Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

for the Varsity in the three-mile race. Each university had three runners. Lionel finished fourth and was caught napping on the line by AJ Fowler, an Oxford teammate; the race was won by C Elkin of Cambridge. Cambridge won six and a half to two and a half events. With the cricket season approaching the Belfast News had an article about Oxford University and stated their chances of a successful season were looking rather poor. Sadly this prediction would come true as the university would not win a single first- class match. In the warm-up games in May at Oxford, Lionel hardly scored a run; he did however take ten wickets against the Next Sixteen for the First Twelve. Later in the month he took six wickets in an innings for Oxford University against the Next Sixteen. The first match against Lancashire on May 11 was lost by an innings. The new captain was MR Jardine. The club still had Ernest Smith but the only other real new player of note was the Gloucestershire wicketkeeper WH Brain. The bowling looking particularly weak, and the game was easily lost. Another beating by the Gentlemen of England followed. Lionel’s first innings of note was 53 against H Phillipson’s eleven; he also opened the bowling in each innings taking four wickets in a drawn match, after the second day was washed out. Lionel was at this time batting at number six. Heavy defeats followed against Lancashire and Sussex. Then at Lord’s on June 25 Lionel made his highest score for the university, 74, giving two difficult chances at 2 and 47. Lionel made nought in the second innings and the MCC went on to win by eight wickets. The Varsity match then followed, after one innings each Oxford trailed by 102 runs and were made to follow on. They posted 193 and left Cambridge 90 to win. However with Berkeley taking five for 20, Cambridge only just got home by two wickets. Had Cyril Foley not scored 41, Oxford may have snatched a remarkable victory. Batting at four, Lionel contributed little (two and 11). Apart from one innings Lionel had a disastrous time for the university and his bowling became less used as the season went on. Could he regain form for Somerset, who were now a first class county? With the deeds of 1890 behind them, Somerset University and plenty of sport 24