Cricket 1891

Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron . Regiatcred^foi?iraliamlaaicM Abroad. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24,1891. PR ICE 2d. M R . R IC H A R D D A F T . By R e v . R. S. H o lm e s . ■W h e n , in the Bank-holiday match in August last, Mr. Daft once again aonned flannels for the County of his birth, he most likely re­ called the" same match—Notts v. Surrey— played on the same ground thirty-three years ago, and in which he made his debut as a County player. But between 1858 and 1891 how sharp the con­ trast in every way. Then he was a young man, twenty-two years old; now he is the grey-haired veteran, and playing on the same side as his own son, three years older than he was in 1858. None of the actors in that first match are here in 1891; the majority have gone into the silent land; the rest have long since retired; and at least two genera­ tions of cricketers have come and gone since then. And of the spec­ tators, who numbered thousands to the hundreds assembled in 1858, how many of them were present on both occasions? The historic Surrey ground, too, how changed! Scarcely a single feature to recall the scene of 1858, beyond the long bar and the players’ dressing:-room up the flight of steep steps, long since dis­ used. What with the enlarged pavilion, the grand stands, the per­ manent scoring-box (which sup­ planted the old box on wheels), and the splendid amphitheatre in which at least 20,000 persons can be easily accommodated, it would be difficult to imagine the Oval of thirty-three years ago, but for the gasometer on the one side, and the old church on the other, with the parsonage close by, in which parsonage jthere had been born one of the men who fought for Surrey in 1858, and was for years in the first flight, the Rev. C. G. Lane. The “ little doctor” E. M. has a record nearly as good. In 1862 he played first at Canter­ bury as a giveh-man for M.C.C., for whom he not only scored an un­ finished innings of 192, but took all his opponents’ (Kent) wickets in the second inn­ ings ; and this year he figured there again, though after a lapse of twenty-three seasons. But Daft’s record is unique. Not because at the age of fifty-five he is found taking part in first-class cricket. That has been beaten twice within the memory of many now living. Thus William Clarke kept on playing in the whom loved cricket, though only one of them —Charles, six years Richard’s senior—reached the dignity of a County player. Cricket evi­ dently runs in the family, for both Richard Daft’ s sons, R. P. and H. B, have played for Notts, whilst as recently as 1882, Eleven Dafts played the Skegness C.C., and out of a total of 144, Richard, though forty-six years old, was responsible for 103 not out. He may fairly be called the second of the three great Notts batsmen, who for nearly fifty years have reigned supreme among professional cricketers. George Parr, the ‘ ‘ Lion of the North,” the finest leg-hitter ever seen, being the first; he appeared in 1844, and kept on playing regularly for some twenty-seven seasons. WhilstArthur Shrewsbury, who made his bow in 1875, is the last; but prominent as is his ability, it must be stated that his development was nothing like as rapid as that of his great prede­ cessors. Both Parr and Daft at once challenged comparison with the masters of the game. Thus, Daft’s very first innings for Notts in 1858 were 13 and 44 not ou t; that match being Notts’ sole County engagement for that year. And Surrey alone was met in 1859,1860, and 1861, though in the two last mentioned years a return match was played. The wonder is, that with so little first-class practice— which practice cannot be got at the nets, or, indeed, in local club en­ gagements, but only in the best matches—that Daft should haye thus early displayed such remark­ able form. It gave him a place in his second year in the match of the season, in which for the first and only time during his long career he assisted the amateurs to the tune of 0 and 38. In 1860 the professionals claimed him, and from that year down to 1879, with' an occasional break through business, he took part in the two matches played year by year at Lord’s and the Oval, scoring in all 925 runs in 35 innings, with the splendid average of 26 runs per innings. And remember, oricket grounds were very different from what .they are to­ day—Lord’s especially. In Daffc’s day shooters would alternate with long bops, which bounded over the head of batsman and stumper, and not unfrequently went direct into fong-stop’s hands without touching the ground again. Inevitably then mammotji scores were unknown twenty-five years ago, best company until within a month of his death, and when he was fifty-seven years old, and to the last was the terror to old batsmen with his incomparable lobs. W ith the very last ball he ever bowled he took a w icket! Whilst old “ Lilly,” along with his son James, played against Surrey when he was fifty-nine, and with his two sons, James and John, took part in his own benefit match at Lord’s when he was sixty-one. Daft’s appearance at the Oval in August last was remarkable, however, in that he had been missing from front-rank cricket for ten years, whilst both Clarke and Lillywhite never dropped out. Richard Daft—I must apologise for this apparent discourtesy, but we all are guilty of it when speaking of our prime public favourites —was the youngest o f five brothers, all of