James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1888

1 6 LILLYW H I T E ' SCRICKETERS' A N N U A L. mediocrity . W efancy, perhaps we are wrong, that the strength of the school is divided betweenthe cricket field andthe river. If so, this will fully account for the comparative weakness of Shrewsbury elevens . W ehave said before , and w esay again with all confidence , that no ordinary public school can hope , except under the most extraordinary circumstances , to excel in two summer sports ; indeed we will go further and assert , that if two sports are attempted , they are both apt to degenerate , and the ultimate result is failure . W ehope that the present captain will have better luck than Saville , whoseuntiring energy didnot meetwith the reward that it deserved . Cobbett has the honour of heading the batting averages , and also of having madethe highest score ; while Bagshaw wasinfinitely the most successful bowler . Of the rest , W o o dwith the bat, and Saville and Jones with the ball , did most service . W econclude with a hearty wish that 1888 mayusher in a period of success for Salopian cricket . The Tonbridge eleven of '87 did not approach the form of the teams of two or three years ago, still they earned a very fair amount of success , and were certainly a better lot than their immediate predecessors . Of the four school matches, two resulted in victories , and two in defeats , and of the latter , one m a yalmost be ignored , as the ground at Dulwichwas so swampyon the day as to render " cricket " almost impossible . Three of the regular eleven , Martin , Perry , and Hatt , succeeded in getting very fair averages , but Reed's bowling wasthe best part of the season's cricket , as he took 60 wickets for just 9 runs apiece . The eleven of this year will have to work hard if they meanto makea goodshow in the field , for Hatt and two others are , we understand , the only old hands remaining . Areturn to form is always a pleasant thing to chronicle , be it in an indi- vidual or in a team, and certainly the Uppingham team of last season may truthfully be said to have madea return to the old form of Uppinghamelevens . W . F. Whitwell's bowling was sadly missed , as no good fast bowler could be unearthed , but otherwise they were a really good lot, good fielders , good bats , and, on their day, good bowlers -indeed , probably better than any Uppingham eleven since D. Q. Steel's time. J. F. Whitwell more than fulfilled our predic- tion of last year, and developed into a grand school bat and a most useful bowler. W ehope that he mayshow in first -class cricket that the Uppingham style is as good nowas ever it was. McGregortoo is likely to come to the front , as he is a dashing , though not over safe , bat, and a really good wicket -keeper . H ehas already madehis markin the football field at Cambridge, and it is byno meansunlikely that he will be chosen to fill Orford's place in the Light Blue team at Lord's this year . Of the others , Joy and Martineau are worthy of special notice . Joy, principally for his fielding at point , which was quite first -rate , and in a lesser degree for his brilliant , though perhaps uncertain batting , and Martineau, as being on his day a wonderfully unplayable bowler. At present he has the great fault of falling to pieces directly he is hit about, but if he can only get over this failing he will be really good . As a team they were very fortunate , winning nearly all their matches . Haileybury were beaten by nine wickets , butmeasles robbed them of the chance of showing their prowess against Repton; though, had the match been played , we are inclined to think the odds wouldhave been slightly in their favour . Wellington's cricket star is certainly not in the ascendant just now. Thepast season was strangely unsuccessful -mainly , we are told , because no respectable wicket-keepercould be found. B u tthis is not sufficient to accountfor the con- tinued ill -success of the school . Somefew years ago we thought the ground was in fault , but we must look deeper for the true cause , and we fear that we shall find that it is w a n tof enthusiasmthat generated wantof success . Football is undoubtedly the popular gameat Wellington , but we cannot see any reason w h y boys who are keen about football should not be keen about cricket as well . Perhaps it m a ybe that the marvellous enthusiasm for football , which now is so evident in all parts of the country , is beginning to tell against cricket . W e hope it is not so ; anyhow, weare sure that such a feeling as this ought not to be allowed a place in any public school . So for the coming season we trust