Cricket 1897

424 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. S e p t . 16, 1897 BUSSEY’S ^ t L§ t o \V CRICKET BATS. THE HIGHEST GRADE. BUSSEY’S FO O TB A L L S . THE HIGHEST GRADE. BUSSEY’S ma 13\V HOCKEYCLUBS THE HIGHEST GRADE. BUSSEY’S “ POLLOID” HOCKEY BALL. Always the same weight. Always the same shape. Never hardens. Never softens. No stitching to give way. Absolutely Waterproof ■ BUSSEY’S IJJPIiEJJEflTS FOR A L L SPORTS & GAMES . THE H IGHEST GRADE. A P P L Y F O R C A T A L O G U E TO 36 & 38, QUEENVICTORIA STREET, L O N D O N , OR DEALERS ALL OVER THE WORLD. MANUFACTORY— PECKHAM, LONDON. TIMBER M ILLS— ELMSWELL, SUFFOLK. BETWEEN THE INNINGS. FIRST-CLA.SS CRICKETERS IN 1897. (Continued from page 410.) Though he was scarcely in such bril­ liant form wfth the bat as during 1895 and 1896, W. G. Grace was still the back­ bone of the Gloucestershire eleven in 1897. For some lime he made no very large scores, his first century not coming until half-way through July; but there was scarcely a match in which he did not do at least fairly well, and his complete record for the year is inclusive of four centuries and but one duck. The Nottinghamshire men especially had reason to know that he had not lost his skill, as in three innings against them he made no fewer than 281 runs ; while our American visitors had also an oppor­ tunity of seeing him at his best. To say that he reached a four-figure total is almost superfluous ; in only one year of the last fourteen has he failed to do so. His bowling seems to have improved; last year he did better than in any season since 1891; this year he has done even better than last. Roberts, the other veteran of the team (though R iberts is nearly fourteen years W. G.’s junior), bowled as well as ever he did in his life ; and in one or two matches—notably v. Keut at Mote Park, and Somerset at Taunton—had figures of which Long Tom himself might be proud. Board has still further improved as a ba t; and apart from his fine wicket - keeping, which showed no falling off in 1897, is worth his place on any side as a plucky, fearless hitter. For a man who could not bat a little bit when he first came into the team, seven or eight years ago, his record of this year is a splendid one; he scored over the hundred once, 50 or more on five other occasions, besides nearly twenty other double-figure scores. Wrathall has been disappointing; with his fine, free style he ougut to make a lot of runs; but in 1897, though he was always making 20’s and 3J’s (he had 15 scores of between 19 and 42), he only once played a long innings, that being a very fine 80, v. Middlesex, at Lord’s. W. M. Hemingway, another hitter of whom much was hoped, failed entirely, though he fielded so finely that he was always worth his place. But the hitter, par excellence, of the team was Gilbert Jessop, whose performances were far in front of anything he had achieved before. Like Hayward, Hirst, and Wainwright, he achieved the tremendous 1,000 runs and 100 wickets feat; and his hitting was phenomenally hard and wonderfully successful. He had never scored a cen­ tury in first-class cricket previous to this season; he has now four to his credit, two of them made against the Phila­ delphians, who in a few days should be again witnessing his prowess. Towards the end of the season he was not so suc­ cessful ; and, of course, the critics blamed him for recklessness. I cannot agree with them; Jessop’s one game is hittmg. Last season he spoiled his play by attempting defensive tactics foreign to it ; better recklessness than that. Here and there is a hitter who can play what is called “ the game” when he chooses. Frank Sugg has proved himself one of these lately ; but Jessop, like Bonnor, is not of them. A strong contrast to Jessop in style, both in batting and bowl­ ing, Caarles Townsend was also very useful to the side. I fear he will never be again the great bowler of 1895; but against any but the very best batsmen he will always get wickets, though leg- break bowlers are always expensive. Despite his strange style, Townsend is a most useful batsman. In 1897 he scored the first century of his career, 109, v. Yorkshire, at Harrogate; and he played a fine defensive game on a beaten side in the Surrey match at Clifton. R. W. Rice’s defensive tactics were also of great, use, and he, like Townsend, reached three figures for the first time. F. H. B. Caauupain did better for Oxfoid than for Gloucestershire; but he is a young player of the very highest promise. A. G. Richardson, who failed to get his Blue at the other University playe 1 several good hitting innings ; but his last five attempts only realised six runs, and he is not a first-class field. H. S. Gjodwin justified W. G.’s high opinion of him ; he seldom failed to make runs, and should do even better in future. Young W. G. did little, though against Sussex his bowling met with more success than ever before in a first-class match. Brown, theL»ys school­ boy, did a sensational bit of bowling v. Yorkshire at Harrogate, and played a good innings of 47 in the earlier match against the same great side at Bristol; he is another player whose promise is in­ dubitable. S. A. P. Kitcat played great crickit v. Surrey and Middlesex, but only fig ired in one other county match ; E. C Wright met with fair success all round both for Oxford and in the one or two ma'ches he played for his county; F. N. Townsend, Charley’s ” brother, batted so well that one is inclined to think he might have been played in more than three matches; Murch played seldom and did little; Hale, who appeared some years ago for Somerset, batted very well early in the season ; Painter showed that he had not forgotten how to h it; of the rest there is nothing to record. Altogether Gloucestershire cricket in 1897 was full of brightness and promise. If the improvement of Gloucestershire this season was marked, that of Sussex was not less s o ; and the honourable position attained by the county in 1897 must be a source of iutense gratification to such players as Brann and Newham, who were true to her in the dark days, or Murdoch and Rinj itaiuhji, who, of free choice, came to ttie help of a side that had for years been the sport of ill- fortuue, and by their efforts helped to raise it to greatness. For the Sussex side to-day is really a great one, not an ideal one by any means, nor perhaps a well-balanced one. but a side capable of great things. The accession of Bland has strengthened it immensely. Even N E X T ISSUE, THURSDAY , OCTOBER 28.