James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1899

T H EC O U N T I E SIN 1898. 7 1 (5) Essexv. Warwickshire. Leyton, June9, 10 and 11. First innings, as the wicket was, meanta great deal, as Warwickshire found to their cost . H. G. Owen(74) and Carpenter (61) set the ball rolling successfully for Essex, and, as seven others got double figures , headed by A. P. Lucas (62), the result was a creditable total of 356. It was practically , too , awinning score . Warwickshire , indeed , had to bat on the second day on awicket drying after the rain , and had to follow on in a minority of 132 runs . Theymade a better show in the second innings , but the game was already lost . Lilley (17 and 58) and W. G. Quaife (41 and 25) were the principal scorers . C. J. Kortright , who did not bowl in Warwickshire's first innings , took seven wickets in the second for 60 runs. Essex wonby an innings and 34 runs . Essex, 356. Warwickshire , 124 and 198 ; total , 322 . (6) Essexv. Hampshire. Southampton, June23, 24 and25. Luckagain favoured Essex in the toss , and did muchto give them the victory . Thoughthey went in first with the wicket easy, they did none too well, with a total of 252, of which P. Perrin (68) and C. McGahey(57) sub- scribed more than half. Hampshirehad to bat under great disadvantages , particularly in the second innings . This fact only emphasised the excellence ofA. J. L. Hill's batting . In the first innings he made 61 (not out ) of 126 from the bat, and, in the second, 32 of 82. O nthe third dayuntil almost the very last it looked as if Hampshirewould save the game. Asit was, the wicket became so difficult under the influence of the sun that C. J. Kortright's bowling enabled Essex to win a quarter of anhour before time. Kortright took the last six wickets for ten runs a wonderful performance . Essex wonby 126 runs . Essex, 252 and 107 (3 wickets , innings declared ) ; total , 359. Hamp- shire, 133 and100; total , 233. (7) Essexv. Yorkshire. Bradford, June 28 and 29 . Rainprevented anyplay on the first day, and a commencementwas not possible till one o'clock on the second . Essex were considered very lucky in winningthe toss . As it was, they began so badly that four of the best bats- m e nwere out for 19 runs , and H. G. Owen(17) and A. J. Turner (14) were responsible for 31 out of 64. W h e nYorkshire went in they mostly played the forcing game, and with success . LordHawke, who, in the absence of Tunni- cliffe , wentin first , was highest scorer with 62, and six others also did fairly well . Essex began their second innings 214 to the bad, and, though A. P. Lucas (49) played well , never really looked like putting Yorkshire in again . Yorkshire wonby an innings and 38 runs . Yorkshire , 278. Essex, 64 and176 ; total, 240. Rhodes (Yorkshire) Overs. M d n s. 3 5 6 6 . 4 (8) Essexv. Gloucestershire. Leyton , July 7, 8 and 9. R u n s. 9 2 W k t s. 1 1 A ninteresting match, ending in an exciting finish . It was W. G.'s day in every way, and, indeed , his all -round cricket was the chief factor in Glouces- tershire's success . Essex, to start with, madea poor showagainst his bowling , andwere all out for 128. Only 44 of these camefrom W. G., whotook seven wickets . W h e nhis side went to bat, too. he scored 126 out of 214 from the bat-a brilliant innings , lasting three hours and a quarter . In the second innings it looked as if Essex were in for a big score . A tone time 175 wasup for only three wickets . Then E. C. Wright's bowling came off effectually , so m u c hso that the total only reached 250. At the finish Gloucestershire had 148 to win, but as the wicket was not perfect , it was by no means a certainty . A tthe end of the second day 81 of them had been made with only four bats- 7 C 2