PART I. CHAPTER WILLIAM GILBERT GRACE. B y th e E d ito r . T he history of W. G. Grace has been written times beyond number. His feats each succeeding year, since he first appeared in London in 1864, have been the fruitful theme of every scribe claiming to occupy the humblest position among the historians of the game. Every innings, small or great, that he has played for years has been scrupulously recorded for the benefit of posterity. Details the most minute, as well as the most insig­ nificant, have been collected by his many admirers, and nothing has been omitted that could make the cricket world thoroughly conversant with the internal affairs, as well as the public character, of the greatest cricketer of this or any age. The greatest cricketer of this or any other age ! These are brave words, but no one will be bold enough to dispute his right to tha title. Mr. W. G. Grace was bora a cricketer. Hereditary associations confirmed his innate fancy, and nothing in the way of precept or example was wanting to encourage a passion for the game. His father was as keen a sportsman as ever handled a bat or followed the hounds, himself one of the best all round cricketers of his day in the West of England. His mother’s wonderful enthusiasm for the game is well known, and on her side there was nothing likely to check his inclination for the cricket-field. His most successful tutor, in fact his guide, philosopher, and friend over the rough roads of early cricket was his uncle, Air. Alfred Pocock, whose name will be found prominent in the Western matches of the period, and who was, perhaps, as shrewd a judge of cricket as any one of his time. In the orchard attached to his father’s house at Downend, a village just beyond the outskirts of Bristol, W. G. Grace had at least, as I know well, a good pitch to favour his early practice. One of his elder brothers, E. M. Grace (the doctor), had already gained a world-wide reputation as a batsman, second to none in point of resolute hitting and fast scoring, and as one of the very best fieldsmen, especially at point, when Gilbert first emerged from the obscurity of village cricket. Mr. W. G. Grace was not very advanced in years when he made his d£bfit in public. In fact I question whether any cricketer has ever entered the cricket-field to take any important part at such an early age. On July 9, 1857, when only nine years old , his name appears for West Gloucestershire against Bedminster, at Bodway Hill, Mangotsfield; and on that occasion he carried out his bat for three runs. His next appearance was one rather eventful for the Grace family, and considering that he was only twelve years of age at the time his share of the performance was re­ markable. The contest in question was between West Gloucestersinre and Clifton, and for the former he scored 51 runs against the by no means despicable bowling of Messrs. Iiousiu, A. M. Jones, Daubeny, Belcher, Ilomfray, and Greening. I have said that the match was singularly event­ ful for the Grace family, and so it was, as you can guess when I state that E. M. Grace made 150 runs, and the eldest brother, H. M. Grace, got every 2