James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1895

4 2 LILLYWHITE'SC R I C K E T E R S' A N N U A L. C H A P T E R I V. C R I C K E T I N 1 8 9 4. B YI N C O G. Fortunately , there was little to distract the attention of either players , or the public which follows them, from English cricket of the higher class last summer. True, there was the usual variety in the shape of the first appearance of a South African team. N oone would for a momentgainsay the advantages which have accrued to the game from the interchange of visits between English cricketers and their brothers from distant parts of the Empire. In the case of the South Africans , too , there was more reason to welcome them heartily , from the fact that the tour was clearly instituted with an educational object . The aim was solely to give the South African Cricketers the chance of meeting representative English teams , and by that means of perfecting , or at least , of improving themselves in the real science of the game. To undertake such atrip at all was of itself convincing proof of the great enterprise of the leaders of cricket in South Africa, and it is gratifying to reflect , that the success , from the standpoint of cricket , was unquestionable. Still , even admitting that, the South African team showed better all round form than was generally expected , their pro- grammewas not of a kind to interfere with the regular course of English cricket . Theydid play several of the first class Counties , as every one knows, and with by no means unsatisfactory results . But the real interest in English cricket was not in any way diverted . O n the contrary , the course of the County Championship was followed with the greatest excitement , and the anxiety consequent on the close race between Surrey and Yorkshire , was prolonged to the bitter end. Aftera time, really the chief interest in CountyCricket resolved itself very muchinto a question whether Surrey was to recover the honours which the Yorkshire Eleven had wrested from them the previous season . Onpublic form there was really very little to choose between them, and under ordinary favourable conditions , with both elevens in full strength , in a very large numberof cases the matches betweenthe two Counties wouldno doubthave producedclose and exciting gan.es. The general impression , justified by the general versatility of theeleven, wasthat, wherethe wicket was at all likely to favour the bowlers, the Yorkshiremen were, by the peculiar qualities of their batting , as well as the nature of the bulk of the bowling , the better side . O nthe other hand, where the pitch was true , Surrey were, rightly or wrongly, considered to have the advantage. In anycase, the result of the season showedthat the two Counties wereof very muchthe samestrength . It was unfortunate that luck should have beensuch an important factor in determining the premiership just at the finish . Justice would have been done, no doubt, if the weather had allowed Yorkshire to beat Somersetshire in their following engagement at Taunton, instead of reducing the cricket to the extent of one innings b y Somersetshire. B u tan equality of points between Surrey and Yorkshire at the extreme end of the season , wouldhave given rise to a discussion on the relative merit of the two Counties , whichcould never have been brought to a satisfactory conclusion . That there was little to choose between them, the record of the season will prove . Surrey defeated Yorkshire inboth matches, and of course deserve all the credit of their doublevictory . Still , in bothcases theyw o nthetoss , anadvantagewhich did much to decide the result of the game, particularly in the first fixture at