Cricket 1907

6 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J an . 31, 1907. has said of him—“ He had an easy round- arm action, kept an astonishingly good length, varied his pace from slow to medium, and made the ball break slightly in b )th directions. He seldom bowled two similar balls in one over, and he worked with his head as much as with his body.” It was not until 1863 that Shaw was given a place; in a Calls match at Not­ tingham, and he was then tried for his batting. In the following year he played his first match in London, for Colts of England against M.C.C. and Ground, and he marked the occasion by taking thirteen wickets for 55 runs. The late W. Oscroft was also appearing at L >rd’s for the first time, and, as he Bcored 51 and 76, the match brought the merits of two young cricketers very forcibly to the notice of the County Committee. The result was that each was given a place in the Nottinghamshire Eleven, Shaw’s first match being against Kent on the Trent Bridge ground. It was not until twenty-three years later that his connection with the side ter­ minated, and even then, as subsequent events proved, he was discarded all too soon. In the early part of his career he was essentially an all-round cricketer, but he deliberately sacrificed his batting in order to devote all his energies to bowling, and there can be no doubt that he was wise in so doing. At the same time, he c >uld generally be relied upon to make runs at a cntioal time, and during his career he exceeded the half- century on a dozen occasions, his highest score being 88 against Middlesex, at Trent Bridge, in 1882. In 1865—only one year after appearing in the Colts' match at Lord’s—he was chosen for the Gentlemen and Players match, then the event of the season. He scored 18 and 8 at the Oval, and took six wickets for 81 runs, going in first wickat down and being first change ia the bowling. Messrs. W. G. Grace, R. D. Walker aud R. A. H. Mitchell, and Jupp and Tom Humphrey also made their debut in a match between the sides oo the same occasion. Prom 1870 to 1880 proved a wonderful decade for Shaw, who bawled with the mast pronounced success against even the finest batsmen in the couatry. When he was bawling there was never fast run- getting at both eads, for no matter who the batsmen were, or how perfect the wicket, Shaw’s deliveries always com­ pelled respect. To a far greater exteat than any other bowler he kept the bats­ man “ p'aying the b ill.” He always saemed to ba the attacking party, and bitsmen appeared unable to reverse the situation, for Alfred was seldom, if ever, really coilarei. To deal at all adequately with his numerous triumphs would very far exceed the space at command, so only a few of them can ba briefly referred to here. Undoubtedly what must be re­ garded as his greatest feat was that achieved for Nottinghamshire agaiast M.C.C. aud Grouad, at Lord’s, in 1875, when he bowled 166 balls far seven runs, and dismissed W. G. Grace, Lard Harris, C. P. Buller, A. W. Eidley, I. D. Walker and two others; only five siagles and a two (a flake) were made off him duriag the inniags. He afterwards gained a similar analysis against Leicestershire, but that was, of course, against less wall- known players. For M.C.C. and Ground against the North, at Lord’s, ia 1874, he took all tea wiokets ia an inniags for 73 ruas. 0;her instances of remarkable analyses gained by him were as follows:— Wkts Runs. Year. 5 for 9 Notts. XVI. v. Eng., at Eastw’d Hall 1870 4 „ 12 M.O.C. &G. v.C.Univ., at Cambridge 1872 6 „ 8 Notts, v. Sussex, at Brighton ...........1873 4 „ 12 Players v. Cents., at Lord’s ........... 1874 10 ” [ ^r° ,ts- v Surrey, at Nottingham ... 1875 7 „ 7 Notts, v. M.O.O. & G , at Lord’s...1875 5 „ 1 5 Notts, v. Surrey, at Nottingham ... 1876 22 ” 37 c } ®ng v.XXlLoE S. Aust., at Adelaide 1876 4 „ It il.C.C. & G. v. England,at Lord’s ... 1878 5 „ 10 ll.C.O: & G. v. Australians, at Lord’s 1878 6 „ 15 Notts, v. Surrey, at the Oval ............1878 7- „ 7 Notts, v. Leicestershire, at Leicester 1878 8 „ 21 North v. South, at Lord’s ...................1879 5 „ 10 Notts, v. Yorkshire, at Nottingham1879 5 „ 14 Notts, v. Glouces., at Cheltenham...1879 15 " |Eng. v. XXII. of Canada, at Toronto 1879 7 ” ic!r (.England v. XV. of Philadelphia, at 16 ” 37c ( Philadelphia ...............................1879 5 „ 13 M.C.C. & G. v. Yorkshire, at Lord's 18'0 7 „ 17 Players v. Gents., at the O val...........1880 6 „ J8 Notts, v. Lancashire, at Nottingham 1880 8 „ 14 M.O O. & G. v. Derbyshire, at Lord’s 1881 4 „ 12 Notts, v. Middlesex, at Lord’s ... ...1882 6 „ 15 