James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1893

8 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' ANNUAL. In the early part of the season the Inter -University match was regarded as a foregone conclusion for Cambridge. On paper they certainly seemed to have a more level side all through , and up to a certain time were justly favourites . The later trial , however, showed that Oxford were really a better eleven than their early form appeared to indicate , and on the day it was generally voted that the gamepresented a fairly open appearance . Oxford's victory was, it is hardly necessary to recall , the work of two men, M. R. Jardine and V. T. Hill , whose hitting in the first innings was quite one of the best features of the match. E. C. Streatfeild and the Freshman, P. H. Latham, madeabrilliant effort during the latter part of Cambridge's second innings to save the matchfor their side , a n dit w a snottheir faultthatfortunefavouredO x f o r din thee n d. T h eresult of the gameproved one thing beyond a doubt, that in bowling, at least , both elevens were b yno meansup to the best standard. A t all events, the match established a triple record in the matter of run-getting -the highest aggregate (1,100 runs), three scores of a hundred, and the best individual aggregate in M. R. Jardine's 179. Andbeyond this , it maybe added, Cambridge's second total of 388 is equal to the best previous total in thematch. Public School cricket was chiefly noteworthy for the excellent performances of the Winchester eleven . Their easy victory over Eton was clearly fore- shadowed by the evident superiority of their cricket on public form. In J. R. Masonthey had, according to all appearances , an all -round player of exceptional promise, and the excellence of their collective cricket throughout the season only served to emphasise the regret that they had no chance of proving their undoubted ability against other schools than Eton. Public opinion was vindica- ted in the defeat of Eton by Harrow. At the same time, there was nothing like the difference that was generally expected , and the cricket altogether washardly up to the average of the match. Rugby, just of late years , has not been able to turn outanycricketer of the stamp of Pauncefote , or Yardley, or Francis , and the eleven of 1892 was certainly not up to the best standard at any point . O n the other hand Marlborough had a useful , as well as level eleven , and the stand of P. R. Creed and Mortimer gave them an advantage which enabled them to defeat Rugbyat Lord's with plenty in hand. Charterhouse wonboth its Inter- School matches with ease and, onpaper, hada strong eleven . Atthe same time, its successes were in a great measure the work of one hand, the captain , G. O. Smith , the best Public School batsman of the year , who ought , on his public form , to be a very useful addition to the Oxford eleven of 1893. Asfar as one can judge Oxford will have the pick of the Public School players of last year. Among those who are already in residence at that University are G. J. Mordaunt, the Wellington captain , G. B. Raikes , captain of Shrewsbury, H. D. Leveson- Gower, Winchester captain , and a good manymore of lesser degree . Although in August manyof the most important county matches were alto- gether spoiled -in one instance to the extent of limiting the period of actual play to less than an hour-still , as a general rule , the wickets throughout the season weremorein favour of the batsman than the bowler. B yno means the least grati- fying feature of the season wasthat the amateurswereat least able to hold their own, andmore than their own, as run-getters . As a matter of fact , for once pro- fessional cricketers were able to claim only a very small share of the principal honours . Shrewsbury, it is true , again, and in spite of a very unpromising com- mencement, proved himself to be the most reliable batsman of the year. Gunn also occupied a very prominent position , only inferior to that of the great master of defence . But they were the exceptions -brilliant ones it must be admitted- still the chief places in the first -class batting averages went to the amateurs , whosupplied eight of the ten most successful batsmen of the year. Inthe earlier matches S. W. Scott's batting for Middlesex was quite one of the mostnoteworthy incidents of county cricket . Later on the performances of H. T. Hewettand L. C. H. Palairet , for Somersetshire , put everything else into the shade to the extent , in one particular instance , of upsetting a record which hadnot been passed since 1867. Theveteran , W. G. , too , though incapacitated for a time in the middle of the season owing to a strain , showed in the later