John and James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1882

* i: s k Q u i c k W IC K E T S A N D SUN SH IN E d u r in g th ree o f th e fou r months o f the season resu lted in h igh e r h a t t in g averages than w e have had to ch ron ic le fo r m an y a lo n g yea r . In fa c t , we have but little doubt tha t an accu ra te ana lysis w ou ld show th e genera l average of the players in the first-class m atches o f 1881 to he the h ighest on record. Mr. A . N . H ornby is the cham p ion batsm an o f the year , w ith an ao-<rregate o f 1,531 runs, and an ave rage score o f 41.14 fo r e v e r y inn ings . Considering that the L an cash ire cap ta in took part in v e ry n e a r ly a ll the leading matches, this is a w on d e r fu l p e r fo rm an ce . P erhaps his m ost striking successes w ere a ch ieved when p la y in g fo r h is C oun ty aga in st Derbyshire, inasm u ch as in each o f the tw o m a tches he m ade m o re runs off pis own hat in one inn in g s than the en tire op p o s in g e leven in tw o innings. Mr. H ornby ’ s first-class averages fo r th e last e ig h t seasons have been as fo llow s Times Most in Most in Year. Inninge. not out. Runs. an Inns. aMatch. Average. 1874 . . 14 2 349 72 99 29.1 1875 . . 25 1 686 78* 107 28.14 1876 . . 33 2 965 72 120 31.4 1877 . . 29 3 787 144 144 30.7 1878 . . 31 0 758 134 145 22.10 1879 . . 22 2 606 64* 113 30.6 1880 . . 36 3 784 126 138 23.25 1881 . . 37 0 1,531 188 188 41.14 Thus during the e igh t seasons last past M r. H ornby has, in 217 c om ­ pleted innings p layed in first-class m a tch e s , amassed 6,466 runs, his average, wh ich has n ever been less than 22 , b e in g fo r the e igh t years as high as 29.173 per inn ings— a p e r fo rm an ce surpassed in the anna ls o f cricket by one p la y e r o n ly , M r . W . G. Grace. In addition to Mr. H o rn b y , U ly e t t and E . L o ckw o o d have each an aggregate exceed ing 1,000 runs ; the fo rm e r ’ s ave rage show s an advance from 24.17 to 33.9, the la t te r ’ s from 23.9 to 27.34. Barnes , w h o was the crack professional ba tsm an o f 1880, has re trograded , the state o f h is h ea lth having m ilita ted aga in st his c r ick e t . N ea r ly all th e w e l l-k n ow n amateurs have im p roved th e ir figures ;^Mr. W . G. G race , h ow ever , w ith an aggregate o f 792, and an average o i 37.15, does n o t qu ite rea ch last year’s standard, and H on . Iv o B l ig li , ow in g to ill-h ea lth , has n o t been in equally good fo rm to th a t shown by h im in 1880. Messrs. W . O. M ob e r ly , 1. Penn, C. F . H . Leslie, W . W . B ead , L . C. D ocker , and Hon . E. L y t t e l to n have each an average ex ce ed in g 30 runs per inn ings , and M r. A . G. Steel and Selby fo l low them v e ry c lo se ly . The appended tab le w i l l w e l l repay perusal. r J The asterisk signifies u n o t ou t ,”