James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1888

1 4 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' A N N U A L. the mark; and the fielding was first -rate , keen, energetic , and safe . W ehear that there are plenty of promising boys outside the team, so we m a ybe sure that , under Mr. Toppin's guidance , the school will soon regain its old position in the cricketing world. Inconclusion , we should like to offer our congratula- tions to Bartholoméandhis teamon their performancesin the school matches. Towina handsome victory over Rossall , and to escape defeat at the hands of their old rival , Repton, for the first time for so manyyears , seem to us to be accomplishments which augur well for the future . The doings of the Marlborough boys will receive but scant notice at our hands, as wehave been unable to gather any reliable information about them. W eknowthat the season began without any very great hopes of success , so w e m a yconclude that the notable victory at Lord's came as a pleasant surprise to all concerned . Judged only by the Rugbymatch, we should have to place Marl- borough very high in our mental list of merit ; but we have to rememberthat for some reason or other (it m a yhave been Bradby's absence ), the Rugbeians seemed to lack their usual spirit . Maurice was undoubtedly the hero of the day. H eplayed a very fine innings of 74, and then finished off the game by clean bowling four of the last Rugbybatsmen at a cost of 4 runs only . Thesteady play of Taylor in the first and Collins in the second innings were also important factors in the victory ; while Robinson and Hill bowled steadily and well . Against Cheltenham the team did not appear in such a favourable light , and suffered an easy defeat . This however was no great disgrace , if our estimate of the Cheltenham eleven be a correct one. Fromwhatwe have heard (only a little it is true), we conclude that Marlborough had a fair school team in '87 . Forthe coming campaign, W o o dwill have four old colours to help him. So, with good luck and hard work, the victory over Rugbyought to be repeated . So far as our recollections serve us, the Radley cricket -field has never been famous as a long -scoring ground. Last year, at all events , the boys (whatever their opponents mayhave found) do not seem to have found it easy to make runs ; for had every memberof the team madehis highest individual score in the same match, the total would not have reached 300 ! This fact only serves to confirm our long established belief that cricket and rowing cannot flourish together in any school , unless the numbers are very large . Indeed , we are firmly of opinion that Eton is the one school whereboth sports are , and can be, a success . As will be gathered from the above, there is little to be said in favour of the Radley eleven of the past season . Thebowling averages were high, and the batting averages low-a fact that proclaims the weakness of any team. Let us hope that the old order m a ychange, and give place to a newand better state o faffairs this season. T h eReptoneleven were not expectedto comeup to the standard ofthe last six or seven years , as it did not seem possible to fill the places of some of the goodm e nw h oh a dleft . T h e yhoweverwere moresuccessful thanh a dbeen expected , mainly owing to the plucky all-round play of their captain , P. R. Farrant. H eis nowat Oxford, and mayfigure to advantage there , as he is , " o n his day," an undeniably good bowler, always a safe field , and a run-getting bat. Palairet , Burney, andSmith were muchthe best of the rest , but the former two didnot "come on" as they ought to have done , owing to slackness at the prac- tice nets . Smith, on the contrary , owed his great improvement entirely to his dogged perseverance , and proved himself a very useful m a nto the team, while in the holidays he seldom failed to score . Several of the team must be classed as " failures " ; and w e are afraid that the " slackness ," to which w e have already alluded , was the maincause . Cricket cannot be learnt without steady practice , and, unless the team of the present year determine to be as keen in '88 as they wereslack in '87, w e shall havea dismal record to chronicle at the end of the year. Ifhoweverenergy is shownin practice of all sorts , there is every possibility of a good season. Palairet and Burneyare still at school . Arnall's bowling , already very promising , ought to be of the greatest service ; and there is plenty of cricket in the school . N o account of Repton cricket wouldbe complete without some reference to Lister's wicket -keeping. A this