Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

64 Leaving Trent Bridge last day England were all out for 106 and Sheffield then scored the 115 runs for victory having lost 14 wickets. The report concludes: ‘… which finished one of the most splendid, exciting and important matches that ever was played in this part of the kingdom.’ In fact the winning run was an overthrow! Clarke, despite his first-over duck and the fact that he himself only bowled seven overs, taking a single wicket, must have been delighted with the public interest in his pioneering venture. The England team left Sheffield by train for Manchester, where their match against the town club was due to start the following morning. The venue was the cricket ground in Moss Lane, Hulme. In Sheffield the local club had fielded 20 players, but Manchester decided on 18 which was wildly optimistic, and All-England won by an innings and 31 runs. Fuller Pilch scored 62 of England’s 228 runs. Hillyer, Mynn and Dean shared all but two of Manchester’s wickets, with Clarke not choosing to bowl himself. As at Sheffield large crowds attended the match and the Manchester Club added to the attraction by engaging the band of the 69th Regiment of Infantry, though Clarke objected to the band playing whilst the match was taking place, so there was music at the dinner interval and close of play. According to the report, the Manchester Club paid all the travelling and other expenses of the visitors totalling about £70. The England team travelled over the weekend to Leeds, where they opposed Eighteen of Yorkshire on the Victoria Ground at Woodhouse Moor, Leeds, beginning on Monday, 7 September 1846. The ground had been set out in 1837, but this game is described as the first major match staged at the venue. About 3,000 spectators attended on each day. The Yorkshire team was picked from 18 players within 25 miles of Leeds and did not include the Sheffield cricketers. Admission to the ground was one shilling each day or two shillings for all three days. Ladies were admitted free of charge. All-England won by 69 runs; again Clarke did not bowl, Hillyer, Dean and Mynn taking all the wickets. The bowling of J.R.Ibbetson caused much controversy. He was no-balled for illegal deliveries 16 times and the upset was calmed only when the umpires were changed. Despite some unseasonal weather the attendances matched those in Manchester. The series of three matches having ended, the England Eleven had a final meal at the Haunch of Venison Inn in Leeds, during which the rest of the team presented V.S.C.Smith with a silver-mounted cigar case as a testimonial to his play during the matches. The case was engraved: ‘Presented to V.C.Smith, Esq, by the following ten players of England, as a trifling acknowledgment of his valuable aid in the great matches in the north, Sept 8, 1846 – A.Mynn Esq., G.Butler, W.Clark, J.Dean, W.Dorrinton, J.Guy, W.Hillyer, W.Martingell, F.Pilch, T.Sewell.’ The day the Leeds match ended, Clarke, Hillyer, Dean and Pilch travelled to Swaffham, the first three to represent MCC, and Pilch to appear in the opposing Norfolk team. Hillyer and Dean captured all the Norfolk wickets. There are no bowling analyses, but it would seem Clarke acted purely as a batsman. The Hon E.Lascelles had invited Mr Mynn and Mr Denison and