Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

and bowled. Just prior to that, Briggs’ 30 against Somerset helped set up an innings win at Old Trafford. But his performance was completely overshadowed by Nash – a slow left-armer like Briggs – who took four wickets in four balls and had final figures of 4 for 14 as the home side completed an innings victory, bowling the visitors out for 29 and 51. Denied a chance with the ball, Briggs was to end the year struggling with the bat, appearing on the scorecard at either No.8 or 9, and a thoroughly unhappy season drew to a close with him being left out of the side for the final match against Middlesex at Old Trafford. In the 1883 season Lancashire’s title challenge faltered after they had won their first four games and they won only another two of their remaining eight fixtures. But Briggs had begun to turn his career around and was building quite a reputation as a batsman. He had been returned to his position in the middle order and scored his first half century (55) against Derbyshire, an innings which Wisden described as ‘faultless’, following up with further fifties against Oxford University (52) and in the return match with Derbyshire (60), his highest first-class score thus far. The latter innings also drew praise from Wisden which described his half century as ‘very freely hit’. The latter match, which Lancashire won by an innings, was notable for the performances of Barlow and Watson, who bowled unchanged in both Derbyshire innings, taking 18 wickets between them. It might well have been all 20 but for Derbyshire’s George Hay being absent hurt in both innings. But as far as Briggs’ bowling was concerned, he once again had limited opportunities, taking just a single wicket for 89 runs in the championship. It must have been a little frustrating for Briggs, who after all at the tender age of 11, was bowling to the legendary W.G.Grace, to see his progress once again being blocked by the established quartet of Barlow, Crossland, Nash and Watson. Wisden didn’t mince words, describing his 1883 bowling efforts as ‘a complete failure’. Briggs played in two end-of-season exhibition matches in Yorkshire – at Holbeck and Batley – for R.G.Barlow’s XI, which involved many of the more successful Northern and Midlands professionals of the day. It was recognition from his peers that he belonged alongside them as one of the leading paid players in the game. Those games brought the curtain down on Briggs’ 1883 campaign, but for the Lancashire committee, no doubt smarting at their failure to retain the title, there was a sting in the tail when From Widnes to Old Trafford 19