Cricket 1896

470 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. Nov. 26, 1896. THE BATTING CAREER OF D r. W . G. GRACE 1865-1896. B y F. S. A.-C. The name of Gilbert Grace has for many years been the brightest in the world of cricket. For upwards of thirty years he has been the undisputed champion of our national game, and during that period has succeeded in com­ piling such tremendous scores that would cause Nyren to wonder could he but hear of them. Fuller Pilch, during his long career, scored centuriesupon ten occasions, which was considered a wonderful per­ formance. What then shall we say of Dr. Grace, who has succeeded in reaching three figures one hundred and eleven times ? With him no one can compete. Perhaps, for a short time, a younger player may have a better average, but when the history of cricket during the latter half of the nineteenth century comes to be written, the performances of Dr. Grace will be set forth as the doings of the greatest exponent that ever lived of the summer game— “ W. G.,” a name to resound for ever. Mr. Andrew Lang, in his admirable introduction to “ Kings of Cricket,” says of him :—“ His play is unhaeting, unresting, like the action of some great natural law ; ” a fine com­ pliment surely, yet one which he richly deserves.. The principal feature of the master’s batting is his marvellous powerof placing. Nobody, in the writer’s opinion, has ever been able to control the direction of the ball as Grace used to in his prime. Even now, after thirty-two seasons of first- class cricket, he is unexcelled. Years ago, when wickets were not nearly as good as they are now, and when Alfred Shaw, Emmett, Southerton, and Martin McIntyre were at their best, even then he had as much control over the ball as players of to-day have on the almost perfect modern wickets. Instead of his powers declining, the seasons of 1895 and 1896 have added more lustre to his previously brilliant name. His perform­ ances in May of 1895—when in first-class cricket he scored one thousand and sixteen runs inninecompleted innings-—constitute a record which will be very difficult to equal. On no other occasion has a bats­ man scored one thousand runs during the month of May. Only once has Dr. Grace himself succeeded in scoring at a greater rate, namely :—From the 3rd to the 19th of August, 1876, or in fifteen days actual play, when he scored eleven hundred and sixty-four runs for seven completed innings. Included in the eleven hundred and sixty-four runs were his scores of three hundred and forty- four for M.C.C. against Kent, and three hundred and eighteen not out for Gloucestershire against Yorkshire, the fnrmer being the record score in a first class match, and the latter in a first-class county match until Mr. A. C. Maclaren played his sensational innings against Somerset in 1895 at Taunton. Dr. Grace’s first appearance in public was on July 19th, 1857, when, playing for West Gloucestershire against Bedminster, he scored three not ou t; he was then in his ninth year. During that season he scored four runs in four innings, once not out. The following year he made four runs and was four times dismissed. In 1859 he played nine innings, twice not out, for twelve runs. In 1860, however, a change came o’er the scene, for he played four innings and scored eighty-two runs, average twenty and a half, his highest score being fifty-one for West Gloucester­ shire against Clifton at Durdham Down on July 19th. In 1861 he could only score seventy-six runs for ten completed innings, and 138 runs