Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

85 runs obtained. Mr Wake immediately afterwards fell victim to one of Clarke’s ‘peculiars’, which he played into the hands of Mynn. Mr Wake left the field loudly cheered after having in a very brief space of time obtained 19. His score consisted of three fives, a two and a couple of singles. … Clarke’s slow bowling did great execution, no less than nine of the thirteen wickets being taken from it. The fielding of the eleven in the early part of the innings, was not their usual effective character. Clarke returned figures of nine for 34 off 20 overs in Yorkshire’s first innings, the third time he had captured nine wickets in an innings in ACS- ranked first-class games. Caffyn commented on the team sometimes being half asleep after travelling overnight, but in this case, there was no match immediately prior to this one! Between this appearance at Sheffield, when AEE lost, and their second appearance in September, the following letter was published in the Nottingham Review: Mr Editor, Having received a challenge from Mr Thomas Willey of Sheffield to play Twelve of Yorkshire against Eleven of England (bar myself) I accept the challenge and will play them on neutral ground halfway between London and Sheffield at Leamington, or the same eleven will play the same fourteen for the sum named − £100-a-side. Yours etc. W.Clark, Sec of All England Committee Nothing seems to have come of this and when XV of Sheffield played the All-England Eleven at Hyde Park on 2, 3 and 4 September 1850, the AEE won by two wickets, despite the fact that Wisden was unable to bowl due to a sprained back. Tom Sherman, the Surrey fast round-arm bowler, played a couple of matches for the AEE in 1850 and it is assumed that one of these provoked the following yarn of his regarding Clarke’s payment to players at the close of each match: The cricketers went up to him one after the other for their money, and as I was the last in the row, I was able to take in all that transpired. Clarke had a heap of gold and silver in front of him, and during the paying-out process you would hear something like this: ‘Four pounds for you, fifty shillings for you, three pounds for you,’ the amounts varying according to the player’s fame and what he had done in the match. When I approached him he looked up, saying: ‘Fifty shillings for you,’ and then, shoveling the balance into his trousers pockets, and giving a most satisfied smile, added, ‘and thirty-seven pounds for me!’ Elsewhere Sherman tells how he was engaged as a professional for the local twenty-two and Clarke prevented him from bowling – Clarke, in other words dictating to the local clubs which professionals they could, or could not, include in their team when meeting the All-England Eleven. Incredible Success of the All-England Eleven