Cricket 1907

290 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J uly 25, 1907. At Beeohworth, when the Eleven had gone home, I played better than I had done all through. Various little sick­ nesses aided by recklessness, a bad hand, a bad foot, an accident breaking the sheath of one of the muscles of my right elbow so that I could not throw at all, and a continual dimness of sight were sufficient to push me back.” The visit marks an important point in his career, for when he set out he was the greatest player in the world, but soon after his return he found himself surpassed by “ W .G .” In addition to being a fast and heavy scorer, whose methods were delightfully unorthodox, ‘ E . M . ” was a wonderful field at point and a very successful bowler, both round-armed and with lobs. In the field he stood very close to the batsman, his quickness of eye and hand combining in causing him to bring off many and many a catch which would have been impossible to almost everyore else. He was, too, very active on his feet, and always fully alive to every turn in the game. In small matches his doings have been extraordinary even for him. On about a dozen occasions he has gone in first, carried his bat through the innings, and afterwards taken all the wickets of his opponents. In 1872 his average for Thornbury was as high as 142, whilst four years later he played a not out innings of 327 for the club in a half-day match against Chewton Keyn- sham. In all kinds of cricket during his career he had, to the end of last season, scored 76,449 runs and taken 11,747 wickets. If “ E.M .” had been able to devote his whole time and thought to the game his success would have been even greater than it was. Just about the time when he was at his best, however, his medical work kept him a good deal out of the field, but ■did not prevent him from regularly scoring over a thousand runs and taking more than a hundred wickets : in 1863 his aggregates were 3,074 and 339 respectively, and “ W.G.’s ” 589 and 56. Tiiis latter fact is mentioned simply to show how great an advance the latter must have made in order to have sur­ passed his brother in skill two seasons later. Until he was almost thirty years of age, E. M. Grace’s cricket was restricted largely to minor games, but the few occasions upon which he appeared in great matches—for the Gentlemen, England, Gentlemen of South, etc.—he performed very well, his best innings being perhaps his 73 in the North and South match at Lord’s in 1863, his 78 for England v. Surrey, at the Oval in 1864, and his 71 for the Gentlemen against the Players three years later. Some of his large innings about this period were, of course, made against men to whom his unorthodoxy would not commend itself, and doubtless “ E. M .” at times would find a candid friend among the opposing bowlers who would have no hesitation in telling him what he thought of his methods. But such criticism would have amused “ The Little P octor’’ and served but to make hijn hit the harder. Upon the formation of the Gloucestershire County O.O. he was able to play more frequently iu great matches, and for over twenty years he proved one of the most valuable members of the side. Hig frequent participation in good-class club cricket had served to keep him in good condition, and it speaks as much for his physique as for his skill that in 1880—nineteen years after his great performance at Canter­ bury—he was chosen, strictly on his merits, to open the England innings with his brother “ W .G.,” in the first Test match ever played in this country against Australia. Together, they made 91 for the first wicket, thereby laying the founda­ tion of England’s large total of 420 and ultimate success by five wickets. Then, indeed, might it have been asked : “ Who hath not owned with rapture smitten frame The Power of Grace, the magic of a name ? ” Of Dr. E. M. Grace, as is but natural, many interesting stories—stories, per­ haps, in more senses than one—are told. It has been whispered that, when he was in his prime, no umpire within twenty miles of Bristol dared to give him out upon appeal. On one occasion, however, the umpire, seeing that it was a very clear case of l.b.w., gave the great man out, and, upon being at once assailed by a stentorian “ What! ! ? ” from the bats­ man, hurriedly exclaimed to the aston­ ished field, “ Not out. ‘ Little Doctor ’ knows best! ” And “ E. M .” hit for the rest of the afternoon. In another match the Doctor is said to have retired under the impression that he was bowled. Upon reaching the Pavilion, however, he learnt that the ball had rebounded upon the stumps from the wicket-keeper’s pads. “ E. M .” was scarcely the man to forego his innings