James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

2 3 "shooters on the leg stump." I hadthe misfortune to dream it was a wet day andthat I missed a catch at mid-off , whenthe ball was in m ymouth; but then I hadput away two Welch rarebits at the last moment, and this perhaps accounts for the fact that I dreamt the " Amaphrodites " were all got rid of for a run apiece . Such practising as was kept up in the long summerevenings on the Green, I leave the reader to judge. Our worthy Parson, the old Squire ,the youngladies from the Grange, and the large farmers , used to collect of an evening , and encourage us to do our best , and I maysay there was not a manin the G. C. C. Eleven, whowould rather have died then and there , than not stand up to the bowling of the " Amaphrodites ," even had they brought Howitt, M'Intyre , or E m m e t t . A n dnowfor our Eleven . First and foremost was the Parson, he was our captain . The sere and yellow was beginning to show, and but few of his old Rugby compeers would have recognised in him the man who made 78 , not out , against Marlborough , and won the match for his school the year he played in the eleven ; the two Fontenoys-all I need say for them is, that they both hoped to "get their flannels " next season ; Cuttles , the landlord of the Chequers ; Billy the Slogger ; Halliday , the sporting butcher ; a left -hand player , Mr. James Barlow , who brewed the beer we drank in Gumbleton , and brewed it of malt and hops. He always went in first , remained as a rule for an hour, never movedhis bat from the crease , generally broke the bowler's heart , and eventually succumbed to l. b. w. T o mHumphreys, better known as " Sporting T o m," a manwho seemed to do nothing in summer, and yet always have plenty to spend , but who would work very hard in the winter at trying to break his neck on three and four -year -old colts , by sitting down, hardening his heart , and catching hold of the bridle , as he rammed them into a ditch as big as a grave , or rolled them over a " stake and bound" to teach them whatthey were bred for , he said . The schoolmaster of Gumbleton, and three or four well-to-do farmers , madeup our team. Themorning of the 28th dawned upon us at last . The awful day had come, and Gumbleton was to stand before the world and prove whether they knew anything about cricket . Of course we (the eleven , I mean) all went to bed at nine o'clock , in fact , I rather imagine we had been in a sort of training for some three or four days before , but, curious enough to relate , although we agreed amongst ourselves that none of us would get up before eight , I do not think there was a man who was not on GumbletonGreen at six o'clock that morning. Yes, there we were , helping to choose the wicket , stamping every little inequality down, pulling up fancied obstacles from the short green turf , dragging the roller , anddrawing the mowingmachine about until breakfast time . Then Cuttles and his myrmidons took possession of the Green the booths went up like magic , the scoring -tent, the dressing -tent , &c. the creases stood out as white as snow, thewickets were pitched , and everything was ready for the fray by ten o'clock . Well, to makem ystory short , the Amaphrodites turned up at the appointed hour (a thing , I m a ymention, they are not often knownto do), and, more wonderful still , they brought eleven men-atleast , eleven men turned out to field in the gorgeous uniform of the Amaphrodites -yellow , green , and scarlet . I a msorry to say the little boys in Gumbleton cheered whenthey saw their coats , others thought they had been specially manufactured for the benefit of the Gumbletonians , whilst some few whispered it was part of a circus . W ewon the toss and went in, as usual , our Captain and Mr. Barlow to the