Cricket 1903

CR IC K E T , APRIL 9, 1903. “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. n o . 8 2 3 . voi. xxir. THURSDAY, APEIL 9, 1903. p r i c e 2 a. A CHAT ABOUT M b . T. L. TAYLOR. Few people who have watched Mr. Taylor play one of his delightful innings for Yorkshire on a difficult wicket realise that it was as a wicket-keeper that a future was prophesied for him by the best judges. Not that he was a poor batsman by any means, for when at school at Uppingham he played such brilliant cricket that his doings were justly compared with those of his famous predecessors, Messrs. A. P. Lucas, D. Q. Steel, W. S. Patterson, and C. E. Green; his average in 1896 was 84, and he was un­ questionably the best school batsman of the'season. When he went up to Cambridge the following year it was, of course, expected that he would have no difficulty in getting into the eleven, for a man who is not only a good batsman, but a good wicket-keeper, generally gets his blue with ease. But, as it happened, a wicket-keeper was not wanted for the eleven, and Mr. Taylor sadly disappointed his friends by his batting, although he played a fine innings of 70 in the ’Varsity match. It almost looked as if he was going to turn out one of the failures which are so com­ mon, players of the utmost promise falling off in an entirely unaccountable man­ ner. But there were plenty of people who had con­ fidence in him, and in the following year they had reason to congratulate themselves on their judg­ ment, for not only did he play well during the trial matches, but he again greatly distinguished him­ self against Oxford by scoring 52 not out in admirable style. His chief triumph in that year was his memorable innings of 110 for Cambridge against the Aus­ tralians. It will te remembered that the Varsity scored 436, Mr. L. J. Moon mak­ ing 138, and that owing to manymistakes in the field the Australians were allowed to equal this total. In the second innings Howell was almost irresistible on a wicket which had deteriorated, and there was just time for the Australians to gain a brilliant victory. But, when one looks back on the many fine innings that Mr. Taylor has played when the rest of his side have been in great difficulties, one feels pretty sure that if in this match he had not been obliged to retire through an injury in the unfortunate second innings, he would in all probability have held out long enough to save his side from defeat. Although the Yorkshire eleven was at this time so strong that it was barely possible to find room for a new comer, the committee felt bound to give Mr. Taylor an opportunity of playing with the team, and in his first match against Leicestershire, he played excellent cricket for 42. In three other matches he did fairly well for Yorkshire, but not suffi­ ciently well to suggest that he was likely to astonish the cricket world in the fol­ lowing year. But in 1900 he made such vast strides that he raised himself quite to the front rank, and gained the dis­ tinction of appearing as one of the five great players of the day in Wisden —a dis­ tinction which seldom falls to the lot of a man with so little experience. In a strong ’Varsity team he was head and shoulders above all his companions, and for the third time he covered him­ self with glory in the Oxford match, making scores of 74 and not out 29. He was, moreover, of immense use to the team as a wicket-keeper. In Yorkshire matches he played even better than for Cambridge, and ended the season with an average of 42'15 for the county, for which he played regularly after the ’Varsity match. Yorkshire were indeed for­ tunate to be able to secure the services of such a fine batsman at a time when Mr. F. S. Jackson was away in South Africa. Mr. Taylor’s strongest point is consistency. When he is at the wicket one never is anxious about him, how­ ever much the wicket may be assisting the bowler. He always looks as if he had come in with the express in­ tention of seeing the rest of the side out. On any kind of wicket he is a great batsman, but, without doubt, his value to a side is by far the greatest when the bowlers are apparently masters of the situation, for then he is almost certain to be seen at his very best. He adapts himself to circumstances almost as easily as Arthur Shrewsbury, and per­ haps, next to Shrewsbury, he is the