James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

2 9 and a rank and file that numbered such stiff reserves as Pinder , Hill , Clayton , West, Ulyett, and the occasional changes that were rung in the selection of theeleventh man. Then Lancashire , too, showed a bold front , though in for- saking its usual principle of adhering closely to the Palatinate , it ventured to go far a field , and in one case discovered another trace of its old weakness -the unreliability of amateurs in out matches . It certainly beat Surrey twice , but onboth occasions Surrey had the worst of the ground, and on each Lancashire hadthe best of the luck. Kent defeated it, moreover, at Gravesend, and Yorkshire was twice the conqueror , so that in fact the county hardly fulfilled its promise of 1872. But after all it was only true to its ancient traditions , andit fluctuated muchas usual during the course of 1873. Thepen slips almost as it comes to the question of recapitulating the evi- denceonbehalf of the South. Last year there was a visible invigoration in thesystem of the Southern Counties , and Sussex , and Surrey, were both jubilant , the only unsuccessful candidate being the once invincible shire of Kent, of late , very muchin the position of the house that was divided against itself . Look at Surrey and Sussex this last year, and notice howsignally the prophesies of good judges have been nullified . It may be that both have been especially cursed with the ill luck that usually attends the weak; but there is still the fact that the two counties , as well as Kent, despite its three victories , are still in a bad way, far removed from the effectual reinstatement that seemed likely at the end of 1872. Truly , Surrey is an ill -fated county just now, under the baneful influence of some evil star . A year ago and the county had reason to be proud of a goodly array of amateurs, past , present , and future , and everything seemed full of hope . There was , too , a satisfaction in the possession of a Captain like Mr. Strachan , the very man that Surrey needed to command, such a m a nas Surrey had not knownsince the days of Miller . But after all there was still the same want of professionals to fill the place of the old order that had just become extinct , and the want was severely felt , as events proved , before the season had come to an end. Amateurs failed both in point of cricket and in cohesion , so that the county suffered as other counties , similarly placed , have suffered before . Other circumstances , too , tended to aggravate the score , and a doleful season was the result . Nothing need be said here of the events that transpired to necessitate the dismissal of Pooleyfrom the Eleven ; but the fact remains the same, that Surrey, dispirited b yfrequent defeats , was not at all stimulated by the further misfortune that cameto it in the loss of the first wicket -keeper in the kingdom, as well as a batsmanof the most resolute character . Surrey played fifteen matches and w o nthree . The summarymaybe worth of repetition , if only to show the necessity of active exertions on the part of the executive in the future . With Surrey is closely associated the welfare of county cricket , and county cricket is , after all , the mainspring of the game. A n dif the page be turned over to Sussex, there is little to inspire well wisherswithconfidence. F e wwill assert that Sussexwasnotthe victim of mis- fortune in as great or even greater degree than Surrey. It was hard enough to have to part with one of its own kin , the first slow bowler of the day, and to see himarranged in opposition to the shire of his birth . That was a hard- ship , sufficient one would have thought , but the blow was still more severe to see those whomno outside influence could annex prostrate when their help was most wanted , as was Charlwood , and Walter Humphreys , to the latter of w h o mthe county was looking forward as a valuable help in the future . Sussex