James Lillywhte's Cricketers' Annual 1884

C R I C K E TI N 1 8 8 3. 2 5 is to be considered the champion, and, in consequence , Notts, only once beaten, wasable to show the best figures in this respect . It has been argued, and with reason , that their summarywas not, on the whole, so good as that of York- shire ; and, indeed , as their twelve fixtures included as manyas seven drawn games, more than one of them certainly not in their favour , it was by no meanssuch a brilliant record as some Counties have been able to claim in previous years , notably Lancashire in 1881. Yorkshire , during the season , took part in as manyas sixteen matches, of which nine were won, five drawn, mostly with a nominal balance to their credit , and only two lost . Of the two reverses , one was their memorable defeat by Sussex at Sheffield , with only three runs to spare ; the other at the hands of Notts , whenthe latter hadall the advantage of the wicket. Notts and Yorkshire , in consequence of the sudden and unexpected collapse of Lancashire , towards the end of the season , were left in a position by themselves above any of the other Counties , and, although under the admitted system the first place mustb e awarded to the former , there was really little to choose between them in point of actual merit . Professional cricket has kept, and will keep, these two shires steadily in front , while elevens composed mainly or altogether of amateurs fluctuate and vary in their positions ; and the moral should not be forgotten that it is essentially to professional , or paid, skill that Counties must look for the possession of a team of any stability . T h e Nottinghamshire eleven did some excellent performances , par- ticularly with the bat, towards the end of the season , but they missed Morley's bowling considerably , and, useful as Walter Wright proved, it can hardly be claimed that he was capable of filling Morley's place satis- factorily . Alfred Shaw, if not able to get quite the same amountof spin on the ball as a few years ago, has even nowfew superiors as a slow bowler, and his figures were the best of any in the Nottinghamshire eleven a creditable performance , considering how long he has been before the public . Flowers , though he did not begin the season well , proved himself again to be, perhaps , the most useful all-round player in the County; and Barnes, despite his ill success in Australia , was very effective both with bat and ball, but more especially with the former, having a capital average of 33 runs for twenty completed innings . Shrewsbury, as he always has, played good cricket , and G u n nshowed a markedimprovement as a batsman. Still , I a minclined to think that , on the whole, the Nottinghamshire eleven washardly quite as strong as that of Yorkshire when represented at its best . The Yorkshiremen were especially fortunate in securing a youngster of such un- doubted promise as Harrison to fill the place caused by Allan Hill's retirement . Theextraordinary success which attended the newfast bowler of Yorkshire on his first appearance in good cricket , was indeed one of the most noteworthy incidents of the season , and his selection to take part in the great match of the year, at Lord's (Gentlemen v. Players ), was a practical proof of the high estimate placed on his abilities by the best judges of the game. All round there was little fault to be found with the composition of the Yorkshire eleven . Hall showed a very decided improvement on any previous form as a batsman; in fact , he was the most successful professional bat of the year . Ulyett has never hit with greater brilliance , and, though Lockwood and Bates were neither of themquite as reliable run-getters , the Countygained a very impor- tant addition to its batting strength in the person of Mr. E. Lumb, whose defence was of the greatest service to the team. The old fault in the play of the Yorkshire eleven -a want of stability in batting -was certainly not visible last year ; and, indeed , on more than one occasion , the tail of the team contributed mainly to the total . In bowling Yorkshire was exceptionally strong , stronger , perhaps , than any of the other Counties . Peate , on fast wickets , was comparatively unsuccessful , but when the ground helped him at all , he was always effective , and, on the whole, his figures were very creditable . Harrison , on public form , was the best fast bowler of the year , and of good change there was plenty in Bates , Peel , Ulyett , and Emmett. Amention of