Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

the ground (the press noted this was unusual for him). At lunch the score had already reached 176 for one, with Lionel reaching 74 and Richard on 41. After lunch the partnership continued until the score reached 226, with Lionel being caught at the wicket for 109 off one of Evan Nepean’s slows. He was at the wicket almost three hours; the press called his innings as ‘almost faultless’. His younger brother went on to his maiden first-class hundred before falling for 106. Middlesex drew with only two wickets left and in a hopeless position. On the first day when the Palairets batted, almost 18,000 spectators watched, which was stated to be a record for Lord’s at that time. However, defeats then followed against Sussex, Surrey and Essex before the rot was stopped in the return game with Hampshire at Southampton. Somerset at this point were bottom of the Championship having lost five games (including the Varsity games, seven). Due to work commitments Lionel had been missing since the Sussex game. He would return to the side and be part of one of the county’s worst ever weeks. The first of these games was at Taunton against Essex starting on July 11. Having made 246, Essex then ran up 692 with three players scoring a century and a fourth making 99. The game was lost by an innings and 317 runs early on the third day; this remains the club’s fifth ever heaviest defeat. On the third day Lionel’s wife Caroline gave birth to a baby girl, the couple named her Evelyn Mabel though she would always be known as ‘Molly’. The following year the couple would have a son Henry Edward; this would complete the Palairet family. Two days later Lancashire visited Taunton. Electing to bat, Archie MacLaren opened with Albert Ward. MacLaren was nearly bowled in the first over by Tyler but after this, it was to be all Lancashire. The opening pair put on 141 untilWard was caught for 64. Arthur Paul then joined his captain and the pair would add 363 before Lionel had Paul caught in the outfield for 177. At the close of play MacLaren had reached 289 and Lancashire 555 for three; Lancashire had even sent in a nightwatchman. The following day MacLaren passed the previous world record score of WG Grace’s 344 made in 1876. He eventually fell for Marriage, family, work and Somerset 47