Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

33 had a day to travel from Edinburgh to London to appear in Yorkshire’s first game of the season, against MCC, which they lost. In June, he was in the north-east playing against All-England for Sunderland and Middlesbrough. Emmett missed Yorkshire’s game against Surrey in June, but was in the side against Nottinghamshire at the end of the month. Immediately afterwards, the side travelled to Manchester for the Roses match, where Emmett made a major contribution with both bat and ball. His 19 in the first innings helped the tail push the total to 142, and he and Freeman then bowled out Lancashire for 90, Emmett taking 5-34. A good showing from several Yorkshire batsmen, including Emmett with 48 (‘put together in slashing style’), and the tail-enders set Lancashire a daunting target. With Freeman (4-27) and Emmett (6-51) in top form, they fell well short and lost by 222 runs. In early July, Emmett appeared for All-England. According to the Sheffield Daily Telegraph , at Sleaford his bowling was ‘very destructive’, and he took 15 of the 21 wickets to fall in the first innings. He was also in Bolton for the match between All-England and the United North of England. He and J.C.Shaw bowled the opposition out for 108, with Emmett suffering badly with wides – eight in all. All-England took a lead, but then – after a missed day for rain - Emmett (16-9-14-6) and Shaw (16.2-10-9-3) ran through the North, which made just 27, not one player making double figures. Back with Yorkshire at The Oval, Emmett and Allen Hill, a new prospect in his debut season, were the destructive force, bowling together throughout both innings. Hill, ‘a bowler of great pace and good length’, took 12-57 in the match and, with Rowbotham and Greenwood, was presented with a silver cup by a Yorkshire supporter who lived in London. Emmett took eight wickets and Yorkshire won by 10 wickets. The final county match against Nottinghamshire at Sheffield saw Emmett take 13 wickets in the match in front of a crowd of around 7,000 people. Yorkshire were reduced to 86-7 when Emmett came to the wicket, but he made 64 not out to help the side to nearly 200, leaving the field to great cheering. Hill and Emmett then opened the bowling, with the latter at his best. In just over two hours, Nottinghamshire – the best team of the season – were all out for 77. At one point, Emmett bowled 19 overs for just five runs and took the first seven wickets, and Yorkshire won by 140 runs. He was again applauded from the field. Emmett’s season ended in the north-east, where the Middlesbrough district took on the United South of England. He then appeared for Lord Londesborough’s Eleven against a Scarborough Visitors Eleven (organised by C.I.Thornton) in the Castle Yard ground. This game is widely considered to have shaped the destiny of Scarborough Cricket Club, and ‘as a direct consequence of the match, the club came under pressure from Lord Londesborough to improve facilities both on and off the field; specifically to find a new ground.’ 23 A few years later, the Scarborough cricket festival was established, in which Emmett was to feature for some years. Looking back on the summer, the Sheffield Independent regretted that Yorkshire’s strength had never been fully represented on the field, A man in demand (1867-1871)