Lives in Cricket No 21 - Walter Read

116 Chapter Eleven Last Years In1899, BobbyAbel passed the individual Surrey record established by Read eleven years before. In the meantime, Archie MacLaren’s 424 for Lancashire against Somerset had replaced Grace’s 344 as the highest individual score. Despite the feigned resentment, there can be no doubt that the congratulatory telegram was sincere. From his writings, it appears Read had a good relationship with the professionals and there is no evidence to the contrary elsewhere. Abel, Kennington Oval, You Brute, hearty congratulations, Walter Read. 185 Read was far from inactive in his retirement from active cricket and despite an attachment to ‘cupola’ continued to play cricket. It is said that Mr W W Read has lately taken to playing Cupola, a new game of the variety which does not demand much running from its devotees, and that he has expressed his approval of it. This is very sad for we are afraid it is likely to lead to other things in the way of quiet games, and one day we may wake up to find the famous old cricketer has become the champion of croquet. As, however, he still plays cricket we must hope for the best. 186 In 1900, he stood for the Committee, but was last in the poll. He came tenth out of ten with 50 votes, Kingsmill Key, Clifton and Oxford, who had given up the captaincy at the end of the previous season, topped the poll with 118. However, in 1905 after an unsuccessful venture into estate agency and auctioneering with his brother-in-law, Frederick Wells, he returned to the club, as Instructor, at a salary of £150 per annum, less than he had received as a player, but possibly more than he was making from his auctioneering, and he was in a job in which he probably felt more at home. He succeeded W.T.Graburn as coach to the young players of whom Jack Hobbs, the young 185 Life and Reminiscences of Bobby Abel p 110 186 Cricket 10 August 1899