James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1884

2G probably have their far-searching eye on promising colts in their own and other shires, and comfortable berths to put them in in the County Pa la tine ; and it is never known how many young cricketers are completing their qualifying hatching in some point of L ancashire , and are ready to burst forth next season real county chicks and do untold things. W atson has bowled as well as anyone in England, while B arlow luis done we ll in this department also. S ussex has shown a revival, not that there was conspicuous success attending the efforts of the eleven, but there was much more animation ; and a great victory over Y orkshire and a very even draw with N otts are bright spots in their history. I t almost baffles the brain most strongly stocked with cricket lore to remember the last occasion of S ussex defeating Y orkshire . The arrival o f J esse H ide from Australia, useful both as bowler and bat, two very straight bowlers in A. H ide and J un ifer , a fair batting strength all through, and an experienced captain in Mr. II . W kitfeld — these were conspicuous reasons why S ussex should have done w e ll; whilst Mr. W yatt , Mr. N ewiiam , and H umphreys have a ll scored well, and the last-named has been useful with lobs. It is probable that, owing to the great traditions of S ussex , her supporters are w illin g to work hard to find new players, and the efforts of Lord S heffield and others seem at last to be bearing fruit. They have no useful muscular fast bowler, and it is an interesting problem, still unanswered, as to why the men of the South are always short of stature and deficient in sinew, while the smoke and noise of the manufacturing towns of the North furnish men of the physique of U lyett , P inder , H ill , and M ' I ntyre . I t almost needs the researches of an antiquarian to tell of a fast professional bowler from the South, for the recollection of them is dying out. K ent has not yet found batsmen to replace Messrs. F. P enn and B ligij , but the County has now one or two bowlers who have made it stronger in this department than it has been since W illsher le ft off active play. But frequently Lord H arris has to carry on his shoulders not only the onerous duties of captaining the Eleven, but the conviction that i f he fails to obtain a long score his whole side w ill fo llow him to the tent without materially improving matters. Mr. P atterson has hardly developed into the safe bat that his performances at Oxford might have led one to expect, while H earne always seemed to score so largely in M.C.C. matches that he was run dry for his County. Mr. T ylecote , in his best form surpassed by few in England, was comparatively unfor­ tunate for Kent, and this must be deemed very unlucky, for lie is a real good bat, sound and vigorous. Mr. C. W ilson , unable to play much during the season, was short of practice, and this was another severe loss to K ent . W ootton and Mr. C hristophebson have both bowled effectively at times, while H barne and Mr. A. P enn and Mr. L ipscombe do not make a bad array of bowlers; and i f K ent could get their amateurs to play regularly for them and practise, the combined action and energy, added to the skill of their captain, would enable them to win many matches in seasons to come. Two excellent matches against Lancashire, one resulting in a glorious victory, are the contests on which the Kentish mind w ill linger during the present winter. D erbyshire cricket presents no new features. The County has fair bowlers, but the batting is so weak that nearly the best batsman in the