James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annaul 1897

C R I C K E TIN 1 8 9 6. 5 5 run-getting was the order of the day their exceptional batting strength w a sboundto stand themin good stead . Nine at least of the team might get a hundredat any time, and whena forcing gamewas essential there were several of the team who could thoroughly adapt themselves to those particular methods. Yorkshire's all -round cricket was undoubtedly the best feature of the season , and their success was only the fair reward of all- r o u n dm e r i t. Agood useful side , with plenty of pluck and never beaten till the match was over, Lancashire had its strength augmented considerably when Mr. A. C. McLarenwas able to take his place in the team. Thebowling was not quite so good ; Briggs , until the wickets began to help him, did not puzzle batsmen as much as of old . Owing to a strain , too , Mold was not seen at his best the season through. Still , as it was, the pair bore the brunt of the bowling for Lancashire. As a change Hallamwas decidedly above the average, andwhenthe side were in a knot Bakergenerally came to the rescue . Baker's all -round cricket was of great value throughout. If Mr. McLarenwas the only bright particular star in the batting , with FrankSugg, in perhaps, his best formlast year, Albert W a r d, Paul, Baker and Briggs still to be relied on for an emergency , there was the foundation of a good score at anytime. Smith, the wicket-keeper, so useful in 1895, wasquite out of form with the bat, and this madesome difference . Mr. Ernest Rowley showed excellent form, and will be of great use to the County, andthough he was left out after the early matches I'Anson is a likely all -round cricketer for the future . Lancashire's position as second only to Yorkshire was a fair representation of the merits of the side. Middlesex has almost unlimited supplies of amateur talent to draw upon, and with its best eleven would bear comparison with any county . With any amount of batting it was fortunate enough to possess undoubtedly the best bowler of the year in J. T. Hearne. O n the other hand Rawlin, as the wickets were, did not meet with anything like the same success , a remark whichwill apply equally to Phillips . Mr. C. M. Wells was of great assist- ance in the later matches ; but still another reliable bowler is wanted. The eleven were unlucky in losing Mr. Hayman, owing to an accident , in the middle of the season , as with Mr. Stoddart and Sir T. C. O'Brien he had shared the bulk of the run-getting . Mr. Bromley-Davenport was useful both as a batsman and a bowler , and the inclusion of Messrs . J. Douglas , who wasin remarkable form, and Francis Ford in Augustmade the side still stronger in batting . In Mr. E. H. Bray, of the Cambridge Eleven , Middle- sex had a useful understudy for Mr. McGregor, who was not able to keep wicket owing to an injury in the latter part of the season . O fSurrey it maybe said that it went up like a rocket and came down like a stick . All the first four matches were wonwith an innings to spare , andfor a time it looked as if there would only be Yorkshire at all likely to lowertheir colours . B u tbefore the middleof the seasonit h a dbeencon- clusively shown that their powers had been a little overrated . Defeats by Lancashire and Middlessx brought them downto the common-place . Their all -round cricket in the later matches was unworthy of the reputation they haddeservedly gained in the early part of the season . Luck was a little against them it maybe admitted . Street and Holland , two young batsmen whohadthoroughly proved their ability , both had to stand out of the team owing to injuries . Besides this Lockwood was quite out of form in the later matches , and the loss of his bowling was felt severely . Richardson and