James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1892

2 0 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL. pity is that they are not able to measure their strength against some rival school. Tonbridge claims to have hadlast year the best eleven since 1884. Of the thirteen matches six were won and three lost , and among their victims were Brighton and Dulwich . As far as batting ability was concerned there is no doubt they were a strong lot . Kennington improved greatly on his 1890 doings , and his average is in advance of any Tonbridge average since Rashleigh's days . Fourothers of the old team did well , while Bannonmadea most satisfactory début , and will probably makefurther development this season . Marshall, the crack bowler of the last two years , was again far ahead of his compeers , though W o o dand Clarke , both of w h o mare promising , gave him good support . Clarke's luck throughout the season was most tantalising , as the fielding , the weakpoint of the team, told against him to such anextent that it is said more than twenty catches were missed off his bowling . Baiss is nowcaptain , and, bearing inmindthe steady improvement he has madesince he first appeared in the eleven , maybe expected to do great things this year . He will have Wood and Clarke to help him, but there must be an improvement in the fielding line if the teamis to outrival the deeds of the one of which wehave just been speaking . Thepalmydays of Uppingham cricket seem to have returned , if wem a y judge by the eulogistic account which has reached us of last season's doings . Those on the spot pronounce the team to have been one of the best that Stephenson ever put in the field ,and though this maybe somewhat exaggerated praise , their record of seven victories and but one defeat is one of which they m a y well feel proud. There was an entire absence of stars , but they were a good level lot all through , and the elder Westray led them with great judgment, displaying , on and off the field alike , the qualities of a first -rate captain . H eis at the head of the batting averages , but, sound steady bat though he is , w e should judge him to be behind Hemingwayin cricketing ability . W ebelieve that weare but re-echoing the general verdict whenwesay that with care , and uniform attention to Stephenson's coaching , Hemingwayought to develop into a first -class man. Forthe batting performances of the rest of the teamw e mustrefer our readers to other pages of the ANNUAL, but we must not omit to mention the bowling of Sharp and Bardswell and the all -round play of Wilson . Bardswell has before now been specially noticed in these columns as a boy of great promise , but thus far he has shown himself incapable of getting runs andwickets in the same season . In 1890 he was practically harmless with the ball, but scored with some regularity , last year he could do nothing with the bat, but his bowling was better than ever, and his record of 55 wickets for 9 runs apiece is most creditable . H ehad an able coadjutor in Sharp, whosoon madehis markas the most dangerous bowler on the side . H e is fast , with a good high delivery , and on anything like a nasty wicket took a lot of stopping . W ehaveheard wonderful accounts of Wilson, and he must be a boy of unusual capacity , while in the matter of inches he is probably behind all public school boys whose names will figure in this year's Lillywhite . Bardswell ought to have no difficulty in choosing a powerful team this year as , the two Westrays and Burlison excepted , he has almost the whole of last year's strength at his c o m m a n d . The account of Wellington's doings is one which should afford their sup- porters the most lively satisfaction . It is always pleasant to read of a team inspired throughout with energy and self -reliance -a teamthat is not dependent ononeor two individuals , but whose membersmaybe trusted always to do their best, however unfavourable circumstances m a yseem. Such was the eleven that represented Wellington last year ; and there is little doubt that for general batting excellence they are entitled to very high praise . In the three school matches they were seen in a very favourable light , their victories over Charter- house and Haileybury being most decisive , while they had a great deal the best of the g a m eat Cheltenham. Whetherthe last -mentionedmatch is to be an annual affair wedo not know; but in the first trial of strength the Wellington boys showed marked superiority in batting and fielding , though they had no