Lives in Cricket No 19 - Frank Sugg

open with Ulyett and himself and the pair hit up the 118 required for victory in an unbroken stand. The match was all over inside the allotted two days. Frank retained his place for Yorkshire’s next match against Cambridge University at Fenner’s. 31 The match was another low-scoring affair and was drawn after play on the final day was washed out by rain. In his one innings, Sugg, first wicket down this time, batted for twelve overs but scored only six in Yorkshire’s first-innings total of 176. Sugg’s next match for Yorkshire was against twenty-two Yorkshire Colts at Bramall Lane. He probably felt as much on trial as the youngsters in the twenty-two. While Yorkshire had the better of a drawn match, Sugg scored only five out of Yorkshire’s 234 in their only innings. Frank must have been very disappointed with his first appearances for the county but Yorkshire’s batting was not their strong suit and the selectors stuck with him. Sugg was included in the Yorkshire side in each of the first six matches in the 1883 championship campaign. These were largely successful for Yorkshire, but they were not to be so for Frank Sugg. Against Kent at Dewsbury, when Yorkshire won by an innings and 131 runs, Frank scored 10; against Sussex at Bramall Lane, in a closely fought match which Sussex won by three runs, Frank scored six and nine; against Middlesex at Lord’s when Yorkshire won by five wickets, Sugg, scored eight not out, batting lower in the order, and nine when restored to the opening slot; against Nottinghamshire at Bramall Lane in a drawn match, Frank made four and 13 not out; in the return match with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, when Frank played under the captaincy of Lord Hawke for the first time and the home side won by nine wickets, Frank made three not out and one not out; and finally, against Lancashire at Old Trafford, when Yorkshire won by eight wickets, Frank was bowled for a duck by R.G.Barlow. Throughout his career, Frank was to be vulnerable at the beginning of an innings and that weakness was very evident in these opening matches in his first-class career. A total of 80 runs in his 12 first-class innings, 63 runs in 10 innings in the County Championship, with a top score of 13 not out, was a miserable start to Sugg’s career. He did no better when later included in Yorkshire’s side in two two-day matches against Leicestershire, then not a first-class county. Yorkshire regarded 32 Playing for Yorkshire and Derbyshire 31 Lord Hawke played for Cambridge University in this match.