James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1879

42 triumphs over Gloucester on the occasion of Emmett‘s benefit, and over Notts, both at Sheffield, and a hard victory over the Derbyshire Eleven also_at Bramall-l'ane early in the season. Two defeats by Middlesex, a decisive beating by Lancashire at Sheffield, a “drubbing by Der-byshn-e at Derby by only seven runs and an innings licking by Notts at Nottingham, caused the year to be by no means brilliant for Yorkshire. Emmett began the season well with the bat, but fell off greatly towards the close, though his bowling, improved rather b a reduction of pace, was of very great service to the County. Lockwood, t ough he played one good innings of 107 against Notts, was hardly in his old form with the bat, and the same remark ma)’ apply to Andrerv Greenwood, who was, owing to illness. however, unable to p ay much towards the end of the seasori. Ulyctt’s consistent brilliance with the bat, and the great success of the youngster Bates, byv some regarded as the coming Alfred Shaw, with the ball were the chief features ofthe Yorkshire season of 1878. An excelleiit innings of Louis Hall for Eighteen of Hnnslet against the Australians suggested to the committee the advisabilit)’ of giving him anotlier trial, and his play was quite good enouglt to entitle him to rank as one of the very best batsmen in the Eleverr, his innings of eighty—two (not out) against Gloucestershirc at Cheltenham being a thoroughly sound and masterly display of cricket. An accident deprived the team of Pindcr's services at the wicket during most of the year, but a fair substitute was found in Hunter of Scarborough, and another‘ useful all-round young cricketer was found in Haggns. Gmoces‘riausnixn could certainly not layr claim to its proud position of i877, butdespite that the Eleveri are no longer able to point to an nnbeatcii record 011 their own grountl, and thatinsevcral cases they failetl in the very points at which they had previously been so formidable, they still can show a summary as good as the majority of the principal shires. An accident to Midwinter in the match between Gloucesterslri re and England at the Oval was very un- fortunate, as it weakened the Eleven in their bowling, their chief weakness, and this combined with the ill-success ofbolh \V. G. Grace arid ‘the doctor,’ with the bat, in comparison with former years will account for the falling oilr in Gloucestershire cricket. lV. G. Grace was well at the head of botli batting and bowling averages, but the only other batsman at all consistent was Fred Grace, and more than once he showed really' brilliant cricket, Mr. Miles’ analysis shows a peculiar arrangement of figures 21 wickets and4o wides—an average of about one wide for every seven overs—but taken altogether the bowling was very weak, and the fielding which had contributetl in no small degree to the success of the county in (877, at times of the loosest. It seems unaccountable that Fred Grace, the onlyfast bowler in the Eleven, should have been tried so little ; but the management appeared more than once to be eccentric, and the defeat by tllC AUStr-flialls was in a great measure due to weal; bowling and execrable fielding. Mr. Miles was not able to play' in the matclt against Englantl at the Oval, arid Midwinter was unable to bowl in the second innings; but on public form the county had really no chance, and they were easily beaten by no means the strongest Eleven in England. For‘ the first time in its history, Gloucestershire measured blades Willi Lancashire, and the summary of the season showed that of ten matches four were won four drawn, and two lost. Y ‘ , LordHarns had every reason to be satisfied with the results of KENTisr-t Calcite-r dnrmg the past season. Considering the disorganised condition in which he found the County a very feiv years ago, the present state of affairs is most creditable to the executive. Two victories over Derliyshire ancl Hamp- shire, and one over Sucsex and Surrey formed the successesi‘of thc'i'Kentish Llevcn, while on the wrong Side of the ledger were two defeats by Lancashirc,