James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1892

2 2 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL. Aglance at the averages indicates that Winchester possessed a really strong batting team, stronger probably in this respect than most elevens the school has turned out of late years . Had the bowling been of anything like the same calibre , they would have been an extraordinarily powerful side ; but, even as it wasweare inclined to think that they would have proved more than amatch for any public school eleven of the year . In the eyes of Wykehamists , victory in the Etonmatchis enough to stamp any team as good; and the last victory was the morenoteworthy because the winners were deprived of the services of their best bowler, while their crack batsman was practically hors de combat . Wigram deserves great credit for his share in the victory , as not only did he managehis bowling well-a point , by the way, in which he was rather at fault in some of the earlier matches-but by his personal success with bat and ball , he set his followers an excellent example. The other notable performances of the year were the good stand made against Martin and Pickett in the M.C.C. match , a crushing defeat of the I Zingari , a praiseworthy victory over the Butterflies , and, above all , a signal triumph over A. J. Webbe's Eleven , who were an exсер- tionally strong lot . Themost prominent individuals of the team were Wigram, Leveson-Gower, Mason, and Lewis. Wigramdid not come on in bowling as muchas washoped, and was neither so successful nor so dangerous as Mason, whose45 wickets were obtained at a very reasonable cost ; but in batting he madegreat strides , andmust be classed highly for all -round merit . Leveson- Gower scored largely in 1890 , but was even more useful last year , and is thought sure of eventually making his mark in first - class cricket . This statement is somewhatpremature , as he will be at Winchester for another year, at all events . W ehave placed Lewis among the selected candidates because in a year when there were a good manywicket -keepers of at least average merit he stands quite alone . W euse no exaggeration whenwesay that , if his hands will only stand , he will be good enough to keep wicket for almost any team. Of the others Scott and Case were probably the best , some of the older hands not making much, if any, advance on their previous doings ; but we should not think there is muchlikelihood of a place in the Oxford team falling to Case's share , though w eare told that someof his admirers thinkit farfromimprobable. Ourremarks on this eleven mayseem never ending ; but, at the risk of appearing tedious , we must, for the sake of our younger readers , state that Winchester owedits success very largely to the intense keenness of the boys, and their willingness to profit b ythe teaching that they received from masters and professionals . Let us say to all our young friends who want to win glory on the cricket -field , go and do likewise . With this salutary piece of advice we close our account of public school cricket in England during the year 1891 ; but we think that a few words about the boys of Scotland ought not to be considered out of place in this article . The struggle for the championship of Scotland resulted in a dead heat between Loretto and Blair Lodge, whoeach suffered one defeat in the series of contests , Blair Lodge failing unaccountably against Merchiston , and Loretto going down before their co-dead-heaters . Thepoint that strikes an unprejudiced critic most, in scanning the results of Scotch cricket , is the wonderful success of the chief bowler, or bowlers , in most of the leading schools . This would show either that the batting generally was decidedly poor, or that the grounds favour the bowlers more than enough, for we are loth to believe that in any one year there can be so manyphenomenal bowlers across the border . Neverhaving had any personal experience of Scotch cricket , our remarks are based more on sup- position than on knowledge, so if we blunder our Scotch friends must in pity pardonus . Champiouship rules apart , unbiassed observers would be willing to admit the claims of Blair Lodge to the possession of the strongest team of the year. In their captain , McLaren, was probably seen one of the best school bowlers of the year, and we should be only too glad to hear that he was destined for one of our English universities . This , however, is not to be, so in all humanprobability McLaren's ability will remain to the majority of us at all events-anunknown quantity . Harbord gave him most useful support , and did an enormous amount of work , infinitely more than the hardest worked of