James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

2 8 whenall hope is apparently gone. Yorkshire is looking up, surely , if you can gather just impressions from the signs of the times , and the fact should serve as a stimulant to others who are temporarily under a cloud. Andwhat cloud was there to cast a shade over the doings of that County of Gloucester , of which those three Graces are the ruling spirits ? Not a sign of a cloud , even of the size of a man's hand. Whatshameful waste , some are bold enough to assert , of fine material in a remote part of the country . Notwith the Graces , for they are seen often enough, possibly too often by some of the professionals whohave to try and look pleasant under the rays of a broiling sun , while the champion keeps hitting away, playing " tip and run " with bowling that effec- tually " sticks up " such renowned practitioners as Hornby and Yardly . Look at Townsend , and regard the sight of one of the very best batsmen in England comparatively obscured in the dim light of a western watering place . H o w Surrey, or Sussex , or Kent would gloat over such an arrival in their ranks , and howa certain county would only too surely prove his indubitable right to play for Middlesex on grounds that wouldbe unimpeachable . Thenlook at the others and marvel at the luck for there is luck -of a county that cannot produce a professional while it has such an array of amateurs as E. M. Grace, W. G. Grace, G. F. Grace , F. Townsend, E. M. Knapp, C. R. Filgate , J. Halford , R. F. Miles , T. G. Matthews, J. A. Bush, and T. W. Lang, some of them alone on the top round of the ladder , and all of them dangerous at any time . Gloucestershire , the champion of the counties ! Glance at the statistics and dispute the statement . W h o, at least , can display better credentials on public form ? Hardly Notts , for the brilliance of that shire was muchdimmed by the third match with Yorkshire , and the batting of Notts once or twice showed incipient weakness . W h oelse then besides Notts ? None, surely , for Gloucestershire twice beat Yorkshire , twice Surrey, and twice Sussex , and Middlesex would have required bowling of a very muchhigher order than that of Mr. Rutter, Howitt, Hearne, Mr. Brune, and the brothers Walker, ever to have had a ghost of a chance against the marvellous strength of Gloucestershire with the bat. Notts comes second , as a matter of course , and few would have missed such a treat as a matchbetween Nottingham and Gloucester , had not a misunderstanding arisen during the winter to form, what looks like , a per- manent division between the two crack counties . It is an open question whether Notts is quite so strong as it was. Hardly so strong with the bat, I think , whatever maybe the comparative successes with the ball . Daft cannot last for ever, and Bignall does not decrease in bulk. Wild was not up to his form of 1872, and Selby was of little use at all with the bat, however valuable in the field . Oscroft once or twice played , as he only can whenin form, but the rest did little , as Martin M'Intyre came off rarely , and Alfred Shaw, Bid- dulph , Morley , J. C. Shaw, the other stock assistants are only uncertain at their best. On the other hand, Yorkshire to use the formula of the commercial bulletins , has " an upward tendency ." Rowbotham showed , beyond a doubt , that hehad lost not a whit of his famous off hit, and Lockwood, although seriously il at one part of the season , generally got runs . Emmett, too , came out as one of the best batsmen in the Eleven , and madescores that would have done credit to players more gifted in style , while AndrewGreenwood suddenly transformed himself from a free hitter into a fine steady bat, safe always for runs, and A. F. Smith displayed a marked improvement , proving himself possessed of splendid hitting powers , as well as plenty of defence . So Yorkshire got on smoothly enough towards the end of the campaign with this stout body guard,