Lives in Cricket No 2 - Johnny Briggs

Ferris, a deadly left-arm swing bowler, had the distinction of playing Tests for both Australia and England. He and Turner, bowling unchanged, wreaked havoc on England in the First Test at Sydney in January 1887 where England were all out for 45. Remarkably, England were to turn things around to such an extent that they eventually won a dramatic match by 13 runs. Briggs, in fact, top scored with 33 in England’s second innings. Ferris, who was later to become one of Briggs’ hat-trick victims when he performed the feat for the North versus the South at Scarborough in 1891, was only 33 when he died of enteric fever in Durban in 1900, during the Boer War, where he was serving with the British army. Woods also played for Australia and England and served Somerset well for 12 seasons, later becoming club secretary. After his exertions on the tour of Australia and New Zealand, Briggs, for the first time in several years, was able to put his feet up, probably relaxing by playing his beloved billiards at his local pub. He had played his last game of cricket on 18 September, 1888 and it wasn’t until 21 November that he was to set sail for his one and only tour of South Africa. The tour was organised by Major R.G.Warton, a member of the Army General Staff in Cape Town. He Taking a hundred wickets for the first time 43 Lancashire line-up 1888: Briggs (cross-legged on the ground, right, front row) with Alex Watson. Back row: George Baker, Frank Sugg, Frank Taylor, Dick Barlow, Ernest Steel, George Yates. Middle row: Sidney Crosfield, Albert Hornby, Dick Pilling, Joseph Eccles.