Famous Cricketers No 67 - Ivo Bligh

XVIII of North Kent v United South of England at Gravesend and scored 35, against the bowling of Southerton, Lillywhite, W.G. and G.F.Grace. The following summer Ivo Bligh obtained a place in the Eton team. He finished fourth in the batting table, but it was noted “Does not always play quite straight.” This was certainly cured in 1877. Lillywhite’s Annual describes him that season: “... plays in a very brilliant and effective style, making runs very rapidly in all parts of the field; his cutting is the best feature of his play; a first rate longstop, with neat return.” Bligh came second to H.E.Whitfeld in the batting averages. His debut for Kent in first-class cricket followed in the August after leaving Eton. Opening the batting for Kent on a pitch which was variously described as “fast and bumping”, “hard, lively” and “played badly”, Bligh must have done well to make 15, batting against William McIntyre and Alex Watson. Going up to Trinity College, Cambridge, he naturally had a trial in the Freshman’s match and made 70 in his only innings. Such was the strength of the Cambridge side, however, that this innings did not ensure a place in the Cambridge Eleven for the match, a week later, against An England Eleven. Two days after this game ended Bligh was included in the Next Fifteen v Cambridge First XI. The Next Fifteen were dismissed for 96 of which Bligh made 25 - Charles Pigg, with 11, was the only other batsman to reach double figures. A.G.Steel, who dominated cricket that summer, dismissed Bligh and took seven for 26. It will be recalled that Steel took 164 wickets at 9.43 in 1878, which was his first full season in top class cricket - as it turned out it was the best he ever did. As a result of this innings Bligh pushed Herbert Pigg out of the Cambridge side for the match against MCC at Fenner’s and went on to play in all the subsequent Cambridge matches, including the game against Oxford at Lord’s. W.J.Ford in his A History of Cambridge University Cricket Club published in 1902 considers the Cambridge Eleven of 1878 as the best ever to represent the University. He says that the statistics should speak for themselves. Cambridge played eight matches and won all eight, four of them by an innings, and another by ten wickets. Looking at contemporary accounts, The Cricket and Football Times describes the 1878 University Match as “dull as ditch-water” and attributes the Cambridge win over the Australians to the fact that the tourists were stale and fielded badly. Lillywhite’s Annual for 1879 describes Ivo Bligh in the pen pictures for Cambridge of 1878 as: “... improved very much during last season; a very dangerous bat, having plenty of reach, and playing very hard on the ball, can hit well when set; a fine field”. The point regarding his ‘reach’ is that he was 6ft 4ins in height. After the University term, Bligh joined the Kent side, which was having one of its better years. Lillywhite’s Annual made the comment “Last year the Eleven, especially towards the end of the season, proved themselves to be almost equal to the strong Northern shires, and at Canterbury the cricket all round was brilliant enough to please the most fastidious critic.” This was the period during which Bligh played. Averaging 44.00 for Cambridge in 1879, Bligh earned the following notes in Lillywhite’s Annual covering that year: “... played splendidly for his University, as his average shows; has almost the best ‘cut’ in England, and has got much more patience than in 1878; good field and unfailing catch.” As in 1878, he joined the Kent side when he came down from Cambridge, but was not particularly successful in county matches. In 1880 he was one of only two players to complete 1,000 runs in the season and finished fifth in the first-class batting table. He was Secretary to the Cambridge University Cricket Club that summer. His innings of 59 in the University match at Lord’s was the highest of any of the participants. He opened the innings and was the sixth wicket to fall. Wisden noted: “his innings was made without a chance and for the most part a display of good defence and powerful hitting.” Cambridge had won all three University matches whilst Bligh was in residence, thus far. His best innings for Kent in 1880 was his 69 not out against England during the Canterbury Festival - this innings of “unwearied defence” won the game for the County. 4