Notts, v. Yorkshire, at Sheffield ...1882 ( a ) signifies 1st innings; ( b ) second; and (o) both. For Nottinghamshire ha took 859 wickets for 11 runs each, for Players against Gentlemen 134 at a cast of 15‘68, and in all first-class matches in England 1,916 at an average cost of l l -42. In a small match in 1870—for M.C.C. and Ground v. Thorndon Hall—he took 18 of the twenty wickets (one man was run out) for 52 runs. After leaving the Nottinghamshire ranks in 1887 Shaw was engaged by Lord Sheffield to coach young players in Sa-sex. By this means he acquired a residential qualification for the County, and iu 1891, after a retirement of sevea years, he reappaared ia fi -st-class cricket as a member of the Sussex Eleven. He was thea in his fifty-second year, bat, notwithstanding his age, still proved his ability to obtain wickets at a reasonable cast. Still, the strain of iater-County cricket proved too much for him, and, after playing in sevea matches in 1894 and three in 1895, he retired finally from active participation in the game, though in due course he took up umpiring. Ia the ten matches referred to he ob;aiued 56 wickets at a cost of 16 37 ruas each, and agaiast his old Caunty, at Trent Bridge, ia 1895, delivered501 balls duriag the iaaingj of 726. Shaw played the game in many parts of the world. He visited America in 1868 with Willsher, aud in 1879 with Daft, whilst he went to Australia on six occasions—with Lillywhite in 1876-7, with four teams —those of 1881-2, 1884-5, 1886-7, and 1887-8—in which he was financially iatereite 1, and as M inager to Lord Sheffield's in 1891-2. He lost heavily over the tour of 1887-8, as another team, on the invitatian of the Melbourne Club, made the trip at the same time. As neither of his benefit matches—at Lard’ s in 1879, and at Nottingham in 1892—was a success, it will be gathered that Shaw’s protit from the game was by no means so great as he deserved. He was a kind-hearted, genial man, of a somewhit re'iriag dis­ position, though he could generally ba relied upon to talk freely cancerning the game when he found himself in genial company. Ms. J. C. A n d erso n . The news of the death of Mr. John Corbet Anderson will at once recall to every collector of cricketana the series of fine lithographs of cricketers which was published about fifty or sixty years ago. Mr. Anderson commenced to issue the portraits whilst still quite a very young man, and by so doing earned the gratitude of all interested in the history of the game, for his drawings, which were excellent likenesses, will in many instances prove the only means of posterity obtaining an idea of what many of the chief players during the early Victorian era were like. Mr. Anderson himself stated that he sketched forty- two cricketers, apart from those shown in his large picture of The United Eleven, the original of which, it is believed, goes to one of his sons in Canada. He made many of his drawings at “ The Three Tuns,” in the Barough, where several o f the leading cricketers used to stay whilst playing in London. He used to tell many an interesting story concerning the old players, and was especially fond of recalling “ kind and manly Alfred Mynn.” When he arranged to sketch Mynn, it was decided that the two should meet at 6.30 one evening at “ The Three Tuns.” The appointment was kept on both sides, but Mr. Anderson’s work did not progress very rapidly, for the great man lost no time in iatimating that ha was hungry. Having satisfied himself with two and a-half pounds of beef and a quart of beer he expressed his willingness to proceed with the sitting, but a couple of hours later he agaia felt the pangs of hunger and had a similar meal to that already described, whilst the next morning his breakfast consisted of a pound and a-half of steak and the inevitable quart of beer. Mr. Anderson, who was born at Rothesay, Isle of Bute, on January 17th, 1827, died at 8, Clarenca Road, Croydon, on the 3rd inst., being then within a fortnight of completing his 80th year. He was son of William Anderson, a surgeon ia the Rayal Navy, aud of his wife, Marion Meek Corbet. It was intended that he should study Law, but, showing a taste for Art, he became the favourite pupil of Benjamin Robert Haydon, to whom he often sat as a model. That he progressed well is evident from the fact that, at the age of 16, he was entered by his tutor iu the exhibition of art held iu Westminster Hall in connection with the proposed decoration of the interior of the Houses of Parliament. His contribution, repre­ senting the Plague of London, was very highly spoken of, placed on the line, and