James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1899

C R I C K E TIN 1 8 9 8. 5 P A R TI. C H A P T E R I. C R I C K E T I N 1 8 9 8. B YINCOG. THEYorkshire Eleven were the best all -round Countyside of the year ; of that "there was no possible probable shadow of doubt , no possible doubt whatever ." There weresomeindeed who, in their enthusiasm , went so far as to claim that they were the strongest teama Countyhadever been able to place in the field . Thatof course is a mere matter of opinion . But the exceptional strength of the Yorkshire Eleven of last summerwas too pronounced to be questioned seriously . There was really no weakpoint intheir cricket . It could not be urged, as of some other prominent Counties , that they were only a fair- weather side . O n the contrary, the greatest testimony to their excellence was in their adaptability to different conditions , the infinite variety of their cricket in fact . Withwickets in favour of run -getting , what a formidable aggregation of batting ! Brown, Tunnicliffe , Denton , F. S. Jackson , Wain- wright , Lord Hawke, Hirst , every one of them with more than one hundred tohis credit in first -class cricket. Besides these seven werethere notF. W . Milligan , most dashing of batsmen , Haigh and the Colt Rhodes , both reliable at a pinch, andeach capable of his fifty or moreagainst the best bowling, with, last of all , DavidHunter, whosecapacity at the finish of an innings has been proved time after time ? Under less favourable conditions they werehardly less conspicuous . With Brown, Denton, Jackson , Wainwright , Lord Hawke , and Hirst , i there were at least six batsmen capable ofplaying a forcing game, the only really paying game when the pitch favours the bowler . And when the wickets were soft and treacherous ,us what an array of bowling just suited to the exigencies of the situation ! Four of the Elevenquite first class under such circumstances in Haigh , Rhodes , F. S. Jackson , and Wainwright . To emphasise their all -round strength , too , a consistently good fielding side , manyof them brilliant , the Eleven , with hardlyan exception keen, smart, and withal sure. Four really first -class bowlers, three useful changes , a side capable of makingruns to the very last , and a fielding combination distinctly above the average , that was the sum of Yorkshire's credentials . No wonder that they were able to secure the highest honours of the year. H o wgreat a part Lord Hawkeplayed in their triumphs Yorkshire cricketers know best . The high pressure of Countycricket nowadays requires that a team should have a Captain in w h o mthey have absolute confidence , and one capable of stimulating them b y his own personal influence and example to the very utmost . H o w thoroughly Lord Hawke succeeded can be illustrated by the fact that the