Lives in Cricket No 11 - CP Lewis

rapidly developing Cardiff ground, where facilities had improved through the encouragement of the third Marquess of Bute – the aristocratic tenant of Cardiff Castle and the owner of several of the docks which had brought great fortune both to him and the town. A wooden pavilion plus a decent wicket and practice nets, tended by the Cardiff professional, had been created, and this brought great benefit to the Cardiff players and other teams who, like the South Wales club, were granted permission to use the ground by the Marquess. But M.C.C., flying the flag with a side which included nine first-class cricketers, proved to be far too strong for the South Wales gentlemen. Lewis scored 27 and 23 – he was run out yet again in the second innings – and, opening the bowling, took two for 64 as M.C.C. won by an innings. The ‘London’ tour followed at the end of August, rather later than usual, with the return match with Clifton taking place on Durdham Down, Bristol, on their way home. At Hove, the Gentlemen of Sussex won a close match by 13 runs. Lewis took three wickets in the first innings and four in the second, but the Welsh side fell short when left 131 to win. The Lord’s match was drawn. Lewis did little with the bat, but claimed eight wickets in the first innings and five out of only eight which fell in the second. His bowling form continued against Clifton, where he took eight for 62, plus two more wickets in the second innings. After being bowled out for 94 in their first innings and conceding a lead of 20, South Wales lost by 61 runs. Now 27, it is probable that C.P. was at about the peak of his powers as a bowler. In the three matches on this tour, he took 30 of the 58 wickets to fall to his side, and sixteen of them were players who had appeared in first-class cricket. He had played regularly earlier in the season for the college and for the Llandovery Town side when the school closed for the summer. No doubt he bowled regularly in the nets to the College boys, honing his skills, and he may have learned something from facing Spofforth a couple of years before. After their disappointments the previous year, 1881 saw Llandovery College drawn in the Challenge Cup against a new entrant, Aberdare United, from the northern end of the Glamorgan valleys. Once again the tie was played on neutral ground at Swansea, where Aberdare managed just 38 and 29 with Lewis taking three wickets in the first innings and seven in the second. He was run out for just four, but his boys took the total to 72 and set up an innings victory. 62 A Cup Held Aloft