James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1887

PUBLICS C H O O LCRICKETIN 1886. 1 1 will always makehim a valuable m a n. Crawley was far ahead of the other Harrowboys , and is almost certain to form one of the light blue team at Lord's this summer ; while Dauglish will probably fil poor Cobb's place in the Oxford eleven ; he is a distinctly good wicket -keeper, and a dangerous bat. One of the most promising boys of the year, Champain, hails from Cheltenham; he has another season at school , as have Head (Clifton ), Hamilton (Haileybury ), and Sandilands (Westminster ), and they ought all to do well . Poynton's good batting wasthe best feature of the season at Marlborough, and if he is at one of the Universities is almost sure to makehis mark. ForCharterhouse andWellington respectively Hawkins and Watson batted with great spirit and success ; the former is probably the better man, as Watson's batting was characterized by power, rather than style . There was very little to choose between the first three or four bats , either at Winchester or Rugby: Bradby, Gaddum, and Greeson were perhaps the best , and are all likely to train on. Reference has already been made to the good performances of the crack batsmen of Repton and Brighton , andw e do not think that Kelsey and Ford, Cotterill and Wilson, could be omitted from any list of the twelve best boys of the year. In the list of cele- brities a place must also be found for Woodhead, whois the best bat they have h a dat Loretto since the days of J. G. Walker. Ofthe bowlers Woodsstands out very prominently ; he did some wonderful performances during the term at Brighton , while in the holidays he " ousted " manya good batsman. If he does not over-bowl himself , there ought to be a grand future before him. Ramsay, the Harrow fast bowler, was less to be depended on than in the previous year, but on his day he was very destructive indeed ; while Mordaunt, the Eton captain , was good with ball and bat, was a first -rate captain , and m a yfairly be called one of the most useful boys of the season . Thesiger was often dangerous , and, had he possessed more staying powers, wouldhave to be placed very high on the list ; he leads the Wykehamists this year-let us hope to manya victory . Rugbyunearthed a capital bowler last year in the person of R. A. Wilson, while Blyth did good honest work for Cheltenham. Batty's average speaks strongly in his favour, and great things are expected of him at Haileybury . In W. F. Whitwell, Uppinghamhad the best bowler they have had since the Rotherham era , unfortunately he is not going to the University , and it maybe we shall have to wait till the Rovers' tour to see what he can do against first -class men. Farrant bowled capitally for Repton throughout the term ; hehas a nasty curl in the air , which makeshis bowling very deceptive , and if he used his " head " a little more, might turn out a first -rate man. Bosanquet of Clifton must be included in this select list , and probably wouldhold a high place . The above-mentioned were perhaps the best bowlers of the year, though Streatfield of Charterhouse , and Ford of Repton, deserve honourable mention . Theyare both, on their day, unmistakably difficult . Streatfield makes the ball doa great deal , and probably he would be more useful if he were less ambitious . A this best Ford was deadly , but he was out of form at the end of term , and wasthe victim of circumstances ; with a good " keeper " he would have gone on improving ; the desired article was not to be had, and for the time being his bowling was spoilt . This is often the case at schools -how often only school "coaches " can possibly know. Chances are given and refused , and for a time a bowler grins and bears it, then he becomes disheartened , then he loses first his temper, and then his action , and for a time at all events , perhaps for ever, his bowling is gone. Absit omen . W ewill nowpass to the examination of the schools , one by one, and in arranging them in alphabetical order we are following the plan which has been adopted in these columns for the last fewyears . The Brighton eleven had a most successful season , and probably they would have proved no meanantagonists for even the best public school team of the year. Their averages , both in batting and bowling , read wonderfully well , but it mustbe borne in mind that some of their antagonists were not very formid- able . W esay this in justice to other schools , and from no wish to detract from