James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annaul 1897

C R I C K E TIN 1 8 9 6. 6 1 adangerous combination, and their batting helped themto gain whatwas a most creditable victory . K. S. Ranjitsinhji , F. S. Jackson , and W .G. Gracewere the most successful , and it was mainly the work of this trio that the 224 runs wanted for the fourth innings were got with the loss of only four wickets . That the Players madea good fight after all was due chiefly to Hayward, Abel, and J. T. Hearne, who between them contributed2 8 1of thes e c o n dtotal of 373. The OxfordEleven did a remarkably fine performance in beating Cambridge as they did. T ohave to go in against such a total as 319 was to start with a heavy task . But at the finish their chances were apparently hopeless with 336 runs to get in the fourth innings . N osuch achievement has been recorded so far in an Inter -University match, very rarely in any fixture , and it was a brilliant feat of the Oxoniansto makethemas they didfor the loss of only four batsmen. Their success at the finish was entirely the work of G. O. Smith. Oddly enough, he was the last m a n chosen for Oxford in 1895, and what service he rendered can be judged fromthe fact that h em a d e169 runsin the t w oinnings.. Thematchwas memorablefor the wides and no-balls bowledby Mr.E. B. Shine, with the object of preventing Oxford from following on. This manœuvre, which had been anticipated by Mr. C. M. Wells three years previously in the same match, led to much controversy , and finally to a circular from the M. C.C. to the Counties uponthe question of the follow on. TheHarrowEleven fully upheld the reputation they had gained for ability to play an up-hill game against Eton at Lord's . Following on in a minority of 168 runs they had no easy task to avoid defeat . Butthey did, thanks in a great measure to a fine stand of Rattigan andStudd, and their partnership for the sixth wicket in the second innings , which produced 101 runs, enabled Harrowto leave off in a fairly creditable position . A s it was, in all probability Etonwould havewonwith something in hand. T w oof their eleven , Pilkington and Bosanquet, both got 100, and as run-getters theywere a likely side . F. H. Mitchell's lobs, too, proved very effective , andhis achievement in the first innings of Harrow, wherehebowled forty overs for forty-four runs and six wickets , wasone of considerable merit. Butthe School cricket has otherwise been so fully dealt with that it is quite unnecessaryto refer to it here. T h evisit of the English team to South Africa, under LordHawke's captaincy, was successful from a cricket standpoint as well as financially . T h epromoters were placed at a great disadvantage owingto the complica- tions in the Transvaal , in the very heart of the tour. It wasat the initiative of George Lohmannthat the trip was organised , and it was only in the fitness of things that he should not only have participated in its success , but also contributed so much by his very effective bowling to the excellentr e c o r do f t h et e a mo nthefield.