Minor Counties Championship 1914

MATCH NUMBER 18: CHESHIRE V ESSEX 2 ND XI At Birkenhead Park Cricket Club, Park Drive, Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead on Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 July 1914 Result: Cheshire won by an innings and 89 runs Points: Cheshire 5 Toss: Not known Umpires: Not known Debutants: Cheshire 3 (G Blackburne, E S M Harding, H W Hodgson); Essex 2 nd XI 5 (H Clarke, C P McGahey, H Mead, L W Newman, B T Strutton) First day score: Essex 2 nd XI 79; Cheshire 64-4 wickets (-*, -*) Essex 2 nd XI C H Douglas b Hope 6 (1) c and b Smoker 3 L W Newman b Smoker 18 (2) b Smoker 0 C P McGahey lbw b Smoker 4 (3) b Smoker 8 C S Richardson b Smoker 17 (4) b Smoker 5 H Clarke lbw b Smoker 2 (5) c Wild b Smoker 7 * C J Round lbw b Hope 0 (7) b Smoker 9 + E C Coleman b Smoker 0 (6) b Hope 11 Hills, H M b Smoker 8 (8) c Hope b Smoker 0 Smith, H W b Hope 3 (9) not out 2 Mead, H not out 4 (10) b Smoker 0 Strutton, B T c Tipping b Hope 3 (11) b Smoker 0 Extras nb 3 14 16 Total (all out) 79 (all out) 61 Fall of wickets 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 First innings 79 Second innings 61 Smoker 20 6 32 6 - - (1) 10.4 0 33 9 - - Hope 17 4 29 4 - 3 (2) 10 5 12 1 - - Williams 4 0 4 0 - - Extras - - 14 0 - - - - 16 0 - - Total 41 10 79 10 - 3 20.4 5 61 10 - - Cheshire F C Wild c Round b Hills 3 H W Hodgson c Newman b Hills 1 Chambers, W T run out 10 G Blackburne c Newman b Douglas 43 E S M Harding b Smith 18 * V Hope c Coleman b Strutton 29 A F Willmer b Smith 11 Smoker, H G c Richardson b McGahey 38 L N Jones b Richardson 40 Williams, A not out 9 + Tipping, J D, sen lbw b McGahey 0 Extras 27 Total (all out) 229 Fall of wickets 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 First innings 6 55 229 Second innings - - - - - - - - - - Mead 13 3 32 0 - - Round 2 0 14 0 - - Hills 19 5 67 2 - - Smith 15 0 40 2 - - McGahey 3.3 0 12 2 - - Douglas 5 2 8 1 - - Strutton 3 0 22 1 - - Richardson 3 0 7 1 - - Extras - - 27 1 - - Total 63.3 10 229 10 - - Notes: Cheshire won this return match by an innings and 89 runs on the second day. Rain interrupted play on the first day and there was no play between lunch and 5.00 pm. In the encounter between the two teams at Witham in June Essex had won by 8 wickets. For the winners Blackburne top-scored with 43, an innings that contained 3 sixes and 2 fours. Smoker took 15 wickets for 65 runs in the match, including figures of 6 for 32 in the Essex first innings and 9 for 33 in their second, during which he and Hope bowled unchanged. 13 of Smoker’s wickets were claimed without the assistance of his teammates. For Essex no batsman reached 20 and no bowler took more than 2 wickets. [Missing: Toss; umpires; close of play not out batsmen’s details; extras breakdown; fall of wickets; precise time completed.] Sources: Birkenhead News 11 July; Chester Chronicle 11 July; Liverpool Echo 8,9 July; Manchester Courier 10 July; World of Cricket 18 July, p 354. 60