Cricket 1891

G-.' a . H B A E N B , (MEMBER OF THE KENT COUNTY XI.) M A N U F A C T U R E R O F 1 C R I C K E T B A T S A N D B A Cricket, Football, and Lawn Tennis Outfitter (Wholesale, Retail, and for Exportation), 140, LEWISHAM HIGH ROAD , LONDON, S.E. “ To ge th e r jo ined in c r ick e t ’s m a n ly to il.”— Byron . Kegi^erea2Ior3iraMmtasi^n'Abroaa. THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1891. PRICE 2d. good service both as a batsman and as a bowler. The records of his performances are not very complete, and it will suffice to men­ tion his 118 against the Brixton Wanderers, 60 not out against Mortlake Belle Vue, six of whose wickets he also took for eighteen runs, one of several noteworthy feats, in proof of his ability as an all-round cricketer. The Polytechnic teamhad, at least, good reason to FREDERICK GEORGE ROBERTS. T h e maintenance of a high position in C unty cricket depends on the preservation of a high standard of all-round play. Even more than average ability in any one department will fail in the long run to uphold a reputati n gained by the sheer force of all-round ex­ cellence. It is not enough now-a-days for a side to be strong in batting or in bowling. Success must inevitably fall to the combination which is strongest in the two departments, especially if it has the additional advantage of being reliable in the field. Like more than one of its rivals, strength of batting has not been able to compensate Glouces­ tershire for insufficiency of bowling. In one respeot the County has been unfortunate in that of late it has rarely been able to »eoure the assistance of its most reliable trundler, Woof, till the season has well advanced. Still even at the best just latterly Mr. W. G. Graco has had little support, at least of any great value, in the shape of bowling. It was a fortunate dis­ covery, therefore, that led to the introduction of F. G. Roberts into the Gloucestershire eleven four years ago. In his case, too, there was the advantage of a birth quali­ fication. Born at Mickleton on April 1, 1862, he had, moreover, learned his early cricket in the dis­ trict where he was born. Nor was he slow to show the possession of promise as a cricketer. His con­ nection with Mickleton oricket, in­ deed, dates back to his tenth year. His first performance of note was as a mere boy against a strongteam collected by Mr. S. R. N. Phillips, of Welcome Hall Park. The latter had an unbeaten record for the season, but this time they had to go down before Mickleton, and were all dismissed for a total of 29, and mainly through the effective bowl­ ing of young Roberts, who got seven of the ten wickets at a oost of only ten runs. Leaving Mickleton at the age of sixteen he went to reside at Hailsham, in Sussex, and this caused a break in his oricket extending over three years. The interrup­ tion oeased with his first engagement as a professional, in which capacity he was em­ ployed by Mr. Quintin Hogg, the founder of the Polytechnic. Under the captaincy of that gentleman and of Mr. J, E. K, Studd, he did be satisfied with his services, for in addition to a batting average of 22 his wickets had been go at an average of four runs. Leaving London his next engagement was in Surrey with the Sutton Club, and he had not com­ plet d his season there, when Mr. W. G. Grace, after a personal trial of his capacity as a bowler, called on him to assist the County of his birth. His first appearancewas against Yorkshire, at Dewsbury, on July 26,1887, and a successful one it proved, as in the match he ok fourteen Yorkshire wickets at a cost of 170 runs. Though this was, perhaps, his only notew rthy performance in his first year, still it was enough to prove the value of his services to Gloucestershire, at the time not over strong in bowling. The experience of the foll wing summer gave additional con­ firmation of his ability. Against Kent, on a bowlers’ wicket, at Moreton-in-Marsh,he got nine bats­ men at a cost of three runs a-piece, and his analysis in the first innings was a thorough curiosity, showing 29 overs for eight runs and five wickets. In both matches against the Australians, too, he was very successful, and, in fact, his bowling, which produced the dismissal of fifteen batsmen for an average of just under twelve runs, had very much to do with the double victory of his County. Woof and Roberts boroj the brunt of the attack for Gloucestershire in 1889, but the former had much the betteraverage, and with his exception the bowling was generally rather expensive. Again Roberts’ best performance was against Yorkshire, and this time, at Gloucester, he secured seven of the ten wickets in the first innings at a cost of 46 runs. Last summer was one of continuously heavy work for him, and, indeed, till Woof came into the eleven, in the latter part of the season, he had to beara great part of the strain of the long Gloucestershire outings. As it was the relief of Woof’s ap­ pearance enabled him to show to much greater advantage in the later fixtures. The last Inter-countv match of the season, against Mid­ dlesex, at Cheltenham, furnished him, indeed, with the occasion for, perhaps, his best performance of the year. Middlesex had a strong batting side, but they failed alto­ gether on a slowwicket against the bowling of Woof and Roberts, and the latter, who bowled 29 overs for45 runs and seven wickets, greatly helped again to give Gloucestershire its well-earned victory. » This summer, so far, Robertshas shownhim­ self to be in excellent form, and one of his recent achievements, at Brighton, where-he took twelve Sussex wickets at a cost of 69 runs, seven in the second innings for sixteen, stands out as a conspicuous illustration of his