Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

94 actually states that the piece had been published following several weeks’ delay. The missive was headed: NOTES ON CRICKET: OR, DOINGS OF THE PAST SEASON. The writer began by describing matches played by MCC and at Lord’s, then at The Oval, together with other games, before he launched what amounts to an attack on Clarke and the All-England Eleven: For the country matches I must dwell upon a party calling themselves ‘The Eleven of England.’ Is this to be understood as the best eleven cricketers in England, or a title by which they distinguish themselves from others? I should imagine, judging from the merits of the men, that the latter was the case; and, to prevent the public (in the ‘far North’ especially) from being ‘gulled’, I shall give some ‘doings’ of the ‘so-called Eleven of England’, which, by assistance, I have managed to collect. It is evident people go under the impression that they are going to see ‘ the picked men of England! ’ Whom do they see for them? Why, such men as Mynn, Hillyer, A.Clarke, W.Clarke and A.Marshall, in addition to what may be termed ‘good old ones’ such as Guy, Box, Felix. This, indeed, is a weak party, and the secretary of it takes great care that their opponents shall be as weak, for he frequently, I am told, objects to professionals playing against him , otherwise it would be impossible with such a ‘team’ to have won the matches they have already done this season. How is it you do not play with the eleven at ‘so and so?’ is frequently asked of professionals. The answer would be, ‘Clarke objected to me.’ Why does he do so? ‘Because he has a weak party himself.’ Why has he a weak party himself is then immediately inquired? ‘Because he has power and badly uses it.’ This I will explain. Five years ago Clarke introduced these matches in the north of England, and had the entire management himself, whereby he pocketed a considerable amount of money each match. A party of cricketers then signed their names at Brighton not to play for him again , as he acted improperly. To get out of this trouble he proposed a committee (and made himself secretary), which was formed at Lord’s and ran as follows: Clarke, sec., Felix, treasurer, Hillyer, F.Pilch, A.Mynn. Box was afterwards made one. I hear this season Parr has been substituted for Pilch, the latter not exactly understanding how affairs were managed. Although there is at present this committee, they have nothing whatever to do with selecting players (they however do not do it) or the arrangements in any way. Thus if a match was wanted by a country club, Clarke must have been applied to, who (with perhaps one or two exceptions) never plays matches for less than £66 (unless for a well-known player, or playing matches at a very short distance , and in many places will get £70 and has, I believe, got £75.) This is a bargain made by himself, and he receives and pays all (the latter not until some months have elapsed after the season is over), so that it can easily be imagined why such an eleven travel the country, Clarke receives the amount for ‘first-rate players’ and pays it partly to ‘second-rate ones’. Thus it may be said, he obtains money under an ‘equivocal state of Controversy