Lives in Cricket No 9 - JH King

match beloved by the Victorians with a score of 76 and a return of six for 92 for the Single against the Married. More important, however, was his first ‘proper’ representative match, not however first-class, for Liverpool and District against Cambridge University at Aigburth in July. Batting at No.8 in both innings he scored 27 out of 399 in the first innings and a very valuable 38 out of a mere 172 in the second. Although unsuccessful with nought for 16 in the University’s first innings of 290, he took three for 26 on the last day, his disappointment at just failing to bring his side victory (Cambridge held out with one wicket to fall and 79 runs to score) perhaps partly palliated by catching, off his own bowling, the redoubtable Gilbert Jessop, then in the first of his glorious years of unparalleled fast scoring. Interest continued to be taken in him by Leicestershire, which had recently engaged as coach the ebullient Yorkshireman Tom Emmett, who proved an excellent choice with a wealth of experience, having played 298 matches for Yorkshire between 1866 and 1888 (as captain for five years) and seven for England and toured both Australia and North America. He was an inspirational coach with no fancy airs – he had turned up for his first professional engagement in clogs and with his kit wrapped up in a newspaper – and, as a left-handed all-rounder, he was especially helpful to King until his death in 1904. Despite playing only six matches for his county, King increased his seasonal aggregate to 242 runs, which for ten dismissals placed him fourth in the county averages and above Knight, who again played regularly. He also at last gave a glimpse in first-class cricket of his bowling prowess, increasing his career total of two wickets by a multiple of six and conceding only 277 runs off 128.4 overs for his ten wickets. He achieved various personal milestones: a highest score of 77 against Middlesex, when he batted at a new high of No.3 and ‘made some splendid hits’ (especially off-drives), followed by a half-century notable for its freedom in cutting in his very next innings; opening the bowling and taking three wickets, both for the first time, against Surrey at Leicester and achieving his best figures with three for 43 at The Oval. What probably gave him most satisfaction, however, was a return of three for 88 out of a total of 449 against Yorkshire at Leicester, since his victims were the redoubtable trio of Tunnicliffe, F.S.Jackson and Lord Hawke; he also had Denton missed off a ‘fairly easy chance’ by Woodcock. For the first time Wisden sees fit to make mention of him (with its 26 Apprenticeship