in the following year, when he was eight times dismissed. During the season of 1863 he played in better class matches, playing twice against the All-England Eleven, twice against the Gentlemen of Devon, and once for West Gloucestershire against Somerset­ shire. At the finish of the season his record was :—Five hundred and ninety- four runs for forty-one innings, five times not out, average sixteen and a half. Until now, W. G. had only played in second-class matches, but in 1864 he commenced playing for the South Wales Club, and made his first appearance on a London ground by playing against the Surrey Club at the Oval, when he scored five and thirty-eight, took five wickets for eighty-six, and bowled two wides. On July 21, 22, he played against the M.C.C. at Lord’s, and scored fifty in his first innings, and two in his second. On the same ground against the I. Zingari he scored thirty-four and 47, E. M. and he scorii g eighty for the first wicket in the first innings. On July 14, 15 and 16, at Brighton, he gave a magnificent display of scientific batting against the Gentlemen of Sussex. In the first innings he went in first wicket down, and scored one hundred and seventy before being bowled by Pratt. At his second attempt he carried out his bat for fifty- six, another splendid display. He had thus in three matches scored three hundred and fifty-nine runs, and been dismissed five times, obtaining the fine average of 71'80 per innings. At the end of the season a bat was presented to him thus inscribed :— “ Presented by Mr. John Lloyd, Secretary of the South Wales Cricket Club, to Mr. W. G. Grace, on the occasion of his making 170 runs without a chance, and 56 not out, when playing for that club v. the Gentlemen of the County of Sussex, on July 14, 15 and 16, at the Hove Ground, Brighton.” In­ cluding all matches from 1865 down to the end of 1896 Dr. Grace has played no less than one thousand two hundred and twelve innings in first-class cricket, being not out on eighty-nine occasions, and during that time has never gained a “ pair of spectacles.” In the following summaries, which have been checked mostcarefully through­ out, I have included M.C.C. v. Herts and M.C.C. v. Staffordshire, which, although not really first class, have always been reckoned in W. G.’s average for 1873. The matches played between teams captained by W. W. Read and Dr. Grace at Reigate during the last four years I have treated as extra matches, and have accordingly left them out entirely. TABLE 1 .— D r . W. G. [GRACE’S BATTING AVERAGES FOR ALL MATCHES, 1865-96. Year. Inns. Not out. Total. Highest. Average. 1865 ... 13 ... 1 ... 317 ... 85 ... 26*41 1866 ... 11 ... 2 ... 579 ... 224* ... 66-33 1867 .. 6 ... 1 ... 154 ... 75 ... 30-80 1868 ... 13 ... 2 ... 625 ... 134* ... 56-81 1869 .. . 24 ... 1 ... 1320 ... 180 ... 57-90 1870 ... 38 ... 5 ... 1808 .. 215 ... 54*26 1871 ... 39 .. 4 ... 2739 ... 268 ... 78 90 1872 ... 32 ... 3 ... 1561 ... 170 ... 53-24 1873 ... 38 ... 8 ... 2139 ... 192 ... 71-30 1874- .. . 31 ... 0 ... 1665 ... 179 ... 52-22 1875 ... 48 ... 2 ... 1498 ... 152 ... 33*56 1876 ... 46 ... 4 ... 2622 ... 344 ... 62-42 1877 ... 40 ... 3 ... 1466 ... 261 ... 39 82 1878 ... 42 ... 2 ... 1151 ... 116 ... 28-77 1879 ... 29 .. 3 ... 993 ... 123 ... 38-42 1880 ... 27 ... 3 ... 951 ... 152 ... 39-62 1881 .... 25 ... 1 ... 917 ... 182 .. 38-20 1882 ... 37 .. 0 ... 975 ... 88 .... 26-35 1883 .. . 41 ... 2 ... 1352 ... 112 .,.. 34-66 1884 ... 45 ... 5 ... 1361 ... 116 .,. 340-2 1885 ... 42 ... 3 ... 1688 ... 221* .,.. 