Cricket 1895

“ Together joined in C ricke t’ s m an ly to il.” — Byron. No. 4 0 4 . VOL. X I 7. Registered for TransmissionAbroad. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1895. PR ICE 2d. PARRIS. Suosex has this year been engaged in some matches which have been sensational in the point of high scoring. Indeed, 6,810 runs have been scored against her bowlers, an average of about 26 runs for each of the 263 wickets secured. And, with the exception of the wickets taken by Tate and the Oxonian, J. C. Hartley, none of the bowlers have been able to keep the rungetting much below the respectably high figure five and twenty per wicket. It can­ not, therefore, be said that the subject of this notice has been remarkably successful with the ball this season, but he has borne much of the brunt of the strife, and has worked hard in many a leather - hunting day’s work in an unflinching and unfailingly cheerful manner, always deserving the success which has not in any marked degree rewarded his exertions. F. Parris is by no means a new comer to the Sussex Eleven, but his appearances for the county, for some years, were fitful, and, in several seasons, few and far between. Bom at Ringmer, in the heart of the southern county, on the 20th September, 1867, he is one of the three Sussex bowlers who are native born. In his earlier cricket he was well-known in local clubs as a particularly useful bat and an excellent bowler, and in the year 1890, he was given a trial in the Sussex match against Cambridge University, but though he was put on in each innings he was not over successful, for although he got rid of Mr.R.Douglas when well set in the first innings, the wicket costing him 13 runs ; he bowled 15 overs for 60 runs* without any tangible success, in the second innings of the University. His personal scores were 4 and not out 7, so that he did not maternally contribute to the huge aggregate of 1339 until lately the record total for a first-class match in England. He was not again tried in that year, but in the next season was afforded another chance, which, however, was not of great advantage to him, as though he scored 16, he was expensive as a bowler, and 42 runs were hit from his fourteen overs for the small success of one wicket taken. In the season of 1892 he was more frequently included in the team, and though in the strictly first-class matches, he was but little better than in the previous year, having an average score of just over ten PARR18. From a Photo by E. Hawkins & Co ,, Brighton, runs, and taking five wickets for an average of 29 ; in the matches with second class counties he cornea out with a very capital bowling average. In fact, he was at the head of the list in “ all matches,” taking seventeen wickets for an average of 12*15. In 1893 Parris dropped quite out of county cricket, but in 1894 he was once more given a thorough trial, and manifested a very great improvement. By most people he had been regarded as a bowler who was not over dan­ gerous except upon a bad wicket, but several good judges who had known his form in local matches were confident that, with a thorough trial, he would show that he was really a class bowler. His fa 9 t bowling breaking back a good deal was most effective upon the slow and wet wickets of last year. Against Kent at Catford Bridge, and against Gloucestershire at Bristol, he accomplished two capital performances, in each case practically winning the match for his side; in one match taking ten wickets for 58, and in the other fifteen for 98. The last quoted is a very rare performance, but about this time Pam s was able to make the ball do a very great deal, and he was at times quite unplayable. His batting did not improve, and his average for twenty-three innings was but 7 8 . For bowling he stood next to Alfred Shaw in first- class county games, and his 57 wickets were obtained for less than thirteen and a half runs each. In all matches for Sussex he took sixty-three wickets at similar cost. During the season just closing Parris has again been a regular member of the team, and has manifested a gratifying improvement as a batsman. It had been for the whole time of his active services with the Sussex team a disap­ pointment that he had done so little with the bat, but this year he has a fractionally better average than Mr Murdoch, and in the present condition of Sussex cricket is well worth his place in the team even without reference to his ability as a bowler. He has scored 467 in