James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1893

1 6 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKETERS' A N N U A L. great promise. These three will be at Malvern this year , and so will Rhodes, but it will be no easy task to find batsmen to fil the places of the Fosters , Ransome, andHignell , and it is doubtful whether the team will be quite up to the standard ofthe last two years , when, in our opinion , they were very nearly in the first flight . Underthe captaincy of Bardswell the Uppingham boys passed through the season without once experiencing defeat , and it is certainly not too muchto say of them that they were a distinctly good team . Bardswell contributed , in no slight degree , to this success . H eis an unmistakably good bowler , with plenty of commandover the ball , and his long experience has given a knowledge of the gamewhich very few schoolboys possess . In batting he was once more dis- appointing , and Stephenson could probably tell us the exact reason of his non- success in this line , but personally we can see no reason whyhe should notexcel , andwe shall be surprised if he is not somewhere near the top of the tree this year. Wilsonhas plenty of cricket in him, but his strength wasovertaxed and hedid not do himself justice in some of the later matches . At his best he is really good, and has infinite possibilities in him. Hemingwayhas already passed under notice , but we mayhere add that his 164 against Haileybury was a magnificent display , and, whenin the humour, he was probably the most taking boybatsman of the year. Of the others wecannot speak at any length , and it must be sufficent to note that Clover had a wonderfully successful first season , that Holroyd maybe considered somewhatlucky to appear so high in the list of averages , and that Whitwell's services to his side were greater than statistics imply . Speaking generally , batting was the strong , bowling the weakpoint of the team. Givena good hitter , Bardswell andWilson might be knocked off , and practically there was little else . Smith might get a wicket or two, and so might Sharp, provided the umpire was kind enoughnot to look at his arm ! All should go well this year; there are quite enough old choices , and there is no lack of material to supply the places of those that are gone . Without question there was a m rked improvement in the cricket at Haileybury last season , and, by winning a very easy victory over Wellington , and securing a draw against Uppingham, the Herts boys proved themselves rather dangerousadversaries . T h ecauses of the improvementare to be found partly , it maybe, in the presence of Davidson , the Derbyshire pro ., for the first monthof the season , but still more in the energy and judgment of the captain , backed up as it was by good wicket -keeping , consistent batting , and, at one end at all events , rather remarkable bowling . Fourof the eleven are in residence at one or other of the Universities , and we shall be much interested to see how they compare with the more-talked - of representatives of other schools . D'Aeth, unfortunately , has gone into business , but as he is located in Somersetshire we maybe sure his merits will not be overlooked , and , provided his reputation is deserved , and he keeps his form , he will have well nigh as manyopportunities of comingto the front as if he were at one of the Universities . Four of the team are still at school , as well as several membersof the second eleven , and as the gameis thoroughly popular with all sections of the school , it is reasonable to expect a continuance of the good form shownlast year. The success of Shrewsbury was so largely due to Raikes and Borrough that w e must be pardoned for passing over the doings of the others with but slight comment. This is the more pardonable because of their eleven engagements no less than seven were unfinished . The school matchwas easily w o n, the Rossallians failing to makeanystand in either innings against the Salopian bowling , Borrough securing nine wickets for forty - one runs ! But, asa team, the Shrewsbury boys were not more successful than their rivals , 146 of the 203 runs scored with the bat being due to the efforts of Raikes and Borrough , The loss of these two must be severely felt this year, but though it m a ybe pre- sumptuous to expect , it is certainly not presumptuous to hope , that the success of Raikes and his comrade during the last few seasons has inspired their fellows with a greater love for, and devotion to, the best of all games. Withno less than six newchoices among them the Tonbridge team deserve warmcommendation for their performances last summer. They won their two