James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1876

2 averages with nineteen to Daft, who was first with an aggregate of 334 in twelve innings. There were then Jackson, 'Wootton, Grundy, and Tin- ley to howl, and Shaw was evidently little required with the ball, as he only delivered 108 overs and took eight wickets at a cost of 135 runs. There was none the less plenty of promise in him at this time, for a review of the Nottingham season considers “ the County fortunate in having developed two promising young hands like Shaw and Oscroft,” and that his deeds were above the average of Colts was proved by the fact that he was offered at the end o f the year an engagement by the Marylcbone Club, a body never slow to annex the services of any professional likely to achieve the first rank. In 1865 he made his debut as aground bowler at Lord’s, and in the first match of the* year, on May 8 , for M.C.C. and Ground against the Knickerbockers, made his mark effectually, howling 253 balls (37 maidens) for 54 runs and 13 wickets, besides getting 30 runs. That he was esteemed of high value, too, at this time by the best judges is evident, as though in the. matches o f the Marvlebone Cluli he was usually sub-officer to Wootton and Grundy, he was selected not only to represent the North against the South at Lord's, but also, in the same year, awarded the highest prize in a professional's career of a place in both matches between the Gentlemen and the Players, though at Lord’s he was only a substitute for Tarrant. At the Oval he took six wickets, besides scoring IK and 8, and that he was more highly rated by Surrey than by Marvlebone is shown by the fact that in 1866 he did not play at Lord's, while at the Oval he was chief scorer with a fine innings o f 70. P>y this time his position had become fairly esta­ blished, and in 1871 he was the rigdit arm of the Marylebone bowlers, with Grundy retired, and Wootton, stiffer and less elastic than of yore. Meanwhile," in 1868 he had crossed the Atlantic as one of the pro­ fessional eleven that visited the United States, and subsequently he was also one o f the first to be asked by Mr. W. G. Grace for the recent Australian trip, though he did not covet the honour, and re­ spectfully declined the offer. In 1868 and 1869 his name is to be found in neither of the matches between the Gentlemen and Players, but in 1870 he participated in both, taking six wickets in the memor­ able innings at the Oval when Mr. W. G. Grace made his great score o f 215 with only one chance when he had scored 209. In 1871 the authorities at the Oval again, and not those at Lord’s, selected him, and lie justified the choice by taking five of the best wickets in the first innings, and scoring 6 and 38. In 1872 lie was not so successful, and the Surrey executive this time gave the preference to Southertou, while at Lord’s lie figured in the match won by the Gentlemen when they made 226 runs in the second innings for the loss of only three wickets. On this occasion he scored 14 and 17 and took two wickets Mr. W. G. Grace, for the Gentlemen, making 77 and 112. Since then he lias figured in all the three matches played annually at Lord’s, the Oval, and Prince’s, and now the best eleven of England would be incomplete without Alfred Shaw. Of late he has reduced bowling b 2