James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1891

2 L I L L Y W H I T E ' SCRICKETERS' A N N U A L. C H A P T E R I I. C R I C K E T I N 1 8 9 0. B YI N C O G. THEenjoyment of cricket is so entirely dependent on atmospherical conditions that it is impossible to give a resumé of the season's doings without taking into accountthe influence of the weatherfor goodor bad. Inouruncertain climate to expect any long continuance of bright sunshine and unclouded skies is to court disappointment . The advantage of a certain amount of rain , of course , will be admitted generally , even by the most enthusiastic followers of the game. It freshens the turf , and is not altogether without its use occasionally in checking to someextent the abnormal rungetting which is the inevitable consequence of a protracted spell of hard wickets . Awet day occasionally comes not infre- quently as a small relief to those who figure prominently in first -class cricket , in particular to bowlers , whooften enough showunmistakable traces of the wear and tear of a heavy season . Takenin homœopathic doses , rain would perhaps not be altogether distasteful to cricketers . It is only whenthe quantity is excessive that the patient rebels against the treatment . Andcertainly the appli- cation of the watering -pot wasvery muchoverdone in 1890. Theskies exuded moisture with a persistency that was most tantalizing . Sunshine was certainly the exception rather than the rule throughout the summer, and, indeed , it was not until the inter -county matches were really finished and the interest in the legitimate season was over , that there was any sign of real cricket weather . Adry wicket under such circumstances was something of a novelty , and so continuous wasthe rainfall at times that more than one fixture of importance was not even c o m m e n c e d . Still , though the surroundings were generally rather of a depressing than anexhilarating character , there is muchcause for congratulation in the general aspect of the game at the present time. The experience of the last few years has proved beyond a doubt the increasing popularity of the better class of cricket . The growing appreciation shownby the public for a higher kind of fixture has naturally improved the standard of the game as well as of its exponents , andthe natural outcome has been a steady increase in the numberof county clubs -a development which is sure to advance as well as consolidate the best interests of cricket . Recent legislation , too, it is only fair to state , has contributed materially to prevent anysign of diminution in the public taste for sport of good quality . The effect of the two changes made by the Marylebone Club in 1889 has been distinctly beneficial , and those whowere mainly responsible for them have reason tocongratulate themselves on their foresight . A sa matter of fact , the addition of the fifth ball to the over has , without apparently involving the smallest additional strain on the bowler , had an appreciable influence in quickening the game. The new powers allowing acaptain to terminate his innings under, of course , certain reservations have,too,done much to reduce the number of unfinished games without in anywayinterfering with the general principles of cricket. In addition the establishment of a definite system officially recognized b ythe counties themselves for determining bymeansof points the positions of the principal candidates in the competition for whatis practically the premier