James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1886

P U B L I CS C H O O LC R I C K E TI N 1 8 8 5. 4 7 whenwebear in mindthat at the beginning of the year Grant was the only boywhohad already wonhis colours . W efind that this eleven differed from all their rivals in that their bowling was weakand their batting strong . W e hear that there was a want of steady practice amongthe bowlers , whoinclined to the foolish belief that practice results in staleness . W esay foolish , because w e believe that bowlers require steady training quite as much as batsmen. Duncanand Jardine were to the fore with the bat, and the captain was fairly successful , but he would get manymore runs if he made full use of his height . The fielding was only so-so, and the want of a good wicket -keeper proved a severe drawback. O fthe rest of the schools we mayremark that Blair Lodge did not main- tain their excellence of the previous season , while Edinburgh Academy , with a very fair bat in Stevenson , and a likelycely " slow bowler in Carr -Ellison , were onlymoderately fortunate . 6 6 In conclusion , we m a yassert that cricket has made, and is still making, mighty strides at the various schools in Scotland , and the supply of sterling cricketers from the north is not likely to fail so long as such keen interest is taken in the gameby Mr. Almondand others . C H A P T E R V . C R I C K E TI N A M E R I C A . B YR E V. H . N . W A Y N EA N DH . G . B U N N E T T . T H Evisit of the Twelve English Gentlemen Cricketers , under the captaincy of the Rev. R. T. Thornton, to Americalast season, has markeda n e wera in the annals of cricket in this country. This, together with the fact that in the first matchof the tour, Staten Island played a gooddrawand later on Phila- delphia won their first match with the visitors , this being the first victory ever gained over an English eleven , has caused a greater interest to be taken in the gamethan was ever knownbefore , and has raised the hopes that it will not be long before every city of importance in the country will have its representative club. Early in 1878 it was thought advisable that there should be an organization to control the game in America, and on April 17th of that year the " Cricketers ' Association of the United States " was formed by the leading clubs , which has for its object the " advancement of cricket ." Out of the fifty- three recognised clubs , seventeen belong to this Association , which practically regulates the laws of the game on this side of the Atlantic . The advantages of membership are, that the clubs obtain an official standing , all matches between membersare keptrecorded, all disputes settled by a regular Board, each club has a voice in all matters of interest to cricketers , such as arranging inter- nationalm a t c h e sa n d so forth. T h e officers for 1885 w e r e as follows:- President : Mr. N. S. Walker, jr ., Staten Island C.C.; First Vice-President : Mr. D. S. Newhall, Young America C.C.; Second Vice-President : Mr. C. E. Mixer , Longwood C.C.; Secretary and Treasurer : Mr. W. R. Philler , Merwin C.C.; Corresponding Treasurer : Mr. A. J. D. Dixon, Young AmericaC.C.; Executive Committee : Mr. F. M. Bissell , Germanstown C.C.; Mr. J. P. Green, Belmont C.C.; Mr. H. Magee, Philadelphia C.C.; Mr. T. Smith, Baltimore C.C.; Mr. J. E. Schwartz , Pittsburgh C.C. In August, 1874, a tournament was organised by the officers of the British