James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1886

P U B L I CS C H O O LC R I C K E TIN 1 8 8 5. 4 5 standard of the last two or three years is hardly likely to be maintained . If it is to be, greater attention must be paid to fielding , which, though fairly safe last year, was sadly lacking in dash and brilliancy . W eunderstand that the authorities at Uppingham were more than a little disappointed with the performances of their eleven during the past season . It wasthought that the team was sure to turn out an extremely strong one, for there were seven old choices available , including most of the best performers of the previous year. Atpractice , and in the ordinary school games, the play ofm a n yof the boys was very good indeed, but whenthey had to meet foreign teams (moreespecially in the two school matches) they seemed to lose all nerve , andthe result wasthat they were disposed of for absurdly small scores . They experienced one piece of very bad luck , as Martineau was laid up for weeks , andwasunable to take part in the Haileybury match. If we mayargue from his general form, it would not be unfair to conclude that his absence lost the match. H ewas by far the best manin the team-a good, steady bat, and a most useful slow bowler, and we think he will at least be very near the Cambridge eleven . The younger Whitwell was probably the second best bat in the eleven , but he suffered from nervousness , and so did not do himself justice . As a bowler he was lucky, still he got wickets , and there m a ybe more in his bowling than there seems to be. His brother is a grand hitter , but was always in too great a hurry to score ; if he would only " steady down" we believe he would at once become a really good man. Awordof praise mustbe given to Hunter, who kept wicket very well during the season , and at times waspositively brilliant . The fielding of the team generally was smart and fairly safe , and with five old colours remaining , we maypredict a prosperous season for the Uppinghamboys in 1886 . T h e Wellington teamwas not as goodas it deserved to be. W euse the word" deserved " advisedly , because in no school is energy in cricket more conspicuous than at Wellington . W em a ybe sure that though success did not come last year this energy will get its due reward before long-we hope, this season . Though the eleven was only second class , Wellington , at all events , possessed two really good bats in their captain and Markham, and a promising slow bowler in Perkins ; at present he is a bad field to his own bowling, but as he will be at school for another season , no doubt he will improve. With this single exception the school bowling was poor in the extreme, and whenwe state that the other five bowlers only succeeded in ousting 46 opponents in the course of the year, we feel sure that our remark needs no further justification . The fielding wasnot up to the mark, and the season would have been pronounced a failure had it not been for the victory over Haileybury. In the batting line Markhamand Prince Christian stand out quite by themselves . W ebelieve them both to have been above the average of school bats . Notonly were they uniformly to be depended on in the foreign matches of the term, but in the holidays some good performances appeared against their respective names. Winchester fully maintained its old reputation for smart and safe fielding , and we believe that in this respect the Winchester eleven was the best school team of the year. Their grand performance against Eton is already chronicled , and though it would seem invidious to make selections , we can- not help noting Lyon, Watney, Watson, and Nicholls , for exceptional excellence , the latter at point being quite first class . In batting the team was above the average ; even the tail -end menwere worth ten runs apiece against ordinary bowling, and three of the eleven--Watney, Gresson, and Nicholls - m a ybe put down as sure run-getters , while the captain displayed splendid cricket throughout the term. It m a ybe he was the best school bat of the year (we have heard him described as such ) ; but , whether this be true or no, w efeel almost confident that his fine defence will win for hima " blue " at Cambridge. O f the doings of the rest w e must leave the " averages andcharacters " to tell the tale ; but w e cannot help expressing a hope that Jones will recover his form, and will experience no difficulty in finding worthy