Cricket 1905

CR ICKET , A W EEKLY RECO RD OF T H E GAM E. MAY 11, 1905. 3 i f Hlirm 1£ it 1 l/m1* jam / r 1 A U s e r i ) j e j r ■ j © g — “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.”— Byron. No. 6 8 7 . VOL. X X IV . THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1905. PR ICE 2d. A CHAT ABOUT THE NEW HEAD­ MASTER OP ETON. Although Canon the Hon. Edward Lyttelton, the Headmaster of Haileybury, •who has lately been appointed to succeed Dr. Warre as Headmaster of Eton, had but a short career as a first-class cricketer he made an enduring name for himself by his play durine his days at Cambridge University. A brother of Lord Cobham (better known to cricketers as the Hon. C. G. Lyttelton) and the Hon. Alfred Lyttel­ ton, who is now the Colonial Secretary, he has done credit to the family name in the cricket field, and his success as Headmaster of Hailey­ bury has been such that no one can have been surprised when he received his new appointment. As a cricketer Canon Lyttelton was one of those batsmen whose arrival at the wickets is always hailed with delight by the spectators, for he had a graceful style and did not let the grass grow under his feet. It was always a pleasure to see him and his brother Alfred together at the wickets, for the two men played the most attractive cricket, and understood each other bo thoroughly that their judg­ ment in running was pro­ verbial. A more interesting exhibition of cricket could not be desired. The Hon. Edward Lyttelton was a brilliant field. He seldom had an opportunity of play­ ing in first-class cricket after he left the University, but occasionally until 1882 he gave his services to Middlesex; his innings of 113 against the Australians for that county was considered the best, as it was the highest, made against the visitors during the tour of 1878. In the “ green Lillywhite ” of 1879 he is described as, “ A fine timer of the bill, and brilliant hitter, qualities which, allied with a good defence, have won a place amongst the Gentlemen of England; active field, and good thrower.” The “ red Lillywhite ” says that he was “ A fine free-hit! iug bat, very dangerous when well set; a good field near the wicket.” For some years before the Lytteltons went to the University the Cambridge fielding, once noted as being brilliant, OANON THE HON. EDWARD LYTTELTON. [.Photo by Elliott Fry, Baker Street, London , had become slack. Mr. G. H. LongmaD, the famous old Cambridge captain, set himself resolutely to the task of weeding out the duffers and of making the other men do their best, and succeeded so well in his efforts that when Mr. Lyttelton became captain in 1878 he found that he had a chance of making his team famous for its fielding. He carried on Mr. Longman’s good work in the most energetic manner, and, so determined was he to have none but first- class fielders in his team, that two men who were more than worthy of their place in any eleven for their batting were left out for the simple reason that their fielding was not satisfactory. The records of this eleven of 1878 shew clearly that nothing was lost by these drastic measures— on the contrary much was gained—and the team has always been known as the finest in all departments of the game ever turned out by either of the Universities. Every single man in this team made a name for him­ self—there was not a weak­ ling among them. With A. G. Steel, P. H. Morton, A. P. Lucas, and A. P. J. Ford as bowlers, and the two Lytteltons, A. P.Lucas, A.G. Steel, L. K. Jarvis, F. W. Kingston, and the Hon. Ivo Bligh as batsmen, and the best wicket-keeper of the day in Afred Lyttelton, while every man on the side was a brilliant field, it is no won­ der that the captain was able to lead his side to victory in each of the eight matches played by the University. It is worth not­ ing that all the members of this eleven played for Gen­ tlemen against Players at some time or other, with the exception of D. Q. Steel, L. K. Jarvis and F. W. Kingston. Four of them, viz., Lucas, the two Lyttel­ tons, and A. G. Steel played for the Gentlemen at Lord’s in that year, and between them they scored 314 of the 636 runs made bythe Gentlemen (nearly another hundred being accounted for by Dr. Grace). Mr. Lyttelton played four times against Oxford, his scores being 23 and 20, 18, 7 and 16, aud 53 and 10. He only played onca for the Gentlemen, and then, at Lord’s in 1878, he made 44 and 66. He has told how he surpried him-