James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1878

I 20 University match for many years. The Light Blues too were hardly as well managed in the field as they might have been, and the result of the match proved Oxford to be vastly superior in the bowling, generally safer in the field, and very little, if at all, inferior in batting. The great Public School match of the year, which rumour asserts is the last to be played at Lord s during the London season, would have proved a very exciting struggle had the weather only permitted its completion. A t the commencement long odds would have been laid on Eton, but the Harrovians proved themselves to be on the whole a better eleven than was anticipated, and the very fine play of h . C. C. Rowe, a left handed batsman, enabled them to make a good fight throughout. When rain finally caused the game to be drawn, it was quite an open question which side was left with the best of it. Neither eleven proved themselves possessed of any very great bowling talent, the fielding was much of about the same standard, and there was a batting tail to each team. Rowe, who had played well throughout the season, showed really good form for a left handed bat and is likely to do better. H. E. Meek the Captain is a resolute hitter, but with these exceptions the Harrow batting did not appear to be very strong, and in this respect the Etonians had the best of it, with H. Whitfeld, the two Studds, Hon. Ivo Bligh, and G. H. Portal, all batsmen usually to be relied on for runs. Winchester was not particularly formidable, as Eton defeated its eleven by an innings and runs. Rugby too, was certainty not up to its old standard, and there was little sign in the play of the eleven to give hopes of a B. B. Cooper, a Pauncefote, a Yardley, or a Francis. Marlborough again had an easy victory, and once more for this result it had chiefly to thank its Captain, A . G. Steel. Marlborough has been singularly fortunate in possessing so excellent a cricketer, all round, certainty the best Public School player of the year, and Cambridge University ought to benefit considerably next season by his assistance, as he is not only a fine bat, but an effective slow round arm bowler and an excellent field. Marlborough, who also had a useful player in C. P. Wilson, had another easy win over Cheltenham, and Clifton, the latter of whom had two likely players in A . H . Evans, a fast bowler, who has gone up to Oxford, and C. Haynes, who played for the Gloucestershire Colts, and both batted and bowled well, also gave th« Chel- tonians a decisive drubbing. Early in the season it was hoped that the Chel­ tenham would have a good team, but their two matches with Marlborough and Clifton proved them to be very weak in bowling, although they are said to have had a very promising wicket keeper in Kendrick. Charterhouse does not appear to have had a Dobbie or a Nepean in its eleven, and it is sometime since Westminster gave birth to a cricketer like A . H. W inter or E . Bray. Repton had a very useful all-round man in A . F . J. Ford, its Captain, and Uppingham had two cricketers likely to come on, A . Ackroyd, a dodgy bowler and good bat, and J. B. Maul, a hard worker all round. The Uppingham eleven had early in the year hardly recovered the effects of practice on the sands at Borth, but towards the end there were signs of some excellent form, and A . E . Graves played realty good cricket, especially at the Oval against Surrey Club and Ground. Of the other Schools, particulars will be found in the elaborate statistics furnished in Chap. IV . of Part II., and after all, figures form the best tests. The season was not at all wanting in curiosities, though Mr. W . G. Grace for once refrained from any of his sensational scores. Y e t to “ the Champion” once again belongs the honour of the largest total of the year, a distinction well-earned by his brilliant innings of 261 for the South, against the North for the benefit of the Cricketers Fund. The highest innings in a match of any importance was 546 by the University Long Vacation Club at Cambridge against M .C .C . and Ground, and opposed to the bowling of W . Mycroft,