8 0 pl iy him fni better than professionals. In fact, on certain slates of the ground >e can bo hit, and this Mr. Hornby freely demonstrates whenever the opportunity is given him. A* sin, at Canterbury he was useless against batsmen like Lord Harris »d Mr. Yardlev. Still there is something, either in his delivorv or in the !«'Mg when \ on wait for the ball, that sooner or later discomfits a professional • i'*von. Yni'kshirotnctt have played and played to him until one would think hat Ihey knew every dodge that he could bring into practice; but still tho wickets fall, and the Gloucestershire long scoring is not handicapped, as it ought to be, by the possession of a minimum quantity of bowling. Nottingham cannot bo said to bo much better in this respect, considering that Daft and Oscroft put up 200 runs for one wicket, and yet tho remaining batsmen allowed a rot to set in and failed to save the match. It appears to us that ( ’ioueestershire would have had more drawn matches last season if amoigty of the matches had been against other amateur elevens. The second match with Sussex and Mr. Greenfield’s long scoring proved this. First and last, however, Gloucestershire was just as much champion county last season asnmlertho present system it is possible to be, and they no therefore justified in following the cxamplo of Surrey, Notts, Sussex, and Kent in other years, and meeting the strength of England, as we under, stand they intend to do, on the Oval during next season. First as it was to have introduced cricket, Hampshire still keeps up its county club, and can bring a strong amateur element into the field, amongst whom may be mentioned the names of Mr. Ridley, Mr. Longman, and tho captain, Mr. C. Booth. When these latter play no eleven can expect to win without a hard struggle ; and woe betide the poor professionals who cannot play slow underhand when they have to meet the hard-working Mr. Kidley. Mr. Booth’s tall scoring last season is the more worthy of comment, us it is at least twelve years since he captained the Cambridge eleven, and he appears now to be as good as over, and to havo the same aafe pair of hands that made him one of tho surest catches that wo ever saw. Derbyshire relies very mach upon her two bowlers—Mvcroft and Platts, \ majority of her batsmen being better suited when playing against amateur howling than that of Shaw and Morley. IL P. Smith, however, occasionally Mays a brilliant innings, and, on the whole, this young county gets along fairly well. The committee should sco to tho batting instruction of pro­ mising players, whilst we hope to hear soon of some future Mycroft who is astonish his opponents. The Derbyshire crack bowler is now permanently on the staff at Lord’s, and very valuable ho is found to be. Little or no advance appears to have been made by Leicestershire since last ♦*ur, but tho truth is, a county cloven cannot bo made up until the county t Iub has grown a few years old, unless it happens that special talent is at hand to begin with. Tho most remarkable cricket played in county matches lias been in Mr. W. G. Graces’s two monster scores against Nottingham and Yorkshire, l oth obtained in Gloucestershire; Mr. Ottaway’s famous batting perform- ,nee against Nottingham at Prince’s; Lord Harris’s long innings against the LC.C. at Canterbury, and his generally determined batting in conntv natch oh , which will, when examined, tell of sound cricket played when runs f re most required ; Mr. I. D. Walker’s 90 against Yorkshire at Rhofflold ; d Mr. Hornby’s success for Lancashire, and Mr. Bead’s brilliant batting *»r Surrey. Mr. W. II. JIadow also must not be forgotten as a reliable hut "man when playing for his county; * * »