Lives in Cricket No 39 - Alec Watson

51 wound up his season with his third match against the Australians, for an ‘England XI’ at Harrogate. The match was ruined by rain, but going in last in his side’s only innings Alec scored 20*. In 1886 Watson’s batting average regressed to just under ten, though he had some good innings, and he held 13 catches in addition to the stumping. In bowling, according to CricketArchive he took exactly one hundred wickets (99 in Wisden ) at 11.09; which figures made him ‘Champion bowler’ of the season. He had eight hauls of five wickets or more in an innings, and thrice ten or more in a match. In his three matches against the Australians Alec took in all fourteen wickets at an average of less than nine per wicket. Despite the first Test being at Old Trafford Watson was not invited to play, nor did he feature in the Players’ sides that faced the visitors, nor in any of the invitation elevens that played them; not even for Liverpool and District for whom he had turned out before. It is true that there were many fine bowlers in England at that time, and that at the age of 41 Watson was perhaps too old to be making a Test debut, though there have been older players who have done so. Yet surely a place could have been found on more occasions for one whose bowling figures were the best in England in 1886; nor did they see him on the boat to Australia in the following winter. Lancashire began the 1887 county season unusually, with a match against Sussex, and Watson was into his stride right away with seven wickets for 20 in 48 overs with 32 maidens, and eleven for 43 in the match, and immediately thereafter had another five in an innings (50-34-44-5) against the students at Oxford, where he also had an innings of 33*. His batting and bowling form continued against Kent at Old Trafford, as he scored 24 in his only innings and took six wickets for 40 and seven for 22. In the latter innings he took three wickets in a four-ball over, and had two in an over three times. Following two useful performances in Kent and Sussex, Alec next played in the first, and so far only, first-class game at the Recreation Ground, Long Eaton, performing well with both bat and ball against Derbyshire and having another five wickets in an innings (41-26-39-5). He went one better with 44.3-28-38-6 in what was now the mid-season match with MCC at Lord’s. The second part of Lancashire’s county season began with similar performances from Watson as Gloucestershire were crushed. Then Watson had a good innings of 37 at The Oval, but did not shine with the ball. Nor did he do so in the key match against The anni mirabiles