James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1893

1 2 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS ANNUAL. Several other boys have earned great reputations , notably H. K. Foster of Malvern , Raikes of Shrewsbury , Hemingway of Uppingham, Mordaunt of Wellington , Smith of Charterhouse , Warner of Rugby, Clayton of Harrow, and Hoare of Eton, while , in a lesser degree , a flattering report has reached us of Ransome, Studd , Rudd, and Burrough . Of Foster we can speak in terms of the highest praise . H ebegan the season badly , and is not, perhaps , quite so steady a player as his old colleague , Latham, but he is undoubtedly possessed of greater power, and promises to develop into a high-class bats- man. H e is also a brilliant field at short slip , and has proved of immense service to Worcestershire . Ransome, another Malvernian , is a most capable cricketer , but he will never excel unless he can throw off the listlessness which w a sonly too pronouncedlast season. Salopians claim for Raikesthe honouredtitle of the best school batsmanof the year. This he maypossibly be, though, be it noted , there are at least five others , to w h o mtheir respective partisans award the title . W e, however, do not knowhowhe will frame against professional bowlers , and so are unwilling to pronounceanydefinite opinion as to his chances of success in first -class cricket . T ojudge by results only Burrough, also a Salopian , was little , if at all , his in- ferior , and we shall be not a little curious to watch their respective doings at the rival Universities. Smith's performances in the two school matches were positively phenomenal, and to themhis large average is mainly due, though it is only fair to state that hewasseldom dismissed without adding considerably to the score sheet . H ehas everything in his favour , a great reputation , long experience , and an already assured position at Oxford , thanks to his prowess at football , and he may rest satisfied that every opportunity will be given him of showing his capabilities in theparks. Hemingwayis a cricketer whose future it is hard to foretell . Hehas extra- ordinary ability , but at present he is rash and uncertain , and we are doubtful whether he will sink into comparative insignificance , or develop into one of the great cricketers of the day. Mordaunt has done great things at Wellington , and it would be a real pleasure to find that his unremitting exertions for the well-being of his school were rewarded by a place in the Dark Blue team. Whether the reward will comethis year or not remains to be seen . Competition must necessarily be very keen, but, if what wehear is true , there ought to be no doubt about his being "in the running " for a place in the 'Varsity eleven before he takes his degree . Clayton , the best of the Harrow batsmen , is now at University , and, though his average compares unfavourably with that of boys from other schools , it must be remembered that the quality of his opponents was, as a rule , distinctly good, while the Harrowground does not lend itself to high scoring . W ehave a very strong impression that more than one of the players in the great matchof July 8 and 9, will be found in the ranks of the " Blues ," before their 'Varsity careers a r eo v e r. Hoareis a player whose claims cannot be overlooked , but we are uncertain whetherhe is destined for either University . He has done yeomanservice for Eton, both with bat and ball , over and over again , but at Winchester he sur- passed himself , for not only was he the most successful bowler , but scored 116 in his two innings . Of Studd it is hard to speak-ill health prevented himfrom doing himself justice last year, but there is no reason why, with renewed strength , he should not train on into a really good m a n. W eshall deal with Ruddat another time , so one freshman only remains to be noticed here , Warner, the Rugbycaptain . To him was applied in 1891 and 1892 alike , andbe it added not byRugbeians only , the proud title to which we have already referred , the best schoolboy of the year. Those whosaw him play at Richmondin 1891 were loud in his praises , and all who have seen him make runs are agreed that he is a thorough cricketer . H ehas been very muchhandi- capped by the results of a nasty accident , and has not madethe advance that waslooked for in 1890, but none the less he is the best batsman that has been