whilst the slightest possibility of continuing it remained. But it so chanced that the wicket he had left was the one furthest away, and in leaving it he had got out of his ground, which would, of course, not have been the case had he been at the nearer wicket at the time of his retirement. The question was, “ What can be done in the circum­ stances?” “ E .M .” knew that if he walked out of the Pavilion on to the field and claimed the right of continuing his innings, the fieldsmen would probably put the wicket down before he could reach it. Therefore—always according to the story—he went out of the Pavilion by the back door, put his bat between his teeth, and crawled round the ground behind the spectators until he had made good his ground, and then triumphantly strode to the wickets, convinced the fieldsmen that he had not really been bowled, and stayed in until he had made another 150 or so. Oae of his most amus­ ing experiences occurred in September, 1864, in a match at Hanham between Hanham and Bitton. “ W.G.” was play­ ing for the former side and “ E.M .” for the latter, the rivalry between the two teams being consequently very keen. It was a low-scoring match, and Bitton were set only ten runs to win. “ E. M.” promised to finish the match the first over, if not the first ball, and went gaily to the wicket to finish the match. Sad to say. the very first ball shot and took his off-stump, and “ E.M .” was able to save his reputation only by pointing out the particular blade of grass which caused the ball to shoot. “ W.G.” was in fine bowling form that day, and it was largely due to him that Bitton were put out for six runs and beaten by three. The full score of the match is given by Mr. Hay­ garth in Scores and Biographies (viii., 525), whilst a very amusing account of it can be seen in Mr. W. Methven Brownlee’s biography of “ W .G.” Dr. i£. M. Graca is such a capital raconteur that it is much to be regretted that he has never been induced to give his reminiscences to the world. Tbere is, however, still time for the matter to be remedied. In bis early days he played with or against such men as Willsher, Jackson, Tarrant, Wootton, Parr, and Csesar, and kept up the game long enough to meet Lohmann, Richardson, Jessop, and others. A cricketer who has had such a long and eventful career should have a very interesting story to tell, and as he can write as ably as he can talk there would be no anxiety as to the financial side of the venture. UPPER GATTON PARK, y GENTLEMEN O SURREY. — Played at Upper Gatton Park on July 15. G entlemen of S urrey . E. Dewhurst, b Craw­ ford ........................10 G. Harding, b Craw­ ford ........................ 6 Hon. S. R. Beresford, c Ransome,l>Crawford 5 H. C. Greenfield, c & b S. Colman ......... 20 S. E. Snell, c Lincoln, b Jephson................. 0 Rev. E. J. M. Godfrey, Total b S. Colman ........ Rev. Scott,b Crawford 0 C. V. Staples, c Craw­ ford, b Jephson ... 18 F. Kahlenberg, c Ran- some, b S. Colman.. 19 J. Colman, notout ... 14 E. Gatwick, c and b Jephson ................. 0 Byes ................. 4 ...104 U pper G atton P ark . S. Colman, c Staples, c Kahlenberg..........85 P. Charlton,st Staples, b Gatwick ..........74 R.T.Crawford, c Green­ field, b Kahlenberg.. 1 M. B. Elderton, b Kahlenberg .......... 1 C. H. Ransome, b Kah­ lenberg ................. 9 E. H. Fischer, b Green­ field ....................... 9 P. P. Lincoln, c Scott, b Kahlenberg......... 1 F. G. Colman, c Kah­ lenberg, b Colman.. 22 H. T. Bull, not out ... 36 D. L. A. Jephson, Kahlenberg ... N. C. D. Colman, Kahlenberg ... B 4, lb 2, w 2 16 Total ...263 MR. G. F. BIRD’S XI. v. ARTISTS.—Played at West Wickham on July 20. M r . G. F. B ird ’ s XI. E. L. Mellin, b Swin­ stead .......................9 W. G. Mills, b Nordon 29 E. L. Robinson, b Swinstead .......... 8 F. E. Mann, b Nordon 41 G F. Bird, b Nordon 0 T. Murphy, c Swin­ stead, b Nordon ... 1 W. C. King, b Swin­ stead ........................ 2 K. E. Woollen, b Ap- pleyard .................29 J. Rolt, b Swinstead 16 G. W. Bird, not out... 10 C. E. Deacon, b Swin­ stead ........................ l B 17, lb 2 ..........19 Total ..165 A rtists . G. Hillyard Swin­ stead, b Mellin ... 7 F. M. Farmiloe, c Mel­ lin, b Rolt ...... 49 Dudley Forsyth, b G. B ir d ......................... 2 F. E. F. Crisp, c Mills, b Bird .............. 12 C. L. Nordon,b Mills 20 G. Spencer Watson, b M ills......................... 4 F. Appleyard, st, b B ir d ........................ 5 Col. Hannick, b Bird 6 A. Wyan, c Deacon, b R o lt ........................ 2 F. M. Taubman, not out ........................ 0 Alfred Hayward, b B ird ........................ 0 B 11, lb 3 ..........14 Total ...12