James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1895

4 6 LILLYWHITE'SCRICKTERS' A N N U A L. qualification which goes to make a first -class all-round cricketer . Asummaryof the nine first -class Counties represents the sumand substance of the County championship for the season . O f their respective success or failure the following table will be the best evidence . Surrey Yorkshire M i d d l e s e x K e n t Lancashire S o m e r s e t N o t t s S u s s e x Gloucestershire Played W o n L o s t D r a w nT i e d P o i n t s. 1 6 1 3 2 0 1 1 1 1 5 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 6 8 5 3 0 3 1 5 6 6 3 0 0 1 6 7 7 1 1 0 1 6 6 7 3 0 1 1 6 4 8 4 0 4 1 6 3 1 1 2 0 8 1 6 2 1 3 1 0 - 1 1 The first matchbetween Yorkshire and Kentwas abandoned, owing to rain , without a ball being bowled. If only for the purposes of future reference , too, it will be of interest to give a few statistics illustrative of the chief performances , collective as well as individual . In all seventy -one matches were played , andin these 38,945 runs were scored for 2353 wickets . There were during the season twenty-five individual scores of three figures . Brockwell madethree for Surrey (107 v. Gloucestershire , 106 not out v. Notts , and 103 v. Yorkshire ), Haywardtwo (142 v. Kent and 113 v. Somerset), Mr. W. W.Read one (161 v. Yorkshire ),Abel (136 not out v. Middlesex ). Fourwere madefor Yorkshire (Mr. F. S. Jackson 145 v. Notts and 131 v. Sussex ; Hirst115 not out v. Gloucestershire ; B r o w n100 v. Gloucestershire ) ; one for Middlesex(Mr. T. C. O'Brien111not out v. Somerset) ; one for Kent(Mr. J. R . Mason 102 v. Lancashire ) ; five for Lancashire (F. H. Sugg 157 not out and105 v. Somerset ; Albert Ward131 and 109 v. Gloucestershire ; Briggs 101 v. Kent). Twofor Somerset (Mr. L. C. H. Palairet 119 v. Notts ; Mr. R. P. Spurway108 not out v. Gloucestershire ). Three for Notts (Gunn121 not out and 101 v. Somerset; Flowers102 v. Gloucestershire ) ; and twofor Sussex(Mr. W .N e w h a m 110 not out v. Lancashire; Mr. C. B. Fry109 v. Gloucestershire). Countycricket received a newinterest in the increased importance given to four of the shires which havebeen on the borderland of the front rankfor the last few years . A nunanimous recommendation of the captains of the leading elevens that the matches of Derbyshire , Essex, Leicestershire , and Warwickshire should be regarded as first -class , if only for the purpose of averages , andduly approved by the Marylebone Club, gave general satisfaction to the cricketing public as a recognition , however tardy, of the claims of the four counties to have the performances of their players reckoned of the same account as those of the older counties . The promotion , as it was, did not take place in time to admit of any re-arrangement of the county championship , andthe only effect for last year at least , was to include the players scores andbowling performances in the first -class averages . Still , it is satisfactory to add that the four counties , on the whole, fully justified the confidence in their powers . The consistently good all- roundcricket of the Warwickshireeleven w a s oneof quite the mostnoticeable features of the early part of the season . Notts, Surrey, and Kent were all defeated in turn, and in addition to victories over Essex , Leicestershire , Hamp- shire and Derbyshire , in one of the two drawngames with Yorkshire , Warwick- shire had little , if any, the worst of the draw. The Derbyshire eleven, too , showed themselves capable of holding their own with the best Counties , as their performances against Yorkshire , Lancashire and Surrey will show, even if we take no notice of their victories over Essex, Leicestershire and Warwickshire . Leicestershire had not as consistent a record, but even in their case there w a s the evidence , in the triple victory over Surrey , Yorkshire and Notts, to showthat they were able to render a good account of themselves with even the most successful of the older Counties . Unfortunately for Essex, the ill -luck which has followed themwith such singular pertinacity for the last three or four years , did not desert them at the time whena little good fortune would have been