James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1878

1 6 phase, and the second with Yorkshire was unfinished greatly in Surrey’s favour. The revival o f Surrey in xS77» one the most noticeable, as it was one of the most gratifying features of the year s cricket, and now that the amateurs, with Mr. George Strachan, one ol the ablest captains of the day, at their head, have identified themselves actively with the county, the Surrey eleven should show a bold front. A fast bowler who could bat a little, would be a great acquisition, but strong batting and excellent fielding in support of moderate bowling will do much, and it was this combination that produced Surrey’s successes. K en t also had a programme of twelve matches, with the encouraging pro­ portion of seven won, to four lost, and one drawn. J he: one game unfinished was with Surrey at the Oval, without a shadow o f an argument to favour either county, and of the four defeats, though in the home matches with .Notts and Surrey the Kentish Eleven were roughly used, K en t was unfortunate in having in the former to have to meet Alfred Shaw ’s bowling on one 01 the two occasions on which he was able to play, and the two defeats by Derby­ shire were onlv by one wicket and three wickets, Sussex, Lancashire, <md Hampshire each twice received a severe drubbing from K en t , and the seventh win was an easy one over Notts, at Nottingham, by an innings and twelve runs in the last match of the year. Mr. Penn’s fine batting, in conjunction with Lord Harris’s management, and the very successful bowling o f young George Hearne, contributed chiefly to the triumphs o f K en t , and a little improvement in the fielding of the team would still further strengthen it. Lancashire, with all its forces at command, could have mustered a very formidable eleven in 1877, and its summary, though o f ten matches six were won and four lost, was successful. K en t had the good fortune to beat the Lancastrians twice, the first time by five wickets, the second with only one wicket in hand, and of the two remaining games lost, that at Derby, with a weak Lancashire eleven, was by thirty-four runs, that at Nottingham by forty- five runs. O f the four defeats none was at all decisive, but, on the other hand, of the six wins five at least were gained with a considerable majority, and the only one that was at all close was the return with Yorkshire at Manchester, when the Yorkshiremen were only beaten by thirty-five runs. W ith William McIntyre, Watson, and Messrs. Appleby and Patterson to bowl, and Messrs. Hornby, the two Steels, Royle, Kershaw, and Chadwick to bat, Mr. Jackson or Pilling to take the wicket, Lancashire lias a strong eleven, and one that would take some beating. Notts in the early part of June succeeded in winning a few matches, and, with the one exception o f Canterbury, where K en t was subjected to a very decisive defeat, with only a little in hand in each case, but, throughout, the play during the season was very far below the standard o f Nottingham cricket. It was, of course, a very unfortunate thing that A lfred Shaw should have been taken ill on his return from Australia, as he was only able to play in two matches for his county during the year, and everyone will be able to estimate , the loss that the eleven suffered from the want of his bowling. Still, even this allowance will hardly explain satisfactorily the decadence o f Nottingham cricket in 1877* For the last two or three years the success o f Daft and Shrewsbury has been the only redeeming feature in the batting averages of Notts, and during the season neither o f these proved anything like as reliable as of old for his county. Shrewsbury in particular, though in the matches >ctween Gentlemen of South and Players of North, and Gentlemen and Players at the Oval he played really fine cricket, after the latter match, and lor the rest of the season seemed to be stale, and was certainly very much below Ins old reputation. Add to this, that Wild, Oscroft, Selby, and Barnes, were also comparatively unsuccessful with the bat, that Morley only came off