James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1885

11 P ublic S chool Cricket is exhaustively discussed in another'part of the Companion hy the R ev . A. F. E. F orman , and we need only say here, that, while the schools exhibited a very good average of all round merit, th ere was a conspicuous absence of exceptional ability. Coming now to individual performances, we must give the first place toM b . A. Cr. S teel , who pioved a tower of strength to nearly every side he played for, and who has the best batting average of the season. Never befoie, duiing his biilliant cricket career, has M r . S teel batted so finely. His great innings of 148 was the main cause of E ngland ’ s triumph over A ustralia at Lord’s, but a still more perfect exhibition of hatting was his 134 for the'M.O.C. against the A ustralians earlier in the * season. Mo one, moreover, who was so fortunate as to have been present, will ever forget the manner in which he, with the able assistance of M r . D iver , saved the G entlemen ’ s match against the C olonists at head­ quarters. With the single exception of M r . W. G. G race , we can recall no cricketer who in one year of his life has been E ngland ’ s foremost bowler, and in another year her most successful batsman. In 1878, f w M r . S teel gained the highest howling honours, and last year, as we have said, the first place must be accorded him as a batsman. Looking to r ^ ' - / * f | * I ( | » F | # all he has done since he first appeared in big matches, we can hardly hesitate to pronounce him, next to M r . G race , the most remarkable i cricketer that England has produced. With the advance of his batting his bowling bas unmistakably declined, and though occasionally suc­ cessful, he is no longer the terror he once was. M r . Wr. G. G race took great pains to get himself into good form and condition, in view of the A ustralian matches, and has not played such fine cricket since the latter part of the season of 1880. He was singularly unfortunate, however, in meeting with accidents, first a severely injured finger, and afteiwaids a strained’leg, interfering sadly with his success. Despite all. disad­ vantages, however, he can show a record that for anybody else would fee remarkable, and three times during the season he played an innings of over 100 against the A ustralians . His 11C not out, at Clifton, was pronounced by the A ustralians to be as fine a display of batting as was given against them. L ord H arris was quite at his best last year, hut except °for one innings in the G entlemen and P layers ’ match at Lord’s all his good performances were accomplished for K ent . The responsibilities of captaincy seemed to affect his cricket in the E ngland and A ustralia matches at Lord’s and the Oval. He played