Lives in Cricket No 39 - Alec Watson

29 The above-mentioned Southerton, now aged about 45, had gained fame as a round-arm off-break bowler. He had played county cricket for his native Sussex, and Surrey and Hampshire as well, his considerable spin often being devastating. This playing for two or more counties in the same season was perhaps one reason why the 1873 regulations for county cricket limited a player to appearing for only one county per season. Despite his years Southerton played in the first two Test matches, in Australia in 1877, and he is still the oldest player to make a Test debut. So to be compared favourably to him was very much a compliment to Watson; though it must be noted that the authors of such reports may well have been Lancashire supporters, or even players. In 1873 Lancashire had seven county matches, playing Kent but once. Again for Manchester CC against the XVI Colts of Lancashire, Watson created mayhem amongst the youngsters, taking fifteen wickets in all. In fact Lancashire had already entertained Yorkshire at Old Trafford, where Watson first tasted defeat for his county. He had few runs and was now demoted to No.6 in the order. Yet he still failed, though he had his first five-wicket haul in an innings (16-5-22-5), as Surrey fell to an innings defeat. Watson and McIntyre bowled unchanged in the match, as they did in the return at the Oval; however, such bowling feats were not unknown at the time. In the return against Yorkshire Watson had another five-wicket haul (25-11-36-5). In the sole match against Kent Watson was not prominent, apart from in the fact that for a time he kept wicket and bowled alternate overs, as Lancashire did not have a regular wicketkeeper with them. However, in the following match at the Oval he had innings figures of 13-6-12-5. At Derby Watson bowled well, but batted poorly. In the return at Old Trafford Watson did score 27 runs and recorded his best innings figures so far with six for 38; in the second innings he took five for 34 to complete his first ten-wicket haul in a match (58-22-72-11). At the season’s end Watson’s batting average had remained about seven, indicating that he could no longer be regarded as an all- rounder, but as a bowler sometimes capable of scoring useful runs. In bowling, he took 48 wickets compared to McIntyre’s 59, and at an average of 9.27. Wisden noted that between them they delivered 635 out of the 770 four ball overs bowled by Lancashire that year and took 107 of the 117 wickets to fall. Whatever Watson’s status as a batsman, he was now becoming indispensable as a bowler. Some in the press talked of Lancashire’s ‘Scottish’ The Rowley Years