19 Middlesex), G. F. Grace, Townsend, Gilbert, and Moberley (of Gloucester­ shire), Ridley (of Hampshire), Read (of Surrey), Greenfield (of Sussex), Hornby (of Lancashire), and Lord Harris and Yardley (of Kent), all played uj) to the best standard, and Messrs. Read and Moberley were certainly the two best amateurs new to county fame. Among the bowlers, Messrs. W. G. Grace, G. F. Grace, Ridloy (Hants), Henderson, and Francis (Middle­ sex), A. Smith (Sussex), Appleby (Lancashire), Foord-Kelcey (Kent), were tlio most successful. The University match failod to bring into notico any very promising bowler to recruit the Gentlemen, as Mr. W. S. Patterson, of Cambridge, who was, perhaps, the best on cither side, was not up to tho form of previous years. Messrs. Henderson and Arthur Smith, who lias followed the prevalent fashion, and transformed himself from a fast left- hand bowler to a slow bowlor without a long-stop, bowled for their respec­ tive counties with great success, and as the latter is young and uses his head ho bids fair to be one of the most useful bowlers among the amateurs. Daft was beyond all doubt the best professional batsman of the year ; and, indeed, considering tho poor show ho made in the two previous seasons, his performances were most surprising. His finest innings was 99 for Notts against Middlesex, and his average for that county was the best made by a professional during the season. TIis two innings for tho Players against Fne Gentlemen at the Oval wore the feature of that match, beyond all doubt. * Lockwood, though he did little for his county, and was only fifth in the Yorkshire averages, in live innings for the North against tho South scored 311 runs, and thoro were few better displays than his 108 not-out for tho North v. South, and his 7S for Yorkshire v. Surrey on a queer wicket at tho Oval. Even among tho old hands no one but Daft could make a finer show than Arthur Shrewsbury, of Notts, a young cricketer who in three years lias gained a foremost place among the batsmen of tho day. His highest score was 118 for Notts against Yorkshire, and ho was remarkable for effectiveness as well as neatness of style. Japp showed splendid defence at times, and twice carried his bat through an innings—for Surrey at Sheffield against Yorkshire, when ho made 37 out of 71; and at tho Oval against Kent, in which match he was live hours and twenty minutes at the wickets for 73. Oharlwood, of Sussex, scored largely against weak bowling; and Oscroft, though at times he played in his old commanding form, was by no means certain. Of the young professionals, Myers (of Yorkshire), Hearno (of Kent), and Burghes (of Middlesex) were perhaps the best, but generally the pro­ fessional batting of the year was by no moans up to the mark. In bowling, Alfred Shaw was tho hero of the yoar. His deliveries were throughout con. sistcntly successful, and for Notts alone his average during a hard season was just over cloven runs for every w icket Morley came with a wonderful rush at the end of August, when tho grounds were sodden with rain, .but during the year generally he was unsuccessful. Hill, of Yorkshire, was certainly tho best and most reliable fast bowler of the day. His averago for Yorkshire shows 55 wickets for 574 runs, and one feat of his was among the most I'emarkablo events of tho season, as lie clean bowled fivo wickets of Lancashire in six overs for only three runs. Sonthorton (Surrey) and James Lilly white (Sussex) both bowled with precision on wickets generally not favourable to slow bowlers, while Mycroft of Derbyshire was in splendid form, and his bowling at Southampton against Hants, when he got all ten wicket s (eight clean bowled, one caught, aud one caught by him from Hay’s bowling) for twenty-four runs, was one of the sensations of the season.