Lives in Cricket No 21 - Walter Read

54 seemed to be in better form than ‘the Champion’. Meanwhile, away from the Test arena, Read continued to show outstanding form for Surrey, finishing the season with 1825 first- class runs at an average of 42.44. He showed outstanding form in an innings victory over Leicestershire, not at the time first-class. …the feature of the innings was the brilliant cricket of Mr W W Read. In three hours and a quarter he made 157 runs without a mistake, carrying out his bat after one of the best displays of batting he has ever given. He has not this season been seen to better advantage and his hitting towards the close was very clean and hard. 99 and the purple patch continued in an end-of season match at Hove for the South of England against the tourists. He was at the wickets two hours and forty minutes, and in this time, scored 102 not out, this being his highest innings hit against the Australians during the summer. His play all-round was admirable, his off drives being very hard and clean and his cuts well-timed, while his leg hits caused frequent applause. 100 In December, in a rare commitment to the duties of his post as Assistant Secretary, he accompanied Fred Burbidge and C.W. Alcock to the Annual Meeting of County Secretaries. 1887 For the third consecutive season, Read had a first-class batting average of over 40, these days a benchmark for a competent county batsman, but in the late nineteenth century some way above the norm. Now verging on the prodigious, he recorded the achievement, at the time unique, of double centuries in consecutive innings. Firstly, against Lancashire at Old Trafford in a match which Surrey won by an innings and 134 runs – The feature of the Surrey batting…was the remarkable stand by Messrs Read and Roller on the second day. Mr Read joined Mr Roller who had been not out over night at eight minutes past twelve on Friday, and it was just six o’clock before the latter was caught at the wicket, their partnership which had 99 Cricket 2 September 1886 100 Wisden 1887 p 60 Surrey and England 1881/87