James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annnual 1881

1 0 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' A N N U A L. passed over ; myson is very young and has all the world before him yet .' There are so manylies on tombstones that it is hard to get people to believe one whenthe simple truth is spoken, but for what it is worth m y evidence is , that having probably seen G. F. in every grand match at the Oval during his career , and having mixed pretty freely with cricketers of all counties and all opinions , I never heard a living creature say a single word against him, and I have heard a great manyliving creatures say a great m a n ywords, and very strong words too-some deserved , some unde- served-against manypeople , cricketers and non-cricketers . Mitcham, Christmas , 1880. F R E D E R I C KG A L E. NOTE. Richard Humphreyhas requested that a statement whichappeared in the press , that Mr. GeorgeFrederick Grace caught his death on his wayto play for his benefit , m a ybe contradicted , as professionally it does himharm to suppose that he has h a dhis benefit . Thefact was that somegentlemenat Andover and the neighbourhood wanteda good eleven brought downto play 22 of Wherwelland district , andoffered two daysshooting to anyof the cricketers . Mr. Grace very good naturedly wentto oblige the players , whose match it was, at Humphrey's request ; of course his name would have been fifty poundsin their pockets . C H A P T E R III. Cricket in 1880. B YI N C O G. CRICKET IS SO completely dependent on the weather for its success that writers on the national game are to be pardoned if they make it the leading subject of their remarks. Artificial means are constantly em- ployed in the shape of tarpaulins and other coverings of a similar kind to protect the turf fromthe effects of thunder storms or excessive rains , but at the best the benefit of such contrivances is questionable , and as a rule cricket pitches remain exposed to every influence of weather. And it is hardly to be wonderedat, whenthe extreme amount of rainfall to which England has been subjected during the last few years , that cricketers of late havebecomerather depressed . Notthat there has been the slightest decrease in the popularity of the game; on the contrary , and it is a high compliment to the pluck and endurance of those who have pursued the sport under the most discouraging circumstances , to state it, good cricket has never had such a firm hold on the sympathies of the sport -loving public as at the present time. W ehave been used to hear of the big rings at the Oval when Surrey was able to stand alone against the might of England, but it must be rememberedthat cricket in those dayswassomewhatcircumscribed in its limits . At that time Surrey was sowing the seeds of a new growth of counties , and the survivors of that glorious team, of which Fred Miller , Lockyer , Cæsar , and Griffith have all passed away, would be the first to acknowledge the wondrous develop- mentof county cricket since the palmy days of Surrey . Twenty years indeed have worked an extraordinary change in the aspect of the game,