James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1885

27 school bowlers, .is lie is very steady, keeps a good length, and has a nice leg break. Ilis average of 12.8 for 53 wickets is decidedly good. rl'he fielding of the team, with the single exception of the Brighton match, was generally free from fault, and if the practice wickets are promptly taken in hand, we shall soon hear of another first-class eleven at Charterhouse. The C lifton eleven of 1884 compared very unfavourably with its immediate predecessor. The loss of two such good men as B rain and K ey was most severely felt, and though the general batting of the team was fair, if somewhat tame, there was only one good bowler — F owler . The fielding was unsafe and slovenly, and this is a defect which can and must be remedied. On such a beautiful ground as the one at Clifton, bad fielding is absolutely inexcusable, i f catches are missed, and balls fumbled, matches cannot be won. Any account of Clifton cricket in the past season would be incomplete without some reference to the wicket-keeping. Many good judges have declared that J ohnston is the best boy behind the sticks they have ever seen. Further, he got plenty of runs, though in a style peculiar to himself, and he certainly should be heard of in first-class cricket this summer. Only three of the team will be available this season, but, as wc are told that there is an abundance of young talent in the school, we feel that the future is full of hope. From W ellington we hear that the system of compulsory cricket, alluded to in the pages of the last Companion, was inaugurated, and met with a Large measure of success. The authorities seem to have acted with great judgment in the matter, and the fact that every boy in the Lower School is compelled to play at least one game in the week, cannot fail to tell favourably on the future cricket of the school. In the past season the eleven were not vei-y successful. At the outset they were undoubtedly weak, but they all worked with a will, and as the season advanced they made themselves into a fair school team. In the first innings of the Haileybury match their batting utterly broke down, but against Charterhouse they appeared to far greater advantage, and at the finish had a nice balance of runs in their favour. Of the individual players, P rince C hristian V ictor showed very promising form. He plays very strongly on the off side, and ought this year to be of great service to the team of which he is captain. S impson certainly deserves a word of praise for his untiring efforts to improve the school cricket, and his example may well he remembered by all school captains this year. The greatest possible attention was paid to the fielding, and as a natural result it improved rapidly. But the dearth of bowling talent was severely felt, B aker , slow left-hand, being by far the most successful, though at the end of the season S tockley got some ivickets at a small cost. H aileybury have made great strides during the last two or three years, and everyone must sympathise with them tor having lost the chance of showing their powers against their old victorious rival, Uppingham. After being in abeyance for four years, tlie match was to have been renewed last season, and, so far as we can judge, it would have produced a wonderfully good game, though the respective perform­ ances of the two teams lead us to conclude that the odds would have been slightly in favour of Haileybury. Anyhow, we are very sorry the match