Lives in Cricket No 19 - Frank Sugg

more patience. His hard, clean driving and his splendid hitting to leg are delightful to watch. As long as he is at the wicket he hits with splendid impartiality at good or bad balls and generally gets out caught at the wicket or in the long field. No doubt these hitters are towers of strength to their side and I am much too fond of lively cricket not to appreciate their value. I have seen Sugg keep a crowd in roars of laughter and applause by his tremendous hitting. He is a very strong hitter and when he gets hold of a ball the probabilities of its failing to reach the boundary are remote. The drawback with batsmen like Sugg is that they are never reliable. Nevertheless, more matches are won by hitters than by stonewallers, and when my time comes for watching instead of playing I shall hope that batsmen like Frank Sugg will be plentiful. 85 To the Doctor, Frank Sugg the batsman was clearly not the complete article. To cricket followers around the country, however, he was a very popular player and his entertainment value more than compensated for any defensive failings. 88 Lancashire Stalwart 85 W.G.Grace, Cricketing Reminiscences and Personal Recollections , James Bowden, 1899, pp 384-385.