Famous Cricketers No 63 - A.O.Jones

His only century, which contained 14 fours, was made in the home defeat against Surrey. The visitors had a first innings lead of 49, mainly due to Tom Hayward who carried his bat for 144, the first of his four consecutive centuries. Wass bowled only a few overs, sustaining a strain which caused him to miss the next few matches. Batting again, Jones and George Gunn put on 176 at almost a run a minute for the second wicket. Notts used seven bowlers, including George Gunn who took a wicket, but they were unable to prevent a Surrey victory. In the drawn home match with Essex, Notts enjoyed a first innings lead of 100 due to at least half a dozen dropped catches. John Gunn was top scorer and took 7 wickets. Iremonger had batted with no success at number 5 in the first innings. In the second, he opened with Jones, who hit 10 fours, and the two of them put on 150 in 95 minutes. This was their 19th century opening partnership and equalled the record set by J.T.Brown and J.Tunnicliffe. Arthur Owen declared and set the opposition 405 runs to win in four and a half hours. Essex made no attempt to chase this total and the bowlers were unable to take all ten wickets before the end of play. Nottinghamshire won a closely contested match at Lord’s against Middlesex. On a fast wicket, 20 wickets fell on the first day for 322 runs. The best partnership was 62 in 40 minutes by Jones and Iremonger. Both first innings were completed and Notts were 17 without loss in their second. Resuming on the second day, Jones and Iremonger put on 141 for the first wicket in 80 minutes. Arthur Owen was eventually out for an attractive 89, made in 105 minutes and containing 14 fours. This was his highest score at Lord’s. He set Middlesex 399 to win and they were 107 for 1 wicket at stumps. On the Wednesday, the home team put up a great fight. Hallam and the other bowlers ensured victory before the close. He bowled 58 overs, 21 of them maidens, conceded 96 runs and took 5 wickets. On a fiery wicket at the Aylestone Road Ground, Nottinghamshire won by ten wickets having tied the first innings totals. John Gunn and Hallam bowled unchanged in the second innings. Jones and Iremonger put on 117 runs to win the match without being parted. They took a little over an hour to make the runs. A.O. batted with superb freedom to record the highest score of the match. He gave a thrilling display of batting and hit 10 fours. The drawn home game against Yorkshire produced exciting cricket, with 7 scores of over 50 and several batting collapses. Yorkshire got off to a fine start and Notts were 4 wickets down for 76 runs when John Gunn and Jones put on 141, bringing them within range of the visitors’ total. Arthur Owen’s innings was a bright display of cricket in the midst of a grim struggle. He hit 10 fours and stayed at the wicket for 2 hours. In the return match, Nottinghamshire recorded their first win against Yorkshire since 1896. The fact that it was achieved in Yorkshire, in two days and was the host’s first defeat of the season made it all the more remarkable. The pitch had been watered too close to the start of play, enabling Hirst to dismiss Jones first ball and George Gunn and Iremonger within the first 7. The last 6 Notts wickets fell for 12 runs. The home side also struggled. The wicket was affected by over-night rain, but Jones and Iremonger put on 79 for the first wicket. Arthur Owen batted in grand style, in very difficult circumstances. His score was the turning point of the match, being twice that of any other batsman. Yorkshire were set 94 to win but Wass and Hallam, ensured victory. On his remaining 14 visits to the middle, Arthur Owen passed 50 seven times. In the home win against Gloucestershire, Iremonger and he had opening partnerships of 70 and 68. Jones gave a sparkling display of cricket during his 40 minute stay at the wicket in the second innings. When playing Sussex at Trent Bridge, Notts had to follow on with a first innings deficit of 221. Batting again, Jones and Iremonger put on 129 in 110 minutes. The match against Surrey at The Oval was always likely to end in a draw. The first two innings were not completed until the end of the second day. Nottinghamshire got off to a good start, Jones and Iremonger put on 89 runs in 75 minutes. Surrey lost their first 3 wickets for 52 runs but F.C.Holland made a century and 224 was put on for the next two wickets. On the Wednesday, Jones and Iremonger were missed off the first two balls delivered. They proceeded to make 116 runs together in 80 53