Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

116 coot’, whilst a favourite phrase was ‘took rut’ or ‘tuk rut’ – meaning when a batsman got well settled. Many years later, it was suggested that readers of P.F.Warner’s biography would still be puzzled by Emmett’s reference to his ‘sostenuter’ (his ball which pitched on leg and took off stump.) At times, the press felt unable to report Emmett’s words. In 1881, Athletic News commented that he had been hit in a ‘soft spot’ by a fast bowler from Liverpool, and the ‘exclamation uttered by the Yorkshire captain was very amusing, but it won’t bear its being put into type.’ If Tom Emmett was cheerful there were good reasons for it. He came into top-class cricket in 1866 just as the game was taking off in England, and the opportunities to play the game professionally were expanding rapidly for those good enough. Emmett was one of those men who were always in demand and, unlike many professional cricketers of the day, he never had to search for work, even if there was some suggestion that he was not in favour at Lord’s early in his career, being picked to play more in representative matches at The Oval. He was also usually involved in every aspect of a match – batting, bowling and fielding. He was once asked why he was never nervous, and he replied to the effect that it was not pleasant to have ‘all one’s eggs in one basket’, meaning that if a batsman could not also bowl, he must make his mark by scoring runs, whereas he could do both. As a fielder too he was always on the move. R.H.Lyttelton commented that, ‘He seldom used to walk about the field; even when changing his position he was generally running, no matter whether there was occasion or not; and he never appeared to be hurt. If his finger got hurt, somehow or other it never hindered his playing.’ Tom Emmett was always involved and active. Yet for all that he appeared to be having fun, Emmett took the game very seriously because it was his livelihood and he had a large family to provide for. His first child (Clara) was born around 1864 and his youngest (Edith) in 1879, with four more born in between (Arthur, Albert, Frances, Evelyn), as well as another who sadly died in 1868. This may help to explain his gruelling schedule. To take just one season as an illustration – that of 1869 – when Emmett was an established member of the Yorkshire side and also appeared for and against the All-England Eleven all over the country, he travelled an estimated minimum of 4,000 miles between May and September. This included two trips to The Oval, and an overnight journey from Chesterfield to Glasgow, finishing one game in the afternoon and starting the next in the morning. By recreating his season game by game, it is possible to see that he was away from home for long periods, and frequently played back-to-back matches requiring overnight or Sunday travel. Between 14 June and 7 July, for example, he played on 20 days out of 24, in one county game, a Players against Gentlemen match, and in five All-England Eleven and United South of England Eleven fixtures. 80 Building up a programme of engagements provided Emmett with an income from a range of sources which would have fluctuated season by season over his career. Quite how much he made is impossible to say with any certainty. In the early 1860s, Emmett remembered earning either 2s6d Personality, performance and popularity