Famous Cricketers No 63 - A.O.Jones

1898 Nottinghamshire won only one county match but lost only two and so finished 8th in the Championship. Arthur Shrewsbury and William Gunn were, by far, the most successful batsmen for the county while William Attewell topped the bowling averages and took the most wickets. Arthur Owen did not have a particularly successful season but was twice invited to play for the Gentlemen. In the Oval match he batted at No. 9 and made 49 not out in 35 minutes, hitting eleven 4’s. In the second innings, he opened the batting with W.G.Grace but was the first wicket to fall. In the Scarborough match, he had the satisfaction of dismissing the young Wilfred Rhodes in each innings. Rhodes burst like a star into county cricket this year and took 154 wickets in his debut season. So impressive were his performances that Wisden immediately chose Wilfred Rhodes as one of its Five Cricketers of the Year. Over the years, he dismissed A.O. more often than any other cricketer and it would be fair to say that Jones did not enjoy a great deal of success when batting against him. In the first match, against Derbyshire, Arthur Owen acquitted himself very well with the ball. He was the 6th bowler used by J.A.Dixon and he bowled 36 overs for 91 runs and took 4 wickets. His victims included S.H.Evershed and W.Storer, the two highest scorers for Derbyshire. At Bristol, Gloucestershire batted for almost two days to record the highest score so far made against Nottinghamshire. W.Troup, C.O.H.Sewell and C.L.Townsend scored centuries and W.G.Grace made over 50. The scoring rate was 2.2 per over. Nine bowlers were used, including William Gunn who took only one championship wicket during the season. Arthur Owen made his team’s highest score and put on 85, the biggest stand, with William Gunn for the 4th wicket. The Nottinghamshire scoring rate was even slower than that of their opponents. In the home match against Sussex, Jones and Shrewsbury put on 126 for the first wicket and Nottinghamshire batted in fine style, well into the second day. This drawn match is typical of the county’s play of the time. They had a handful of good batsmen who could make a large score and make it attractively. Apart from the ageing Attewell, however, they did not have the consistent bowling required to dismiss sides cheaply enough so that matches could be won on a regular basis. This match contained two good signs for the future. In the Sussex first innings, Mr .L.de Montezuma was stumped off the bowling of Jones by T.W.Oates, who took more catches off Arthur Owen’s bowling than anyone else. The opening partnership of their second innings was broken with 6 runs on the board when F.W.Marlow was caught by Jones off the fast medium bowling of Thomas George Wass. This was a combination which brought about 137 dismissals, or nearly a quarter of Arthur Owen’s tally of catches. It also represents over eight percent of the wickets taken by Wass during his career. Jones had a successful match with the ball, taking 6 wickets altogether. The solitary county win was the home match against Kent. The visitors batted first and were all out for 136, Wass and Attewell taking 9 wickets between them. Notts gained a first innings lead of 7 runs, thanks mainly to Arthur Owen’s spirited 60. William Gunn was next highest scorer with 22. Attewell took half the wickets in the next innings, his 5th wicket being that of the opener Alec Hearne, who was last out for a faultless 117. Set 221, Shrewsbury and Jones put on 121 for the first wicket, enabling the home side to win by 3 wickets. In the away match with Derbyshire, Arthur Owen had a second wicket stand of 129 with William Gunn, Shrewsbury being out for 4. In the second innings, Shrewsbury had a second wicket stand of 157 with Gunn, Jones having been dismissed for 7. At the Oval, Nottinghamshire were required to follow on, being 172 runs behind on the first innings. Arthur Owen and William Gunn put on 86 for the second wicket, but the third batsman was out with the score on 108 and defeat seemed likely. Gunn batted steadily for an unbeaten 236, putting on 128 with F.H.Guttridge for the fourth wicket. The latter made 79, his highest score for Nottinghamshire. 22