Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

32 In between the appearances at Lord’s, Emmett ran through Burnley for Keighley, taking 5-8 as they were dismissed for 28, before returning the remarkable figures of 7-7-0-5 as Burnley reached 11-8. Emmett maintained his Keighley connections, and his involvement in games between the two clubs was mentioned in an exchange of letters the following winter, when Burnley made it clear that if he was to play he should be considered as a professional and not an ordinary member of the club. The blurring of the distinction between club and county cricket was very evident in Emmett’s programme. Playing for his club side, Middlesbrough, against Malton, he was up against county colleagues George Freeman and Roger Iddison, whilst he and another county colleague, Tom Darnton, each took five wickets. There was no let up in effort as he appeared for All-England at Grantham and bowled a total of 92 overs in the game, taking 8-42 and a remarkable 11-17. Emmett then appeared for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, where the visitors won the toss and batted. Only three men reached double figures in the score of 108, but Yorkshire had a lead of over 50 thanks to three run outs and the bowling of Freeman and Emmett. Yorkshire later set the home side a target of 174 to win. Bignall and Oscroft set off successfully and reached 65 before the first wicket fell. Nottinghamshire then began to falter and the eighth wicket fell at 148. At this point, Martin and Howitt hit the ball around so that Emmett was taken off. When he was brought back he bowled a wide and then changed ends. Before he attempted a second over, the Nottinghamshire captain complained that this was his fourth change, and Lockwood took his place. Off his first ball, Howitt was caught, and Yorkshire won by two runs amidst ‘the wildest excitement’. Years later, Ephraim Lockwood remembered it that the captain Iddison had asked him to bowl because ‘he was afraid Tom. Emmett might bowl one of his wides, and the game was too close to risk.’ 22 Emmett’s trademark loose bowling was already a mixed blessing. For Emmett, the first half of July 1870 was made up of five All-England games, including for Middlesbrough in a 258 runs win. He finished this sequence at Hull on 20 July, but was in Gravesend the next morning in the Yorkshire team that took on Kent. He opened the bowling and delivered 38 overs for 5-82 as Kent reached 168 in a match which Yorkshire won by eight wickets. The two sides travelled north to Dewsbury for the return fixture shortly afterwards. The outcome was the same, and Freeman and Emmett took 17 of the wickets between them. They also took a further 15 in the return game against Nottinghamshire in August, and all 19 that fell to bowlers against Surrey. Towards the end of August 1870, Emmett was engaged by Northamptonshire to play the United North of England Eleven, which included W.G.Grace as opener. Tom Hearne and Emmett took all the wickets as the touring side made just 92 and 58. The season had been remarkably productive. Emmett had now reached his 30 th year and arguably was at the height of his powers. He began the 1871 season in Scotland for All-England, where he bowled 47 overs and took 10-49, alongside Shaw and Tinley. He then A man in demand (1867-1871)