James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1886

C R I C K E TI N 1 8 3 5. 7 andGloucestershire at Brighton, was not able to play as often as could be wished, or the county would, in all probability , have made a better show. Considerable credit is due to Mr. Wyattfor the ability and pluck with which he captained the eleven under very discouraging circumstances . With such batsmen as Messrs. Lucas, Whitfeld , N e w h a m(who played brilliant cricket throughout ), Brann (a valuable addition to the eleven ) , McCormick , Wyatt andHumphreys, Jesse Hide and Tester , Sussex can boast a good batting side , andif they can only get bowlers to replace the two lost last year, not aneasy task, bythe way, they would again render a good account of themselves , as i n1 8 8 4. Derbyshire , despite a long continuance of ill-fortune , maintains the even tenor of its wayundisturbed . Last year, too, though the record was alto- gether not a brilliant one, there was no small ground for hope in an analysis of the cricket . It is sufficient to illustrate this contention to point to the highly creditable victory obtained bythe Derbyshire eleven over Lancashire at Manchester, whenthey completely pulled the game out of the fire , and their excellent fight later in the season against Yorkshire at Derby, on whichoccasion they would, had the game been played for the short space of half anhour, in all probability have been victorious . O nthe whole, the Derby- shire executive has reason to be hopeful in the future , and, with a tho- roughly good and energetic captain , there is the nucleus of a very fair eleven. Chatterton last year showed a marked advance as an all-round cricketer , and ought to become in the future a really first class batsman. Witha little luck, the Derbyshire team would show, of course , to more advantage , and they are , it m a ywith reason be argued , a better eleven than their performances would lead one to believe . In Mr. Eadie they introduced last year a young amateur who shaped very well with the bat, and, with more experience , should develop into a very effective batsman. In one respect the committee show a good example in their readiness to try new cricketers , and, with a really capable and energetic cricketer in command, there is every evidence that the eleven would get rid of the inequality which has been of late years the most distinguishing feature of theircricket. Hampshire , despite the energy displayed by the Honorary Secretary , Lieut .-Col . Fellowes , was rarely able to put its best eleven into the field , and , in consequence , the results of the season were not by any means satisfactory . O n eimportant success there was, over Sussex at Southampton, but otherwise the record was not encouraging . Thenew county ground, though, bids fair to bein good condition next year, and it is to be hoped that Hampshire cricket willbenefit in proportion. Essex made a distinct advance last year , and its victory over Derbyshire , at Derby, shows that it has a good claim to be placed among the leading counties. T h e purchase of a n e wground at Leyton, at a very convenient distance to London, will be of immense advantage in the development of the county club , and with the benefit of a capable secretary in the person of Mr. T. Ratliff , who had valuable experience of secretarial duties in the early years of the Liverpool Club , there is every reason to believe that the Essex CountyClub is entering on a prosperous career . Leicestershire cricket , despite the energetic efforts of the executive , showedno material improvement, though there is said to be no small amount of likely talent in the county ; and the same maybe said of Somersetshire . Cheshire , Northamptonshire , and Norfolk have all shown considerable promise , and Warwickshire , which has recently acquired a county ground , can, when properly represented , put a good working eleven into the field . T h egeneral disposition , it is pleasant to have to record , is to encourage and developcountycricket everywhere. A sin 1884 , the grounds were generally in good condition for run-getting , and, in consequence , the number of large scores was exceptionally large . The best performance in a fixture of real importance was that of the Surrey eleven