Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

105 Emmett considered the first thing was for the batsman to stand ‘well set up, that is, get him to stand in as easy a position as possible.’ He suggested following George Ulyett’s stance at the wicket. Thereafter, he began explaining the defensive strokes, stating: In playing forward be very particular to keep the right foot in its place and reach well out with your left, springing on to the toes of the right foot, which helps to take your body well forward to the ball, which is very necessary to have a good strong forward stroke, giving your bat a good swing in the air, nearly as high as your head, and then you come with some force on the ball. He now turned to offensive strokes, arguing that ‘The cut is the prettiest stroke of all the strokes used in batting, and the stroke over which there is more diversity of opinion than any other. The times I have had the question put to me as to which I considered the right way to cut the left or the right leg forward or across. Well, in my opinion, there is only one way to cut, and that is, put your right leg across and spring on the toes of the left and don’t hit the ball too soon; let the ball not be exactly past the wicket, but try and cut it when within a few inches of the wicket, and let your body be facing the short slip or nearly so.’ He also commented on his favourites - ‘Grace for effect, Daft for style, and Tom Humphrey for cutting. I have not seen their equal.’ As well as continuing to coach cricket, Emmett also acted as umpire during the 1890s. In 1893, he told The Cricket Field that, whilst he discouraged readers from believing the stories that were told about his umpiring, ‘I really do believe I am pretty bad.’ One story was told by C.W.Wright, about an I Zingari match in which Emmett had umpired. J.H.J.Hornsby was bowling and kept talking to Emmett in French. When the bowler hit a batsman on the leg he appealed by calling out ‘Comment ça’. Emmett, ‘in the most judicial manner in the world’, responded with ‘Oui, monsieur’. The bowler told the batsman he was out, but it turned out this was not the answer had Emmett intended to give, and called him back, saying that ‘By ‘oui’ I meant the other thing, whatever that is.’ Emmett himself recalled the first important match he had umpired, between Yorkshire and the Australians at Bradford in 1893. He said, ‘Our man lost the toss, and when the Australians came in I said, ‘Now gentlemen, there is one thing I want you to bear in mind and that is that no-one must appeal unless the wickets are clean bowled.’ ’ This perhaps was another indication that he did not want to be put on the spot to make decisions. Later on, Emmett umpired at Scarborough during the Festival – in 1898 for the Gentlemen v Players match, in 1899 for C.I.Thornton’s XI v Australians, and in 1900 for Yorkshire v MCC. His appearances were popular; when he and Louis Hall were the officials for the Australian game in 1899, it was reported that their presence ‘revived a host of memories of their achievements on the Scarborough ground. Tom’s voice is as penetrating and raucous as of yore’. The later years (1889-1904)