Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

Len Braund, perhaps Lionel’s greatest opening partner, a reliable and gifted all-rounder who played on until 1920 Somerset won easily by 171 runs. Lionel again contributed little, and to date had made only one innings of any note. Then against Lancashire at Taunton starting on June 21, he made 59 and 30, top scoring for Somerset in both innings. Despite this most of his other colleagues struggled against Mold and Cuttell and the side was easily beaten by an innings. At Liverpool, Lionel narrowly avoided a pair by scoring nought and one. In the second innings Somerset were all out for 40 as Sharp and Briggs ran through the team; no-one made double figures and Somerset were again heavily beaten by an innings. Lionel missed the next game with Kent due to work commitments. He returned to play Hampshire at Southampton, his form being the lowest of his career. Electing to bat the team slipped to 34 for two before Bernard joined Lionel. Shortly after Lionel gave a hard chance to the wicketkeeper when 28. After this his play and confidence increased. He reached his fifty out of 76 in 70 minutes. His hundred came up out of 154 in two hours and 10 minutes. The partnership continued and Bernard started scoring freely. The pair added 262 for the third wicket in three hours. Both were dismissed in the same over. Lionel batted three and a half hours, hitting 24 boundaries; he gave two difficult chances. Bernard fell for 122, his maiden first class hundred. For a change Somerset did not let this position slip as Hampshire followed on having been dismissed for 218. Lionel’s lobs yielded three for 46 as he dismissed two top order batsman. In the follow-on Hampshire made 279, but Somerset triumphed by an innings and six runs. Two developing bowlers Gill and Cranfield contributed well with the ball. The Hampshire innings seemed to start Lionel’s season as a batsman. In the next game he made a fluent 66. However having controlled most of the match, Somerset were beaten by one wicket, as Reginald Rice (who made an unbeaten 82) and last man Paish added 35 for the last wicket, to snatch a Gloucestershire win by one wicket. Lionel took two for 19 in the second innings and perhaps should have bowled more than his nine overs. A new century and 1901 65