James Lilllywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1880

4 6 LILLYWHITE'S CRICKETERS' ANNUAL. per innings . Among the other amateurs the Hon. Alfred Lyttelton deserres prominence for his consistently brilliant batting , and of the older hands Messrs . Hornby, I. D. Walker , and Frank Penn, all upheld their reputations , the 134 of the last -named for M.C.C. and Ground against Cambridge being , without exception , the best display of clean well-timed hitting seen during the season . The Hon. Edward Lyttelton showed a strange falling off on his form of 1878 ; but of the other youngsters , Messrs . A. G. Steel , A. J. Webbe , A. P. Lucas , D. Q. Steel , and Hon. Ivo Bligh were all successful , though the last -named was solely indebted to a long score for Cambridge against Surrey for his posi- tion in the average . Generally the professionals show badly in comparison with the amateurs , and Daft, Lockwood , Barlow , Selby , Shrewsbury , Jupp, and Midwinter , all show a falling off in comparison with the previous season . Oscroft , whose 140 for Notts v. Kent at Canterbury was the highest individual score in a first -class match , and Ulyett both batted well throughout the year , and the 61 of the York- shireman for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's was a really fine per- formance . Turning to the rising school , few can forget the brilliant batting ofFlowers , when, with Mr. W.G.Grace , he won the match for England against Thirteen of Kent at Canterbury ; and with him may be classed Bates , Barnes , and Scotton , as the most promising young professional bats of the year . With the ground all in favour of the ball , some good records were only to be expected from the bowlers , and more than one new reputation was made. The three left -handers , Morley, Rylott , and William Mycroft, were the most successful of those of faster pace ; and Alfred Shawon the whole did well, though hardly so successful as in some previous years . Allen Hill trundled with great effect until an accident settled him; and of the rest , W m. McIntyre , Southerton , Emmett, H a y, Bates, and the veteran Hughes, all claimed favour- able records . George Hearne and Barratt greatly disappointed those who remember their excellent performances in 1878 ; but Barlow, Barnes , Steele , and Flowers , all showed a great improvement ; and among the new talent , Brayand O'Shaughnessy of Kent, Peate of Yorkshire , Titchmarsh (an amateur turned professional ) of Herts , all came out with flying colours , and are likely to train on. Amongthe amateurs , Mr. W. G. Grace's bowling told with great effect onthe wet wickets ; but Mr. A. G. Steel was certainly not so fortunate as in 1878, and at Canterbury especially he got severely punished . Mr. A. H. Evans , though comparatively unsuccessful for Oxford , and certainly a failure in the In- ter -university match , performed a great feat with Mr. A. G. Steel in bowling throughout both innings of the Players in their annual match with the Gentle- men at the Oval , and also proved very dangerous at the finish of the subsequent encounter between the same sides at Lord's . The two Cantabs , Messrs . A. F. Ford and H. Wood, both suited by the ground , came out well ; and Mr. С. Т. Studd, the Eton captain , in the concluding engagements of Middlesex , showed form good enough to warrant a belief in his ability to materially help the Cambridge eleven next year. Public School cricket , in addition , boasted two bright particular stars in H. Rotherham and C. F. H. Leslie , the captains respectively of Uppingham and Rugby-the former beyond all doubt the best fast bowler any Public School has produced for many years , and the latter a very clean powerful hitter and a useful all -round player . The weather was more fatal perhaps to School cricketers than to any other class , and if the display seems below the usual standard , it maybe argued in extenuation that most of the School grounds were under water in Mayand June , and that there was really no