Lives in Cricket No 44 - LCH Palairet

teams should play to win and not promote boring draws. He also advocated a change to the leg before wicket law, to stop players just padding balls not straight (it took until the 1930s for this to happen); he also thought bats were too wide and should be narrowed. He would return to the Somerset side at the end of June to play the visiting Philadelphians. Somerset won by ten wickets, with Lionel making a quick 46 in the second innings. The team then beat Gloucestershire at Bath, but Lionel then missed the whole of July to business and family commitments. He returned against Middlesex at Taunton, as Somerset narrowly lost by two wickets, Lionel making 21 in each innings. He showed better form in the next game against Sussex scoring 54 and 46 but the game was left drawn as Somerset batted all the last day making 419 for eight. After Lionel made two against Kent in another drawn game, Worcestershire came to Taunton. Worcestershire were bowled for 186. On a pitch giving help to bowlers Lionel was to go on the offensive and although giving a few chances made 97 out of 154. Despite trailing by 32 runs on first innings, Cranfield and Braund spun Worcestershire out for 72 and Somerset ran out winners by four wickets. The penultimate game of the season for Somerset soon followed at Taunton against Surrey. After winning the toss the first day barely saw an hour’s play as Somerset closed on 67 for one with Lionel on 26. With Johnson he took their partnership to 120 on the second morning before Lionel fell for 67. Somerset gained a lead of 73 on the first innings. Somerset started the second innings on the final day with a result unlikely. Nevertheless Lionel in fine style hit 114 with 14 fours. Somerset declared as the game petered out to a draw. Somerset finished on a high by beating Hampshire with Lionel failing in each innings. Braund with a century and eight wickets in the match had a key say in the 109-run win. Somerset again won as many as they lost, six, as they finished tenth, a drop of three places. Braund and Cranfield again bowling well were instrumental in many of the victories. For Lionel it was a shortened season, as a result he made only 637 runs at 35.38, to finish 21st in the national averages. 1902 and one more good season 88