Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

debutant, taking eight wickets, while Briggs, reported as ‘far from well’, hardly made a contribution to England’s eight-wicket win, scoring one run, coming in at No.8 again and not bowling, despite the fact that England employed six bowlers in each Australian innings. The rivalry between Briggs and Peel, at 5ft 6in just an inch taller than Briggs, continued over many years with the pair touring Australia together on four occasions in an era when playing two left-arm spinners in the same starting eleven was not considered unusual. The pair were closely matched and Grace could never forecast which of the duo was likely to fare best. In his book, Cricketing Reminiscences and Recollections , first published in 1899, the doctor wrote: ‘On apparently similar wickets Peel would fail when Johnny was doing brilliantly, while on another day Peel would carry everything before him when Johnny could do nothing. The why and wherefore of it all were a puzzle to me, as it happened not once but many times and I could never determine which was the right man to put on bowling, as both seemed to bowl equally well, but with fluctuating results.’ But it wasn’t Briggs’ bowling that was to make the headlines in the sporting pages in the Second Test, which began at Melbourne on New Year’s Day. He had been moved up the order to No.7 and responded by scoring a magnificent 121, occupying the crease for only 150 minutes and striking 15 fours. It remained Briggs’ highest score in a Test. He was 65 not out overnight after England, having won the toss and elected to bat, had reached 303 for 9 at the close. On the next day Briggs, together with the Yorkshire wicket-keeper Joseph Hunter, who was 39 not out, marshalled the side to a formidable all-out total of 401, the pair putting on an extremely valuable 98 for the final wicket. Briggs had come to the crease on day one with England on 194 for 5, but it wasn’t long before he lost his initial partner, J.M.Read, bowled off his legs by Sam Jones with England on 204 for 6. Next ball, Ulyett was clean bowled by Jones with England now seven wickets down. Attewell had now joined Briggs in the middle and it looked as though the Australians were right back in the game. But Attewell and Briggs, by dint of some clean hitting, added a useful 50 before Attewell was caught by Jones off Jack Worrall. Peel was next man in and Briggs took charge as the pair advanced the score by 49, with Peel’s contribution only five before he was clean bowled by Jones and play ended for the day. Touring Australia for the first time 26