Cricket 1894

« Together joined in cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron • „ .N o . 3 68 VOL. X III. Beistered for T ransm ission A broad THURSDAY, JULY 26, 1894. PRICE 2d. CRICKET^NOTCHES. B y th e K e y . R . S. H olm es . I was perfectly correct in stating that rarely has any bowler rivalled Jackson’s feat of taking twelve wickets in a Gentlem n v. Mayers’ match. Since my return home I have instituted a review of this match, going back as fa r . as 1836, the first year in which both fielders' and bowlers’ names a-e given in full. It ii curious to nota how seldom twelve wickets have fallen to any one bowler; and yet all the greatest bowlers, without exception, have figured in this match. That may explain the apparent anomaly; with so many engaged it has not been easy for individual bowlers to shine, as they would have done in matches where their skill stood out conspicuous. The last time a bowler took twelve wickets in this match was in 1880, in the Oval match. The bowler was P. H. Morton. Old Cantabs will recall him if only for his magnificent bowling against the first Australian eleven in 1878. Finer fast bowling I never saw. I sat behind him up in the cld Players’ gallery at Lord’s, and his off break was little less than wonderful. His bowling— four­ teen wickets, seven each in­ nings—gave Cambridge tteir one-innings’ victory. Remember A. G. Steel was bowling at the other end, and that jear (his first in good cricket) he was the most successful bowler in England. W .G. figures in this list, as, indeed, in every other list of remarkable perfor­ mances both with bat and ball. But space is lim ited; here are the names of all bowlers to whose skill have fallen twelve wickets in this annual match the full strength of amateurs and profes­ sionals. N am e. Jam es C ob bett .. W illiam Clarke .. D avid B uchanan .. W . G . G r a c e .......... Jam es Southerton F. H . M o r to n .......... Make a special note of old Lillywhite’s work in this match, and remember that in 1835 he clean bowled all the wickets; I dare­ say he had some that were caught out, but W kts. Year. P lace. 12 ... 1838 .. 12 ... 1850 .. 12 ... 1872 .. L o rd ’s 12 ... 1875 .. L ord’s 12 ... 1875 .. P rince’s 12 . 1880 .. O val % v S. M. J. WOODS. F ro m a p h oto b y H aw lcim & Co., B righton. or more between N am e. W illiam L iilyw hite Wkta. ... 13 . .. is ., .. la .. .. 12 .. .. 18 Y eir, 1835 1837 1810 1811 1841 Place. the scores do not show. I have purposely omitted those matches in which the Gentle­ men played more than eleven men. No bowler has taken all the wickets in an inn­ ings, though Buchanan had nine in the second innings of the Oval match in 1868. And here let me thank a couple of corres­ pondents for a correction. Ephraim Lock­ wood, clumsiest of men as to build, but the prettiest of batsmen, of whom one of the Australian captains remarked that he had more strokes than any other living batsman, Lockwood in 1874 went all through an innings for the Players, scoring 67. Up in Yorkshire the County Committee have a very useful scheme on hand. They are trying to arrange special terms with the railway companies for the County Club members on production of the member’s ticket. They have been successful with at least one company. They hope to get a return ticket at the cost of a single fare and a sixth. This is a matter of some impor­ tance in a county of such dimensions, and where the county matches are distributed among a number (six at least) of towns, mostly lying widely apart. Thus, to speak of my interest in i t : at present it costs me four shillings and sixpence for railway alone when Sheffield has a match on ; half that amount for a Bradford m atch; and so forth. It is an item to poor folks, who don’t have their “ ex.’s” thrown in, as every cricket scribbler certainly should. Parsons should appear on every free list. Should Yorkshire prove successful in their efforts with the railway authorities, it may be worth the while of other counties to make similar advances. Londoners, of course, are not deeply con­ cerned in it, but what of the crowds who live some distance outside London, and are generally to be found at a certain number of matches every year ? To them a saving of this sort will be a con­ sideration. And here let me mention an instance of true courtesy which I should like to see followed everywhere. A friend was telling me on Thursday Huddersfield (I came back from a day in advance of our at Scotland plans on purpose for that match, of which more anon) that he was in Nottingham during the Notts and Lancashire match, showed his Yorkshire member’s ticket both at the gate and at the pavilion, and was at once passed through without payment. I have long wished to see some such under-