Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

KS Ranjitsinjhi, CM Wells, AJL Hill and AO Jones. Oxford based on form and, it seemed, on ability were not given much chance. The game started on July 3 in front of an estimated 20,000. By the end of the first day each side had completed an innings, with Cambridge leading by 76; Lionel’s 32 was his team’s top score. The second day too was played in front of 20,000 with Cambridge making 254, setting Oxford 319 to win. Oxford needed to bat well to have any chance. Sadly Lionel fell for two and this started a procession as Oxford were routed for 64, so losing the game by the huge margin of 266. This was a disappointing end for Lionel and Oxford; for the second time in three years the team had failed to win a first-class match. This was not quite the end for Lionel at Oxford, as the following week they played a non-first class match against Dublin University; sadly they even lost this match by eight wickets, with Lionel signing off his Oxford career with scores of six and four. As his university time was coming to an end, The Taunton Courier announced in June that on completion of his studies, Lionel was to study electrical engineering in Taunton. It was of local opinion that he was expected to settle in the area as a result. Within a few days it was also announced in The Bristol Mercury that he was to marry the second daughter of WH Laverton: Caroline Mabel, born in 1871 and from Westbury. Lionel had met her through playing on her father’s specially built cricket ground. Mabel was from a large family - six of her brothers were cricketers - and her family were well known mill owners in the Westbury area. Her father William Henry Laverton (1845-1935) had in his time been a Conservative parliamentary candidate, a magistrate, High Sheriff and chairman of magistrates for Wiltshire. A close friend of WG Grace, he helped cricket in the county of Wiltshire immensely and a number of his sons turned out for them. After setting his personal life and professional career in motion, Lionel then joined the Somerset team for the rest of the season. Somerset had lost all six of its Championship games heavily. The county badly needed the Palairets and Vernon Hill back to change the team’s fortunes. His first game was against Kent at Taunton, starting July 10. Although the game ended in a draw due to the University and plenty of sport 38