James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1891

P U B L I CS C H O O LC R I C K E TIN 1890. 1 7 The Marlborough eleven was not so strong as in 1889 , but was still a good average one . They started with only two members of the previous year's team , butthe newhands, although they were rough at the beginning of the season , tried hard and improved steadily so that byJuly they were a bad lot to beat. TheCheltenham match formed a striking instance of where Marlborough's strong point lay : they played an uphill gameadmirably , and were never beaten until thelast ball of the match had been bowled. Thebatting averages shownine double figures , proof enough that , if nothing individually brilliant was accom- plished , there was very little tail . Cheales was the best batsman , and he comes outvery fairly with 22 for 17 innings . Etlinger was a good and steady player , the two Druces proved themselves very useful , and Shorland , though apt to be careless , was a most punishing hitter . Macnamara bowled excellently ; he is very fast and comes back a good deal . Etlinger , the captain , was a most service- able bowler-slow and nearly always effective . Heis not thought, however, as promising as Macnamara, though he headed the bowling averages with 50 wickets for 12 runs each. Marley was a very fair left -hander, and filled most usefully the post of eleventh batsman. Ninth wicket downsuited him so admirably that hewas eight times not out and averaged 14 runs per innings . The fielding was not very dashing but safe : Cheales and Cairnes were very good in the outfield , andAddie was a smart cover -point . Outof ten matches the Marlborough boys accounted for six victories , and as these included both the school matches their record is in every waymost satisfactory . Oundle hadtwo steady bowlers in Hanksand Reade, and the latter captained carefully and well his somewhat mediocre eleven . H a m m o n dheads the batsmen withanaverage of 20, but the rest are poor. There was nothing which particu- larly demandsattention in the results of the season . The excellence of the record at Radley , where seven wins were registered as against two losses , is largely due to their captain , Bathurst , who not only managed the side very skilfully , but also performed with the most conspicuous success in all three departments of the game. H e is a long w a yahead of his colleagues both as a batsmanand a bowler, but it is in the former capacity that w ehopeto see himmakehis markin wider spheres . H eaveraged 40, with an aggregate of 483, and is certainly the best all -round manthey have had at Radleyfor some years . Of the rest Nelson is a dangerous bat, and Orlebar came ongreatly as a bowler . The fielding of the team is highly spoken of, and with the experience andadvice of A. C. M. Croometo guide them, there seems every chance of Radleybeing strong again next season , though the loss of Bathurst will necessarily be muchfelt . The results at Repton were favourable upon the whole , but the fielding was, with one or two exceptions , unsafe , and it was owing to this cause that their career wasmore chequered than it might have been. Ourcorrespondent , indeed , breaks out into some very forcible epithets uponthis point , andvery unfavourable comparisons are instituted between the Repton boys and their Uppingham opponents in this particular . Thematchin question wasruined bythe rain , and ended in adraw. Malvern seldom show their true form against the Reptonians , andlast season they were unlucky enough to find Palairet in his happiest run- getting vein , with the most disastrous results . Of the eleven two members in particular call for notice . Fry, the captain , stays on for another summer, but hehas done enough already to justify us in reckoning hima most valuable m a n. H eis a most difficult wicket to get, and, though not the most stylish of batsmen, plays very straight and hits clean and hard . If he improves he should next year besecond to none amongpublic school cricketers . A neven more favourable verdict mustbe passed uponPalairet , whois confidently expected by the critics to follow in the wakeof his Oxford brother . H e bats in fine style , andwasin wonderful form throughout the Repton season , obtaining by the aid of a series of big scores the remarkably good average of 53. In addition to his batting powershe is a brilliant field , and he madea very creditable debut for the in- vincible Somersetshire eleven . The best bowler they had was Blain , fast right , whowas almost always effective . The rest of the side were fair , generally , but 3