James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annaul 1897

'P U B L I CS C H O O LC R I C K E TIN 1 8 9 6 1 1 two very useful all -round players , and the latter wouldhave met with more success had he taken a little moretrouble and not been quite so careless and listless . Of the remainder Goldsmith was a useful and plucky bat, though not very attractive to watch , while his fielding at point was always excellent. Haileybury had another disappointing season , only four matches out oftwelve ending in victory , whilst the defeats included those inflicted by Uppinghamand Wellington . The Cheltenham match again proved a most interesting struggle , and, had time allowed , Haileybury might perhaps havewon. Viewedb y this match, they were a better side than someof their performances would lead one to suppose ; but in our opinion the Cheltonians were by no meansat their best in this match, morethan one of their most reliable bats being palpably off colour . The Haileybury boys werefairly strong inbatting , Harrison andFraser being the most successful . T h eformer played a particularly good innings against the M.C.C., and is undoubtedly a boy of great promise. If only he could improve his defence hewould bequite first class . Carter , the captain , was the best bat in the team, but did not have, on the whole, the best of luck . The bowling was weak, there being no reliable change bowler , all the work devolving onthe first two, Giles and Jupp, who, under the circumstances , must be said to havedoneextremely well . Theground fielding was good, and the catching bad, a defect which caused the Haileybury boys many a long outing last s u m m e r . Thedecisive victory gained by W i n c h e s t e rover Eton was a fitting windu p to one of the most successful seasons the school has ever had. Outof thirteen engagementsthe one matchlost wasagainst A. J. Webbe's eleven, and that only by eleven runs. Theside is described as a really good one, being particularly strong in batting , while the display of fielding that they gave in the Eton match will not readily be forgotten by those whowere fortunate enough to be present . The bowling averages do not read especially well on paper ; but , in estimating the powers of the bowlers, the marvellous wickets that are provided on the Winchester ground must be taken into consideration . The batting figures are exceptional , nine m e nhaving averages of over twenty ; Gibson, who also heads the bowlingtables , leading with the splendid one of fifty -five , andhe was undoubtedly the best all -round manin the team. As a batsman he is possessed of great patience and powers of defence , and time after time extricated his side fromnone too pleasant a position . H ehas not gone to either University , but wesincerely trust that he will not be lost to first -class cricket , as on his school performances he is a cricketer of undeniable merit . Rowe(the captain ), who scored consistently through the season , played a mostbrilliant and attractive innings against Eton, and as he is a smart field wehope to hear of his success at Oxford next year . Reynolds (the wicket -keeper ) was really excellent . Of the others , Lee, who appeared for Hampshireduring the course of the summer, was the best. H edid several notableperformances both with bat and ball . Noel, whowasin great form intheEtonmatch, is said to be very promising, andshould be of great use in the future . Asw ehavestated above, the fielding of the Winchesterboys was really superb , and it would be well for some of the other schools if they could imitate the Wykehamists in this most important branch of the game. Reynolds is captain this year , and, with several promising boys to help him, Winchester maylook forward to another successful season in 1897.