Cricket 1897

PICKETT’S BENEFIT MATCH AT LEYTON CAREER OF THE FAMOUS ESSEX BOWLER. One of the most popular players that has ever turned out for Esse\ is Harry Pickett, their well-known professional. For sixteen years lie has done yeoman service for the county, and the committee have the satisfaction of knowing that Pickett is an Essex man born and bred. He was bom at Stratford on March 16, 1862, so that he is now thirty-five years old. In his early days he played with Forest Gate, for whom as a youngster he obtained eighty wickets in one season, a ^eat which showed that he had quickly learnt his way to the stumps. A ' year or two afterwards, while working at Beckton Gas Works, lie |played for tl^e Factory team, a club which turned out several county players. It was while in their ranks that he first attracted public attention as a bowler. In a match between Beckton and Brentwood, Pickett, who was nineteen years old at the time, dismissed seven of the Brentwood batsmen for only 1 run, a performance which gained him a trial in the Essex eleven. His start in county cricket was so promising that he was chosen for the remaining matches of the season—1881—and altogether in these engage­ ments he took forty-eight wickets at a cost of 14 runs each. In local cricket he proved very successful, coming out in the Beckton bowling averages with 110 wickets for 3 runs each. His play caused him to receive several offers to go out as a professional, and he accepted an engagement with the Liver­ pool Club, at Aigburth, for whom he did the bulk of their bowling in the summer of 1882. As a member of the Essex county team he increased his reputation, and in their fixtures captured fifty-six wickets at a cost of 8 runs each. At the close of the season Pickett returned home, and in 1883 turned out for his old love, Beckton. In Essex matches he took sixty-eight wickets for 10 runs each. In 1884 he was engaged on the ground staff at Lord’d, and he still holds his appointment at head-quarters. For M.C.C. he did a good amount of useful work, for besides scoring 612 runs, with an average of 40 per innings, he bowled 86 wickets. During the following season, among his many performance he scored 107 (his first century) for M.C.C. against London Interna- - tional College, and in the match against Forest School clean bowled the whole ten wickets in one innings. During these two years he had not proved so successful as hitherto in county fixtures, but a decided im­ provement was noticeable in his bowling in 1886. Playing for Essex against M.C.C. that summer, at Leyton] he obta ned seven wickets for 33 runs j against Hertford­ shire he took six wickets for 17 runs, and when opposing Staffordshire he was responsible for the dismissal of eight batsfnen for 37 runs. In 1887 his best performances were against Leicestershire, when he took four wickets for 17 ruqs in the first innings, find six for 77 runs in the second. Two years later the Leicestershire batsmen again went down -feasil.y before hint. In their first innings he obtained four wickets for 20 runs, and in the second seven for 15. He also bowled capitally aga'nst Surrey, taking six of theirwickets for 52 runs in the first innings, and six for 26 runs in the second. The victory of Essex in this fixture was largely due to Pickett’s brilliant bowling, and the spectators showed their pleasure at his performance by subscribing ^32 for him. During the summer of 1890 he continued to bowl at his best] and* h i the game with Surrey took six wickets for 73, while-in the return match he dismissed seven of the Surrey players for 61. Against Yorkshire he took five wickets for 30 runs in the first innines, and five for 67 in thtf econd, and later on obtained six of the Warwickshire wickets for 79 runs. In this match Pickett performed the “ hat trick," getting rid of Shilton, PalleU, and Cresswell with successive deliveries. In 1891 he batted well, and succeeded in running up 114 runs against Hampshire—his first, and, up to the present, his only century for Essex. In the county matches with Derbyshire he bowled well, taking five wickets for 39 at their first meeting and seven wickets for 59 in the return fix­ ture. Against Leicestershire he obtained five wickets f*r 54 runs, and against Surrey he dismissed sight batsmen for 87; whilst in the match with I*sw>*,shire he captured four wickets for 45 runs. During the season of 1892 Pickett accomplished three or four ft6te»f6rthy performances. When Essex met M.C.C. he dis­ missed five of the Club team for 44 runs. Acamst |shire he took fou r w ickets fo r 23 runs in the first innings Iand three for 17 in the second, and five Surrev batsmen fell J? *3 f° u ?nn8 wlien Essex and Surrey met. He continued to bowl steadily for his county during 1893 and 1894 • and in the latter season, when opposed to Leicestershire’ iont j0Tir ™ckets ^or ^ rnns. He was again in form in 18J5, and against M.C.C. took five wickets for 46 runs In Hampshire s first innings when they met Essex, .Pickett s record was six wickets for 55 runs, and in the second three for 36. Five of the Yorkshire team were dis­ missed by him for 54, and he accomplished the rare feat in cncket of taking all ten of the Leicestershire wickets runs. For this performance the crowd subscribed a m . .Last season he w as still a useful member of the eleven, and he has been doing some good work for hia county since the opening of the summer of 18S7. This is Pickett's seventeenth season, and, to* mark their appreciation of his long and valuable services, the Essex committee have set apart the match with Hampshire, which will be played at Leyton to-day (Monday), Tuesday and Wednesday for his benefit. He certainly deserves well of cricketers throughout the county, for in the long, uphill fight which Essex have so ably waged in their stm p gle .o r existenee, no one has done better service for them in the field than their “ v e te r a n ” professional. H is benefit m atch w ill give those interested in the earne an opportunity to show , in a practical and substantial manner, their appreciation of P ick e tt’s past w ork fo r the olub, and w e hope to see a large gathering o f spectators at the gam e w ith H am pshire, so that the E ssex bow ler m ay reap the reward which he so richly deserves „ , , TH E t e a m s . r r r L 1 K 1 from ).-M essrs. 11. « . Owen, C. J. Kortright. H w ,? -> ?■ I f,rr,,n\ P- L' Fa™ . F. Gt. Bull, A. J. Turner, and /oete ; Pickett, Mead, Carpenter, and Russell. ? ' G- Wynvard, Captain A. H . Luard; E A. Steele, E. C. Lee, and C Heseltme ; Barton, Baldwin, Kitchener, and Webb.