Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

Surrey wicket at the scheduled close of play 5.30pm, giving his team victory by 130 runs. The supporters went crazy, the scenes being recalled by many of the players years later with great affection. What it did confirm to everyone was that Somerset did belong in the Championship, with Lionel also playing his part. In the next game Lionel scored exactly 100 against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham, in three and a half hours; the press described it as ‘a fine innings with patience and strong defence’. One of his hits was into the pavilion crowd off Dr WG Grace. Lionel added 138 for the second wicket with JB Challen (79). Lionel’s faultless maiden first-class century included six fours and six threes, ending the ball after when he was caught at point. Somerset bowled Gloucestershire for 25 in their first innings with Woods and Tyler sharing the wickets, and won easily by an innings and 130. The season concluded with Somerset winning five and losing six of their Championship games, putting them sixth with a minus one record; this form of deciding the Championship remained in place throughout his Somerset career. Surrey were champions for the second successive year. Lionel finished the season with 821 runs at 24.14, including a century and seven fifties; this marked a great advancement in his reputation as an opening batsman. For Somerset he topped the averages scoring 560 at 31.1. As the season closed Lionel was named among a team raised by Lord Hawke to tour the United States and Canada to play eight matches. The first two would be regarded as first-class. The tour would mean he would miss two months of his studies. The university authorities did not take too well to this, and within a week of the team being announced, Lionel had to withdraw as Oxford refused him a sabbatical. In the event Sam Woods took his place and the tour ended with Hawke’s side being unbeaten and winning seven games; Somerset’s captain Herbert Hewett also went. This would be the nearest Lionel would ever get to touring abroad; he did turn down two offers to tour Australia in 1894-95 and 1903-04, but could not go due to work and family commitments. There was happier news, as later in September he was appointed captain of the cricket team for 1892 at Oxford. So it was back to University and plenty of sport 29