James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1889

6 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL. averages of Yorkshire and Lancashire in the more important matches of these two professionals shows a remarkable similarity in the figures , and the equality of their results is marked . Briggs , though , all round would have slightly the better of a comparison , for his batting , almost as much as his bowling , was one of the most noteworthy features in Lancashire's records , showing an average of over twenty-one and a half runs for nineteen completed innings . Barlowand Watsonshared with Briggs the brunt of the bowling , and a moreformidable trio , under certain conditions , it would not be easy to find . Acareful analysis of Lancashire cricket would convince any one that the county was not seen to the best advantage last year-in fact , that the result of the season hardly pre- sented a fair estimate of the all -round strength of the eleven . Gloucestershire was able to boast a m u c hbetter record on wickets to favour thebowler than whenthe pitches were all in favour of run-making, as was the case in 1887. Mr. W. G. Grace's energy is not easily damped, as the recent ill- success of the county whose reputation he himself not only made, but done so muchto maintain , showed. In spite of alengthy andbusycareer of nearly a quarter of a century , he remains still almost as buoyantandfull of life as whenat sixteen hewasstarting to build up a namewhich has not yet been equalled , andwill in all likelihood not be for a long time equalled , in the records of the game. Mr. W. G. Grace's personality is so conspicuous in everything he undertakes in cricket , that Gloucestershire's successes are regarded in muchthe same light , andwith the sameamount of interest , as if they were the results of his unaided efforts. Theimprovement in Gloucestershire's position was therefore regarded some- thing in the shape of a personal triumph bythe public , and the advance in the status of the county has given considerable satisfaction to cricketers generally . O ntwo or three occasions the Gloucestershire team showed very muchof the bril- liance which enabled them to occupy the leading position in county cricket for a long time . Altogether they fared better than might have been expected on wickets which one would hardly have thought would have been likely to favour them. It m a ybe urged that their well-being is dependent in a great measure onthe marvellous vitality of one m a n; but the same could be said of Gloucester- shire cricket at any period of its history . Mr. W. G. Grace's exceptional powers as a batsmanwere never shownin bolder relief thanlast season, in the middle of which he reached his fortieth year. H e is now, as he was over twenty years ago, the best batsman of the day, and a comparison of the averages of the various counties will show that his are the best figures in the more important matches of the year. Thoughhis hand has lost a little of its cunning, andthe ball does not go with quite the sameamountof spin , his bowling , too , wasof great service to the team, as it always has been. Hisbest supporters last year were Mr. Pullen , Painter , and Mr. Radcliffe with the bat, andWoofand Roberts with the ball . It was very gratifying to see Mr. Pullen , who has rarely assisted in first -class cricket during the last few years , playing regularly again, and his free and taking style wasseen to good advantage . Woofand Roberts were both of them, as was only to be expected , effective on the heavy grounds , and the former bowled with an amountof success challenging comparison with some of his best records in previous years for the county . ANottinghamshiro eleven without Arthur Shrewsbury savours , to use a trite simile , of a representation of Hamlet with the part of the Prince of Den- markomitted . Shrewsbury's batting has been such an important factor in the successes of the county for so manyyears that the eleven must have been of ex- traordinary strength were not his absence very severely felt . As it was, even withhimthe season of 1887 hadonly been a partial success , and with himaway it wasnot a surprise to find the record of last year only one of doubtful merit . Timesthere wereof course w h e nthe cricket all roundw a sof thebest, butnot even the most enthusiastic partizan of the county would, wethink , venture to urge that the side was anything like as strong as some ten years since , when Alfred Shawand Morley were powers . A sfar as one can judge there was a want of cohesion in the team -at all