James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Companion 1885

• jit years old. He was a stranger to English cricket up to last summer, ! go much had been heard of his peculiar slow bowling that everyone w curious to see him. It is certain, however, that we did not see him at pest, and his injured hand may have interfered with his success. Still I do n0^ think that a bowler with his devices would ever un'et with much success after a batsman had become accustomed to his peculiarities. The slow twisting ball with which he gets nearly all his pickets must of necessity be pitched high in the air, and must at the same time be delivered with an action which renders his intention apparent to the batsman. In the fetv matches in which he appeared he showed himself a fine fieldsman at point. GEORGE ALEXANDER (Victoria), the successful manager of the team, only played as an emergency, and was never really in practice. This being the case it would be unfair to say anything about him as a cricketer. Matches played, 32—woit 18, lost 7, drawn 7. BATTING AVERAGES . Matches. Inns. Runs. Most in an Inns. Most in a Match. Times not ou t . A ve r . W. L. Murdoch ... 31 50 ) ,378 211 211 6 30.28 P. S. M 'Donnell ... 32 51 1,225 l t 3 103 2 23.29 11 . J. H. Scott 32 61 973 102 106 8 22.27 G. G i f f e n ............... 32 61 1,052 113 126 ■ 1 2 1 .2 A. C. Bannerman... 32 52 961 91 k 94 2 19.11 G. J. Bonnor 32 52 937 95* 165 3 19.6 W. Midwinter 30 46 800 67 107 4 19.2 J. M‘C. Blackham 29 43 690 69 90 3 17.10 G. E. Palmer 31 47 493 6 8 * 63 • 1 0 13.12 F. R. Spofforth ... 31 46 488 64 55 6 1 2 .8 W. H. Cooper 6 9 33 8 * 13 ’ 6 11 H. F. Boyle 28 38 262 48 64 14 1 0 .2 2 G. Alexander 6 5 2 0 1 0 * 10 1 1 6 1 « f T * Not ou t . BOWLING AVERAGES. «• Runs. W k ts . Inn s . 9 Overs. Mdns. Runs. Wkts. per W k t. per Inn s . F. R. Spofforth ... 52 1,586 656 2,612 216 12.60 4.8 G. E. Palmer 51 1,217.3 464 2,131 132 16.19 2.30 H. F. Boyle 39 738 292 • 1,172 67 17.33 1.28 G. Giffen . .............. 42 827.3 284 1,623 82 19.65 1.40 W. M idwinter 19 259,2 115 411 15 27.6 V9 _ ^ ^ .15 G. J. Bonnor 11 95 25 219 6 36.3 .6 W. H. Cooper 7 136 26 325 7 46.3 1 H. J. 11 . Scott 9 6 6 9 157 3 52.1 •3 The following bowled in two innings:—P. S. M‘Donnell, 10 overs, 4 maidens, 27 runs; A. C. Bannerman, 22 overs, 10 maidens, 32 runs, 2 wickets. The following bowled in one innings:—G. Alexander, 18 overs, 7 maidens, 24 runs, 2 wickets; J. M‘C. Blackham, 3 overs, 8 runs, 1 wicket; W. L. Murdoch, 5 oveis, 25 runs. > 4 I