James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1890

C R I C K E TIN 1889. 7 commonlyknownas first -class , there is, it is very gratifying to notice , no lack notonly of promising material but plenty of enterprise to bring it to the front . Therehas, in fact , been a laudible ambition prevalent amongthe younger shires to develop the cricket within their borders , and as a consequence to improve their status in the cricket world. Just latterly the m o v e m e n thas received a considerable impetus by the joint action of the different County Clubs , and every one will be pleased to notice the extension of the principle of confederation amongthe counties which are, for the purpose of distinction , knownas second- class. Duringthe past few years Warwickshire , Somersetshire , andEssex have been steadily forcing their wayto the front , and anyof this trio would be able to take part successfully against someof the older institutions of the same grade, such as Derbyshire, Leicestershire , and Cheshire . Warwickshire and Somersetshire , in particular , have shownexcellent all-round cricket during the last two or three years . The former , it will be remembered , had the double distinction of defeat- ing both Gloucestershire and Yorkshire , while Essex added materially to the reputation it had already made by a very creditable victory over Surrey. Staffordshire , too, under the guidance of a newsecretary in that good all -round sportsman , Mr. T. C. Slaney , has madegreat strides just of late , and with the influence of a keen cricketer like Mr. A. H. Heath as captain , is sure to train on until it reaches the front rank. Hampshire's star has not been in the ascendant just lately , though in its captain , Mr. F. E. Lacey, it has a really first -class batsman. Forsome reason or other , however, the elevens which represent the county do not seem to be often fully representative , andthe wantof one or two really reliable bowlers is muchfelt . Northamptonshire's financial weakness has crippled it of late , and Mold's loss has caused a void in the eleven which will not easily be filled . Durham, Northumberland, in the far North; Norfolk , in the East; Hertfordshire , in the South, have shownnogreat advancement during the last year, though all are able to put fairly good elevens into the field . Lincoln- shire , the latest to organize , is , as far as one can judge from the prospective arrangements , trying to take its place in the race for honours in the second grade of counties , and away in the West Devonshire , we have reason to believe , is aiming at collecting a team to undertake the responsibilities of County cricket in a fitting manner. Withthe exception of the visit of the Gentlemen of Philadelphia , cricket in England was confined exclusively to matches of purely insular interest . There was practically nothing to interfere with the more important fixtures , as the Philadelphians were content to test their powers against amateur elevens only, so that they did not in any waydistract the attention of the public which takes interest in county matches . The trip of the Gentlemen of Philadelphia , based as it was on lines of the purest amateurism , was, however, a welcome change to English cricketers , and though their stay in the old country only extended over a fewweeks, the Americans , though not quite representative of cricket in the States , showed themselves to be a good all -round combination , and made friends everywhere bytheir unassuming demeanour and sportsmanlike sympathies . The wholeof the proceeds , it maybe as well to remind English readers , which ought to have gone on the ordinary sharing system to the Philadelphians , were handed overb yt h e mto the Cricketer's F u n d. TheOxford and Cambridge matchon the respective form of the two elevens in the trial matches was universally regarded as a foregone conclusion for Cam- bridge . The Oxford eleven had, with the exception of their last fixture , which wasdrawn in their favour , been defeated on every occasion , and all round their cricket was very much below the average of a University team. Neither eleven was up to the best standard , but the public estimate proved to be singularly correct , and the game, which ended in a most decisive victory for Cambridge, wasone of the most uninteresting of recent years . The winners were the stronger side both in batting and bowling , and the only incident of any great interest was the big score of Mr. H.J. Mordaunt , whose 127 has only twice been outdone in inter -University matches rom odel of olds aπό γλειο επα