Lives in Cricket No 24 - Edgar Willsher

70 Rowbotham ordered chops one morning for breakfast. Three were brought in on a dish. Joe eyed them critically, and then, calling a woolly-headed attendant, astonished him by quietly remarking, ‘Tak’ these back, and bring us sommat to ate’. Quite apart from the random racism characteristic of the times, the scenario presented is not one recognisable from the ‘supersized’ North America of today! The Garrison ground in St Catherine Street was the hub of cricket in the city until early in the nineteenth century, when rapid commercial development swept it away. However, the church of St James the Apostle, seen in the background in many contemporary images of the ground, is still active today. The city-centre location reflected the importance attached to cricket as a way of keeping up morale both for the military and the locals, and confidence was high after the Garrison team had engineered a four-wicket win over the St George’s Club in New York back in July. According to the Spirit of the Times , even the English were concerned by the apparent strength of the twenty-two: As much loud trumpeting had been done regarding this Montreal match, some little trepidation was felt by the Eleven for their success against them. … With such a prelude, everybody looked for a contest bordering on the tragical. The result proved the affair ridiculously farcical. As this correspondent implies, Edgar need not have worried. Indeed, it is best for those of a nervous disposition that they look away briefly as the bare facts of the match are recorded. The Canadians, winning the toss and making first use of a rain- deadened wicket, were rolled over in two hours for 28, Willsher and Freeman bowling straight through. In all, sixteen ducks were registered, and only Rose, with 12, reached double figures. Freeman had 13 wickets for 12, and Willsher eight for 13. By the close on the first day, the eleven was already well in the lead with 47 for one. Sandwiched between two complete washouts on days two and four, the English did pretty much what they liked with the bowling, racking up 310 all out by the close of the third day. Griffith made particularly merry with 69, which turned out to be the highest innings of the whole tour. Although the match was left technically as a draw, all concerned regarded it as a moral victory. Despite the feebleness of the opposition and the dismal weather, the two days possible had attracted an overall crowd of about 5,000, so at least the organisers could be pleased with the return Cricket on the Brain