Lives in Cricket No 39 - Alec Watson

34 The Rowley Years both innings. His bowling almost certainly decided the match; yet Wisden made little of Watson’s feat, concentrating instead on batting performances. Then it was off to Derby for the opening county match, where Watson had limited success. However, in the return he did better with the bat, and managed a ‘five-for’ with the ball (33.1-9-66-5). Then Watson returned to Lord’s, this time with Lancashire, to face MCC. Again he did well at headquarters with some good batting and nine wickets, with 61-22-95-6 in MCC’s second innings. On his third visit of the season to Lord’s, Alec represented the Players against the Gentlemen. This was probably his most important representative match of the season, if not his career, He failed with the bat, but took five for 60 in 49 overs with 22 maidens in the Gentlemen’s first innings. Yet again he received little mention in Wisden , compared with some not particularly distinguished batting by either side. Again Watson’s performance with the ball, for a side which was missing Alfred Shaw but did contain Ulyett, Emmett, Morley and W. Mycroft, might have raised expectations of further honours both for him and others. It was a very strong Players side, stronger than the one in the Gentlemen v Players that immediately followed at Prince’s. However, Watson and the leading Nottinghamshire professionals were then engaged for their respective counties in a match at Old Trafford. There Watson had another five-wicket innings return (34-24-23-5) and eight in all, but was overshadowed by McIntyre who took the other 12 wickets, as he and Alec again bowled throughout. In 1877’s first ‘Roses’ match Watson had yet another five-wicket haul (50.2-32-45-5). Then followed a peculiar match, for ‘England’ against Gloucestershire and Yorkshire at Lord’s, where this time Watson performed only moderately. His next outing was another representative one, this time for the North versus the South, in the rarefied atmosphere of Hull where Watson failed to thrive. The atmosphere at Old Trafford in the game against Sussex proved more congenial as Alec took six for 70 off 61.2 overs with 32 maidens in the visitors’ first innings, with yet another ten in the match. In his last representative match of the season, when he again played for ‘England’, this time against Kent in the Canterbury Week, Watson bowled but little. Again in Kent, at Maidstone, Lancashire played the last match of their season. The pitch was variously described as fast, bumping, lively and playing badly. That of course was grist to McIntyre’s mill, though Watson scored