Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

49 The Great All-rounder (1872-1877) 1876 had not been forgotten. In February 1877, several Yorkshire papers published a long profile, which had previously appeared in The Sportsman . It concluded that there were ‘very few better men around, either among amateurs or professionals, than Emmett…when he was at his best, and it was his day, he was the most dangerous bowler that I have ever seen.’ Despite this praise, as would be the case on many occasions (right up to the present day), the Yorkshire press was not convinced that the county’s players had been properly utilised on tour. The Sheffield Independent suggested that ‘Though James Lillywhite has captained the team generally well, he has scarcely fulfilled all requisites in the bowling department. While Shaw has been kept on continually, Hill and Emmett were frequently shunted before getting fairly into swing.’ Although back in the country for the 1877 season, Emmett missed the game at Lord’s against Middlesex, where Billy Bates made his first-class debut, and the side included other colts who had impressed in the early season practice games which Emmett missed. He was though back in the side at Sheffield for the game with Surrey on 18 June. Whatever effects the long journey to the other side of the world had had, they appeared to have worn off as he opened with Eastwood, bowling 35 overs and taking 2-28. He then top scored with 47 in an innings of 137, exactly the same as Surrey’s. The visitors set Yorkshire a target of 152 to win but, despite a second significant contribution with the bat from Emmett, Yorkshire collapsed and lost by 66 runs. The defeat gave rise to considerable debate in Yorkshire, and there were many theories as to the causes of the failure. One reporter commented that ‘scarcely any of the team can play slows except Tom Emmett. Why? They go in as funky as frogs, and keep messing and poking about the wicket till they get done, instead of letting fly as they used to do in the brave days of old.’ Defeat by Nottinghamshire followed, before Emmett left for three Gentlemen v Players fixtures in London, where he generally made only small contributions, except at Lord’s, where he scored 47 not out. The remainder of the season did not work out well for Yorkshire despite a nine-wicket win against Derbyshire. On this occasion, Emmett was on great form with the bat, cutting and driving with confidence in a ‘magnificent and faultless innings’ of 70 out of 210. He then came on as fifth bowler and took out the Derbyshire middle order with 5-25 in 14 overs, bowling in wonderfully erratic form. This followed a disastrous first over which included three wides, much to the amusement of the crowd, but ended with a sequence in which he took four wickets for three runs. Yorkshire needed 88 to win and got them for one wicket. This performance generated renewed enthusiasm for Emmett’s abilities, and the Sheffield Daily Telegraph asked if Ulyett and Lockwood were to play for England against Gloucestershire at The Oval, why not Emmett? After his recent innings, and remembering his bowling and fielding, the paper felt there were few all-round cricketers in England superior to Tom Emmett that year. The promise of the Derbyshire game was not, however, followed up by Yorkshire, and shortly afterwards they lost to Lancashire by 9 wickets.