Cricket 1897

“ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. w o. 4 5 3 . v o l . x t i . T H U R S D A Y , J U N E 1 7 , 1 8 9 7 . p r i c e ad. CHATS ON THE CRICKET FIELD. ME . C. P. W ILSON . I f it had not fallen to the lot of Mr. Wilson to have to play for a second- class county, whose programme was very short, he would undoubtedly have played regularly in first-class cricket during the holidays, like his confreres a f, Elstree, Mr. Ernest Smith, Mr. W . N . Roe, and Mr. Mey rick Jones. For he was, and is, an excellent medium pace bowler, and a bat who takes a lot of getting out against any bow ling. As he had to play for Norfolk after he left Cambridge he disap­ peared from first- class cricket, although he did not fall into obscurity, while as a foot­ baller he became famous. A t the present time Mr. Wilson is one of the most useful members of the well known team of Elstree Masters. He went to Marlborough in 1873. In 1876 and 1877, bow ling and batting well in each year, he got his colours under Mr. A. G. Steel. During those two years the school only lost a single match out of a total of about twenty- five, and in the one lost, Mr. Steel was not playing. “ The team of 1876,” said Mr. Wilson, “ was a one man team. Steel had an average of about 50, and 6 for bow l­ ing. In the follow ing year his batting average was about the same, but he was not quite so successful with the ball, although his bowling average was 7. F. M. Lucas made a lot of runs. Other members of the teams in which I played were J. R. Napier, who afterwards played for Lancashire ; C. E. Grainger, who when he went to Lord’s had the same batting average as S teel; but in the match Steel made 128 and Grainger 16. W e had a very good wicket-keeper in Alston, who afterwards went to Ceylon.” “ When did you go to Cambridge ? ” “ I went to Trinity in 1877. For the first two years I went in so much for bicycle racing that I played no cricket at all. notwithstanding that I was asked to do so often enough. I began to play, however, in 1880, when Steel was captain, and got my blue as a moderate bat and moderate bowler. It was a very strong team that year, with Whitfeld, Bligh, Steel, Philip Morton, who did the hat MR. C. P. WILSOX. (From a Photo by W. S. Downes, Sltafurd.) trick at Lord’s, A. F. J. Ford, R. S. Jones, O. P. Lancashire, and the two Studds, George and Charlie. We beat Oxford comfortably. The only time that I ever really made any hundreds to speak of was in the long vacation after this, when I had an average of nearly 70, with a highest score of 225 against John’s for Trinity; but Cambridge long vaca­ tion bow ling and Cambridge wickets go very well together, from a batsman’s point of v iew ! The follow ing year I went down, and came to Elstree.” “ But surely you played two years in the Varsity match ? ” “ Yes. I went up from Elstree. I t happened that C. H . Luxton, who used to bow l fast, strained himself, and as there was a difficulty about getting anybody to replace him, Bligh wrote to me. All through the season I couldn’t get a run, so that I did not want to play, but at the last moment I was sent for to play against Surrey at the Oval. As luck would have it, I made some runs, and took six wickets, clean bow ling A. P. Lucas and W . W. Read, who were then in their prime. I remember that Blamyres, who was bow ling for Surrey, gave me a yorker. There was a click, and the ball went right through the wicket without removing the bails. Everybody competent to judge said that there was no doubt about it, and I was certain that the ball was straight.” “ What happened in the ’ Varsity match?” “ The match can only be called a fiasco as far as we were concerned. It was the match in which Leslie was caught and bowled by Ford when he had made only eight, but on appeal—not b y Leslie himself—he was given not out. Leslie, you will remember, had walked away from his wicket towards the pavilion. When he came back, he apologised to Bligh, saying that he knew he was out, but that of course, as he was given not out, he must have another knock. He made 82 and this settled us. I remember that he was caught b y F. C. C. Rowe off J. E . K. Studd’s bow ling—Studd was about our seventh change. W . H. Pat­ terson played a wonderful innings for Oxford in this m atch; all the more wonderful because for the greater part of