambition, and was twice beaten by Fuller Pilch, the greatest master of the art of batting perhaps, within measurable distance at least of to-day, before Mr. W. G. Grace. He was evidently a good all-round cricketer from the following lines:— O ! Marsden at cricket is nature per­ fection, For hitting the ball in any direction; He ne’er fears his wicket so safely he strikes, And he does with the bat and the ball as he likes. Since Marsden’s day Sheffielders, too, have not only fully upheld their reputation as players, but con­ tributed in no small measure to maintain Yorkshire in the front position among cricket counties. Sheffield has been the birthplace and home of a long roll of men who have made for themselves a name as among the most capable ex­ ponents of the grand old game. The town which has rarely, if ever, been without a champion in the County eleven in the past, is worthily represented at the present in the promising young all-round player whom we are delighting to honour to-day. Edward Wainwright was born at Tinsley, near Sheffield, on April 8th, 1866. It was at Tinsley that he learned his cricket. As a boy his play was indicative of great promise, though there is no record of any ex­ ceptional performance to his credit. That he made a lot of runs for the local club there is evidence to show, and two of his scores for Tinsley, to wit, one of 124 against Worksop, and 90 against Staveley, though no dates are given, are instanced to prove his possession of no small ability as a youngster. His promise was not likely to escape the notice of those who have been chiefly responsible for the conduct of Yorkshire cricket. Direotly under the eye of the President and Secretary of the Yorkshire County Club, there was no chance of his being overlooked. It was not long, too, before he had a trial, and the early part of the summer of 1886 saw him opposed to the Countyeleven at Sheffield as one of the selected Colts. He was not apparently seen to ad­ vantage, to judge, at least, by results, for he was not even tried again in the Colts’ match until 1888. This time his all-round cricket impressed the authorities very favourably, ana fortunately, too, he showed such promise on the occasion of his first appearance for the County, at Lord’s on May 7, 1888, against M.C.C. & G., as well as a little later against Cambridge University, at Cambridge, that he was at once established as a regular member of the Yorkshire eleven. His right to this position was, moreover, fully proved during that summer. As a bowler as well as a bats­ man he was more than usually successful. The match against the Sixth Aus­ tralian team, at Bradford, gave him his first opportunity of a big score. The Yorkshiremen on that occasion had all the worst of the first part of the game, having to follow on no less than 139 runs to the bad. The exceedingly good cricket of Wain­ wright, who made 105 in conjunc­ tion with Mr. E. T. Hirst, however, gave the game an altogether dif­ ferent appearance, and when play ceased the Countv had none the worst of the draw, being 205 on with three wickets still to fall. Against Notts, at Nottingham, too, his all­ round cricket was of great use to the side. Prinoipal scorer in the first innings, he also bowled with great success when Notts went in a second time. His five wickets only cost 20 runs, but this was only one of some good performances in the same line during the season, which gave him an average of seventeen and a half for forty-five wickets. Though not productive of any very high scores in the pre­ vious year, his record for 1889 was no less creditable. His average, in | fact, showed an advance of over two points, and singularly enough his best performance was again at Brad­ ford. The match against Sussex was memorable, at least to Sussex, as their one victory of the year in a first-class match, and Yorkshire’s form all-round was so moderate as to fully aocount for their ill success. Wainwright was distinctly the best batsman on the side in that match, and in the second innings the stand of the two youngsters, Moorhouse and Wainwright, who hit up 93 in 55 minuteswhile theywere together,was really the only noteworthy feature in Yorkshire’s cricket. Though this year, owing to an in­ jured hand, Wainwright has had to stand out of two or three fixtures, he is [sure to render a good account of himself, and only this week at York, on his return into the eleven, he proved himself of great use with the ball, taking three wickets in Kent’s second innings at a cost of