Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

64 Yorkshire Captain 1878-1883 to cards with his usual energy.’ Ulyett joined him, whilst Lockwood, Pinder and Bates played quoits, and good friendships were struck up with other passengers. The ship arrived in Quebec on 7 September and soon after the side played three matches in Toronto. In the third match against Ontario, Emmett was particularly effective against the Twenty-Two, taking seven wickets (for 7) in the first innings and 14 (for 36) in the second. The opposition in Canada was weak and found the bowling of Morley, Shaw, Bates and Emmett far too much for them. The visitors were well looked after, however, and in the light of the defeats, speakers at a banquet in Toronto requested that a professional be sent over from England to coach local players. At one event, Emmett was given some food which he did not recognise, but enjoyed. He hungrily asked for ‘a little more of that coostard’, although it turned out to be pumpkin pie. The team travelled to Montreal and then Toronto, where the Governor-General attended one of the matches. At Hamilton, Emmett was successful with the ball, and at London, he made 33. Interestingly, even in Canada it seems there was still some discussion about whether the team might – if made ‘a liberal offer’ – travel on to Australia. Arthur Shrewsbury reported this, but said that Lockwood, Pinder and Barnes were very against the idea, and Richard Daft could not consider it because of existing obligations at home. After completing their Canadian fixtures, Daft’s side took the train from London, Ontario to Detroit and then the overnight Pullman to Niagara Falls, where they spent a day sightseeing. They then played in Syracuse and Staten Island, New York, where Emmett made 32 not out, and against Philadelphia, where he made 35, hitting freely and scoring with ‘remarkable precision’, but did not bowl. On the second day, 10,000 people attended. The local press was very positive about Richard Daft and his side, although one commented ominously that this would help to ‘wipe out some of the unsavoury recollections of the antics and eccentricities of previous semi-professional elevens.’ The side then made a short visit to New York for two matches – one at cricket and another at baseball – before returning to Philadelphia. In a match in Brooklyn against a side designated ‘Baseball Players’, Bates (9-36) and Emmett (7-23) proved too much for the home side in the first innings, and even more so in the second, as the two Yorkshiremen dismissed their opponents for 23, Emmett adding another 7-9 to his tally of wickets. A further match against Young America saw Emmett supporting Bates, who took 8-20. The team had travelled thousands of miles without a hitch, although there was a slight problem at the end of the visit when an anticipated challenge match in Philadelphia with the Irish side that was touring America did not materialise. In its place there was a scratch match of Yorkshire v Nottinghamshire, augmented by locals. Emmett (as captain) took 4-53 and made 24 not out despite an injured hand, but could not prevent Nottinghamshire winning. The side reportedly enjoyed their visit to North America, especially in Philadelphia, where ‘great interest and intelligent appreciation’ was shown and the standard of players exceeded