Cricket 1898

S ept . 8, 1898. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 405 sionally came out ■with a good analysis, it was but seldom that the attack was found wanting. In batting the eleven was exceedingly formidable onperfect wickets; on difficult ones it did not rise to the occasion. No new star arose to take the places of Abel, Brockwell, Mr. Jephson, and Mr. Key, who were as good as ever, which is saying a very great deal, but Lockwood played some splendid innings, and Holland was for a time a tower of strength. In Mr. Crawford the county has one of the most promising recruits that it has discovered for a long time, and it will be strange indeed if he does not do himself justice before long. Few things have been more remarkable this season than the way in which Middlesex finished up the season. So much had been hoped and expected of Albert Trott, that when, early in the year, he met with an accident, which handicapped him considerably in bowling for a long time, a settled feeling of despondency seemed to rest upon the team. Until July, not a match was won, but from that time, out of twelve matches played, no less than ten were won, one drawn favourably, and one, against Sussex, unfavourably. This is a remarkable record. The last seven matches all ended in easy victories. It had become a reproach to Middlesex that their batting was as uninteresting to watch as that of the most methodical of professionals, but the reproach has been done away with this season— let us hope for ever. When once the team got really going, the batting became exceedingly attractive almost throughout. Mr. F. G. J. Ford had a long period of very great success. Mr. Stoddart batted like the Stoddart of old. Mr. Warner was as safe as ever, but played better and more interesting cricket, and when the two brothers Douglas, and Mr. Wells came into the team, and Trott began to make good scores, it was wholly charming to watch a Middlesex innings. But all their good batting would have availed little without good bow ling, and this was not wanting, although it was almost entirely confined to two men, Hearne and Trott. The former seems to have learned a very useful lesson in Australia, for he was not content to merely keep a good length and trust to wear down a batsman b y persistency; he varied his pace with much more subtlety than in former years. As for Trott, he was all that had been anticipated, when he had once quite recovered from his accident. His startling varieties of pace and method met with pronounced success. Mr. Stoddart did not play in the later matches. With W . G. in form, and a lot of most promising youngsters in the team, Gloucestershire had a particularly good season. When all the amateurs were available the professionals seldom played, with the exception of Board who is much too useful at the wicket to be replaced, and the bow ling was, to all intents and purposes, done by amateurs. Of these, Mr. Townsend, fortunately for his side, regained the accuracy of pitch, which he seemed to have lost entirely, and through­ out the season he bowled with wonderful success. The rest of the bow ling was certainly not up to much, but all the bowlers were “ triers.” On some occa­ sions W . G., more especially about the time of his jubilee, came out with a very fine analysis. In the course of the season, the county, like Yorkshire and Middlesex, only lost three matches, and the Doctor must be indeed proud of his team. Mr. Troup proved to be a most useful recruit, and with W . G. nearly always good for 30 or 40—sometimes for a hundred or so—Mr. Townsend batting admirably all through the season; determined batsmen in Mr. Jessop, Mr. Sewell, and a safe one in Mr. Bice, it was seldom that the team did not give a good account of itself. In the absence of K . S. Ranjitsinhji, Sussex seemed likely to have to go through a very trying season, and the earlier matches were most discouraging. For long there seemed no prospect of success, for when victory was almost within grasp, the game was cer­ tain to end in a draw. Ranjitsinhji was missed more and more, for with the exception of Mr. Brann and Mr. Murdoch there was not a batsman in the team who could be relied on to make a dozen runs. Then Mr. F ry came into the team, and began a remark­ able series of scores, which rivalled those of the Indian Prince, and the fortunes of Sussex began to look up. But, alas ! Mr. Brann became ill, and played in only one more match during the season. Mr. Newham was also ill for a time, and never really got into form. A valuable recruit was found in Mr. Montezuma, but he could play very seldom, and at the end of the season Mr. Latham made a brilliant first appearance for the county. But after Mr. Brann’s enforced retire­ ment, nearly everything in most of the matches depended on Mr. Fry and Mr. Murdoch, and well they acquitted them­ selves. If the bowling had been good much m ight have been done towards securing victories, but Bland, the best bowler of the team, was sometimes incapacitated, and there was no one else to help Tate very greatly. On the whole, Sussex may be congratulated on finish­ ing the season on an equality with Derbyshire and Warwickshire for the ninth place in the table. It is satisfactory that two or three promising young players have been discovered, notably Mr. 0 . L. A. Smith and Mr. Fisher. If Essex had one or two more good bowlers, the season of 1898 would probably have been even more successful than it was. It is true that the three men on whom the county relies, Mr. Kortright, Mead, and Mr. Bull, have all done exceedingly well, and that Mr. Kortright has at times done some extra­ ordinary performances, but there is a great want of change bowlers. For a time it seemed that Y oun g was the long- looked-for recruit, but he did not play very frequently, though he is so well spoken of that he may be very successful with more experience. In batting the team was distinctly strong so far as the first four or five wickets are concerned, but the tail was apt to be inefficient. Some very fine things were done b y Mr. Perrin, Mr. Owen, Mr. McGahey, and Carpenter during the season, and Mr. Kortright often came to the assistance of his side when things were going badly. Mr. Lucas was as consistent as ever, and Mr. Turner did well at the beginning of the season. Extreme weakness in bow ling was counter-balanced in the Notts team by a stubbornness in batting, which saved many a desperate situation. The first seven matches were all drawn, and when the eighth match ended in a victory it was felt that more unlikely things might happen than that Notts might come out at the end of the season with the greatest proportional number of points. A ll that they had to do was to make a draw in the remaining matches. As it was they only lost two matches during the season. But unfortunately for them they did not increase the number of their victories. Nevertheless, with a total of no less than thirteen drawn games out of sixteen played they ended the season with great credit. Shrewsbury and Gunn both played splendid cricket all through the year, but on the whole there was a dis­ couraging want of life about the batting of the team. It cannot be said that much luck came in the way of Derbyshire this year, but in the end persistently good all-round play prevailed. The season cannot be said to have been altogether unsatisfactory, especially when it is remembered that Hulme was unable to play in more than three matches. The Warwickshire season has not been quite as successful as seemed probable when the team beat Lancashire and made a favourable draw with Y ork ­ shire. As in the case of Notts there has been a want of life in the batting, and the bow ling was hardly as successful as had been hoped. W . G. Quaife had a wonder­ fully good season, almost invariably playing a very careful and very sound innings. Lilley batted almost as well as he kept wicket, which is very high praise indeed, and Kinneir turned out to be a most useful recruit. Kent would have done much better if the bow ling had been stronger; in batting the team was dis­ tinctly strong. Mr. Patterson made a most welcome and most successful reappear­ ance. Alec Heame was very consistent, and Mr. Burnup very useful. Mr. Mason was in wonderful form during the early part of the season. Hampshire was continually weakened by the absence of some of its best men—when Captain Wynward played the team did well, and it was a pity that he could not play all through the year. Major Poore secured a big trial, which was eventually more than justified b y his great success. Captain Quinton played but seldom, but was generally in good form, and Mr. Studd and Mr. H ill were often very useful. In Mr. English the county has a promising recruit. Leicestershire again had a most unfortunate season, winning only one match, but the batting has distinctly improved, although Mr. De Trafford again failed to play himself into form, which was very greatly to be regretted, for a more attractive p la y er is not to he fuuml nriywhfie whm he gets