Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

76 in their second innings. No fewer than eight bowlers were tried in Sussex’s second innings. The fixture clashed with another AEE match. It is almost superfluous to state Clarke did not play in any of the four major Notts games organized by John Chapman. The 1849 season saw Clarke increase his appearances on the cricket field. He took part in 31 matches published in Scores and Biographies and Lillywhite’s averages for 1849 credit him with 267 wickets; only Hillyer, who played in an additional eight matches, had more wickets that season with 358. John Wisden exactly equalled Clarke’s wicket tally, though he appeared in only 26 matches. No doubt due to Wisden’s partnership with Parr, the Sussex bowler became a regular member of the AEE for 1849, but he was an independent-minded person and his relationship with Clarke was neither long nor happy – later he was to join forces with Lillywhite, though again the working relationship did not survive the test of time. Caffyn describes Wisden as a ‘particularly keen man of business’. As a fast bowler, he proved a great asset to the All-England team and bowling in harness with Clarke dismissed the twenty-twos with great ease. V.E.Walker, the Middlesex cricketer, described Wisden as ‘a funny little mite of a fellow’; his height is given as 5ft 4in, very small for a round-arm bowler of his pace. In 1848 the first AEE game hadn’t taken place until June, but in 1849, Clarke’s side dominated the principal fixtures for May. Starting at Durham on 3 May, the touring side moved on to Edinburgh, then Bedale, then Rugby and finally Cambridge, all in that month. The Scotland match was played on the Grange Ground and W.Moncrieff, in Reminiscences of the Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh, 1832-62, comments: In 1849 the famous Eleven of England made their first appearance in Scotland on the Grange Ground, against Twenty-two of Scotland, including some professionals. They had an easy victory, but the match created quite a sensation; people flocked from all parts of Scotland to witness it, and its effects were to bring new life into Cricket in Scotland. Clubs were formed in all directions; professionals were engaged from England; and in a few years play all round was wonderfully improved. With Wisden playing for the AEE, the first four games ended in victory, before a draw against Cambridge Town Club at Fenner’s – in fact a benefit for Fenner. Neither Clarke nor Wisden turned out, possibly in the case of Clarke because he was required as a practice bowler at Lord’s. Four places in the AEE side at Cambridge were filled by local amateurs. MCC had arranged their first match of the Lord’s season to be Fast Bowlers v Slow Bowlers commencing 28 May. Due to rain the game did not begin until the following day – Wisden, opening the batting for Fast, was caught and bowled by Clarke without scoring. Wisden’s bowling though won the match for the Fast men. He took 12 wickets; Clarke took seven for the Slows. The next game at Lord’s was Married v Single, with Clarke part of the Married, and Wisden, the Single. Clarke hit the highest score in the game, scoring 71 before being run out (he was aged 50), but Wisden again triumphed with 12 dismissals and Single won by three wickets. Incredible Success of the All-England Eleven