Lives in Cricket No 50 - Tom Emmett

82 ‘Owd Evergreen’ 1884-1888 the ringleaders roughly. The police regained control of the square and slowly forced the crowd back. The Australians eventually came back on to cheers, and the game was concluded in 12 minutes in a nine wicket win by the tourists. During the season, Emmett played in a number of other representative games. As well as the Players of England v Australians games at Sheffield and The Oval, he appeared for a weak Eleven of England v the Australians in July at Huddersfield. He was also chosen for the Players v the Gentlemen at Lords at the start of the same month, but was little used. In September, he played in a Smokers side v Non-Smokers match, organised at Lord’s for the benefit of the Cricketers’ Fund. Emmett remained a much in-demand member of many sides. At the end of the summer of 1884, Emmett headed the Yorkshire bowling averages and took the most wickets he had secured in a season since 1878 – 107 in all games at an average of just over 11. Lillywhite’s Cricketers Annual commented that ‘In bowling [Yorkshire] was decidedly strong, with Emmett never in better form.’ In its summary of the year, it added that given he was in his nineteenth year with the county, ‘his figures may fairly be characterised as extraordinary.’ And it considered he was in such good form that he atoned for Harrison’s failure to repeat his 1883 exploits. 57 Emmett did not make a big contribution with the bat, but he was still a hugely valued member of the side. In the light of Emmett’s success, the magazine Cricket , now in its third year, featured him in an opening article. Inevitably, the author marvelled at his ‘extraordinary vitality, his unceasing flow of animal spirits’. There was also a mention of another photograph of Yorkshire players in academic dress – this one showing Emmett with Peate, Lockwood and Ulyett. The same paper called it the Lockwood, Peate, Ulyett and Emmett in academic dress. (Ron Deaton)