James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1899

T H EG L O U C E S T E R S H I R E E L E V NO F 1898. W I T Ha sense of the eternal fitness of things , W . G. Grace's Jubilee was markedby a general improvement in Gloucestershire cricket . Thatthey were as good a side all round as Yorkshire or Middlesex on the form of the season their most enthusiastic supporter would hardly venture to urge seriously . On the other hand their cricket was bright and attractive as a whole . There was plenty of life in it, which is equivalent to saying that the team was young-that is , col- lectively . W. G. seems to be perennial . At least half -a-century does not appear to have had any serious effect on his batting or bowling, even if he does not find it so easy to get downto the ball or follow it so quickly in the field . Howimportant a share he took in Gloucestershire's successes last year the records will show. Hewas fortunate in having at his disposal a better all -round side than he has had for many years . Happily for Gloucestershire C. L. Townsend regained most o the devil that his bowling seemed to have lost . Asa batsman he was one of the very best of the year, quite in the fore- front , indeed , as an all -round player . In W. Troup , C. O. H. Sewell , G. L. Jessop , R. W. Rice , and besides B. Champain , Gloucestershire had five batsmen, all of them capable of a big score , though Jessop and Champain were a little disappointing last year . In addition , W . S. A. Brown showed a marked advance as an all -round cricketer , and was of great use to the County . A good working combination , the Gloucestershire Eleven were certainly one of the most reliable , as they were undoubtedly one of the most popular sides of 1898 .