43-28 1886 ... 55 ... 3 ... 1846 ... 170 ..,. 3550 1887 ... 46 ... 8 ... 2062 ... 183* ... 54-26 1888 ... 59 ... 1 ... 1886 ... 215 ... 3251 1889 ... 45 ... 2 ... 1396 ... 154 .... 3246 1890 .. . 55 ... 3 ... 1476 ... 109 ..,. 28-38 1891 ... 40 ... 1 ... 771 ... 72* .. 19-76 1892 ... 37 ... 3 ... 1055 ... 99 .,.. 31-02 1893 .. . 50 ... 5 ... 1609 ... 128 .... 35-16 1891 ... 45 ... 1 ... 1293 ... 196 .... 29-45 1895 ... 48 ... 2 ... 2316 ... 288 .... 51-00 1896 ... 54 ... 4 ... 2135 ... 301 .,,. 42-70 1891-92 11 ... 1 ... 448 ... 159* .... 44*80 Totals ...1212 ... 89 ... 46204 ... 344 .. 4114 TABLE 2.—TABLE SHOWING HOW D b . GRACE HAS BEEN DISMISSED YEAR BY YEAR, 1865-96. Year. Bid, Caught. C.&B. St. HitW. LBW. Run out. 1865. . 2 ... 6 .. 1 .. 1 ... 0 .. 0 . . 2 1866 . 4 ... 4 .. 0 .. 0 ... 0 .. 0 . . 1 1867. . 2 ... 3 .. 0 .. 0 ... 0 .. 0 .. 0 1868 . 6 ... 5 .. 0 .. 0 ... 0 .. 0 . . 0 1869. . 9 ... 9 .. 3 .. 0 ... 0 . 0 . . 2 1870 . 7 ... 22 .. 3 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 . . 0 1871. . 7 ... 22 .. 1 .. 1 ... 0 .. 2 . 2 187*2. . 12 ... 13 .. 1 .. 0 ... 0 .. 3 .. 0 1873. . 8 ... 17 .. 2 .. 1 .. 1 .. 0 . . 1 1874. . 14 ... 12 .. 3 .. 1 ... 0 .. 1 . 0 1875. . 14 ... 21 .. 6 .. 1 ... 1 .. 2 . . 1 1876. . 11 ... 24 .. 2 .. 1 ... 1 .. 2 . • i; 1877. . 11 ... 22 .. 2 .. 1 ... 0 .. 0 . . i 1878. . 15 ... 18 .. 5 .. 0 ... 0 .. 2 . . 0 1879. . 11 ... 13 .. 2 .. 0 ... 0 .. 0 ... 0 1880. . 6 ... 12 .. 4 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 . . 1 1881. . 9 ... 7 . 2 .. 1 ... 0 .. 2 . . 3 1882. . 13 ... 20 .. 2 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 . . 1 1883 .. 9 ... 28 .. 2 .. 0 ... 0 . 0 . . 0 1884. . 12 ... 22 .. 1 .. 1 ... 0 .. 3 . • ii 1885. . 11 ... 21 .. 1 .. 0 ... 0 .. 5 . . i 1886. . 12 ... 34 .. 3 .. 2 ... 0 .. 1 . . 0 1887. . 13 ... 17 .. 3 .. 2 ... 0 .. 3 . . 0 1888. . 16 ... 32 .. 3 .. 3 ... 1 . 1 . 2 1889. . 11 ... 28 .. 3 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 . . 0 1890. . 21 ... 26 .. 1 .. 1 ... 1 .. 1 . . 1 1891 . 10 ... 21 . . 3 .. 2 ... 0 .. 2 . . 1 1892... 7 ... 20 .. 1 .. 3 ... 0 .. 3 O 1893. . 16 ... 27 .. 1 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 ... 0 1894... 14 ... 25 . 2 .. 0 .. 0 .. 2 . #•/ 1895... 13 ... 26 .. 5 .. 0 ... 0 .. 1 . 1 1896... 14 ... 29 .. 1 .. 3 ... 0 .. 2 . 1 1891-92 5 ... 4 .. 1 .. 0 ... 0 .. 0 .. 0 345 610 70 25 5 43 25 TABLE 3.—TABLE SHOWING THE CLUBS FOR WHICH Db. GRACE HAS SCORED HIS RUNS, 1865-96. Date of first Runs Wickets Club. appearance, scored. lost. Aver. Gloucestershire ......... 1868 ...20644 ...510 ... 40*47 M.C.C............................... 1869 ... 6966 ...178 ... 39*13 Gentlemen ................. 1865 ... 5113 .. 118 ... 43*34 South............................... 1866 ... 4728 ..117 ... 40*41 •England....................... 1865 ... 3202 ... 89 ... 35*97 Gentlemen of South 1865 ... 1524 ... 29 ... 52*55 Gentlemen of England .. 1865 ... 1456 ... 30 ... 48*53 United South ................. 1870 ... 506 ... 15 ... 33*73 Kent and Gloucester ... 1874 ... 346 ... 5 ... 69*20 Dr. W. G. Grace’s XI. ... 1871 ... 326 ... 3 ...108*66 South of Thames .......... 1866 ... 260 ... 6 ... 43*66 Over Thirty ................. 1879 ... 193 ... 8 ... 24*12 Married ........................ 1871 ... 189 ... 0 ... — Gloucestershire & Yorks 1877 ... 162 ... 2 ..., 81-00 XI. which visited Canada 1873 ... 157 ... 2 ..., 78-50 South Wales ................. 1865 ... 128 .. 5 .. 25-60 Gentlemen of M.C.C. ... 1871 ... 117 ... 1 ... 117*00 N E X T ISSUE, T HUR SDA Y , DECEMBER 31.