CRICKET.

Press, Volume X, Issue 1190, 30 August 1866, Page 3

CRICKET.

[From the « Pall Mall Gazette."] Gentlemen y. Playebs. This match, an annual one for the last five-and-twenty years, has rarely been played with more emulation. " Any odds on the Players and no takers" has been too often the cry before the game began, but this year some good judges took the Gentlemen for choice. This year, as last, the selection of the Gentlemen was made with a wise consideration of nerve— men used to face professionals, and in public too, unabashed by all the cognoscenti who meet at Lord's. The ground also had been reduced to a state which no longer so decidedly increased the admitted advantage of the professionals in bowling. At the same time it was known that in Mr Eellowes there was a bowler of a dangeroua kind, while Messrs. E. D. Walker, W. and G. Grace, and Maitland, also promised no ordinary assistance. That the secession of certain malcontents would deprive the Players of some ' strength was not denied; but, on the other hand, when could the Gentlemen ever muster all their strength ? Mr Cooper,whowas mostefficientaswicket- ; keeper and batsman in last year's i match, fell ill at the last, and Mr. Mitchell was engaged on more serious affairs. Mr Round also failed, albeit the result proved that either Mr Cooper, or Mr Bound, would have saved half the players' score, and more than half; for incalculable is the

effect of a first-rate hand in such a case. Besides all this, Lord's ground differs from other ground almost as much as a sloping metal billiard table differs from a level wooden one, and the professionals have all the advantage over half the Gentlemen's eleven that the marker has when playing on his own table—so, none need complain that the Gentlemen were too lightly weighted in the race. The Players had first innings—a decided advantage, especially against young players ; so few play their usual game against a heavy score, whilst those who go out to save the runs, play all the keener for the excitement. When " play" was called, Jupp and Humphrey, as usual, led off; but at Lord's they showed to little advantage. Jupp scored 31 ? but missed his hits, and the playofthe professionals was poor throughout. The Messrs Grace, who did nearly all"the bowling, played a dodging game of frequent change of

face and lengths and varied curves. We never saw a dodging game (always an uncertain one) answer better. All went out for 116 runs. This was met by 130 on the part of the Gentlemen, albeit Lyttelton, E. Grace, Buller and V. Walker made but 17 between them. W. G. Grace played very judiciously and well. The style of the batting throughout was undoubtedly good and worth seeing, and contrasted most favorably with that of the Players. The hitting was sharp and clear, combined with good defence ; we had hitting of the readiest kind, very few loose balls passed unpunished, and with one or two exceptions, there was some of that fatal hanking for a hit — playing to the ring rather than to the score —so common among amateurs. There was much excitement at the end of this innings, as Mr Balfour and Mr Fellowes made a stand not common with the last wickets, and sent up the telegraph 20 a-head of the Players' score. This finished the first day. The second day began hopefully. Humphrey, Pooley, and Lillywhite retired before the 20 in arrears were more than cancelled. Unhappily Jupp did not retire too —being missed off an easy catch at the slip—the ball seeming to find— dormitat Homeris —a good man napping. Jupp was missed again—this time by Mr Balfour at the wicket, off Mr E. D. Walker's first ball. Fortune seemed to frown upon the gentlemen. Whether Mr Balfour was ill or hand-sore we cannot say, but quantum mutatus ab illo was the friendly apology of all who knew what that gentleman had i done in better days. Had Mr Winter superseded him now, instead of later, 1 it had not been too late to save the [ game. But the Gentlemen are too [ often doomed to play ignorant of each i others strength. However now Jupp » and Hearn made a stand Mr W.

1 Grace bowled very calmly and very I truly, every inch a cricketer, bowling p on one occasion twenty-four balls, and . on another occasion forty balls to Jupp and Hearne without a run, and if we ' were only to judge from maiden overs his bowling must have been difficult indeed. But, not to qualify his praise, the truth is we never saw professionals miss so many hits or show to less advantage with the bat. Time was in the days of Cobbett and of Lillywhite, if a man did not play to score off balls about an inch from the line, he had small chance to score at all; but now you may experiment on a professional's wicket with far more impunity. The score of 122 (not out) for Hearne, made between the hours of one and seven, must be qualified by some chances missed, while both from Hearne and Jupp we saw high hits drop luckily more than once. As to Jupp's play, Lord's ground is too quick for him. He has as good defence as ever, but no hit at Lord's Hearne, with elbows glued to his side (like .Bennett also) and often poking piteously, showed how, in spite of an awkwardness unpleasant to behold,

men still may score if (remember Tyros !) they play quite straight and forward enough to allow elbow room for their back play, and if also they thoroughly understand slow, that is, curvilinear bowling. This day the ground was favorable. The bowling was very creditable but not difficult. A Player's eleven want an Alfred Mynn or a Harvey Fellows—something out of the common—to ensure success. The " dodging" of the first innings told no more, and the Players (thanks to Hearne) got a hold, from which it took one long summer's day to displace them. Still, but for default of wicket keeping, about 130 would have been their outside Bcore. As to the rest of the fielding, never did we see so many runs saved. Allowances may be made for some slips and mistakes in seven hours' play. The

best fieldsman on the other side, Humphrey, missed two balls in succession. Such things will be till grounds are like billiard-tables. "What cricketer ever saw a match without misses enough almost to have saved the game ? What cricketer does not know the relaxing effect of excitement protracted to the end of a long day ? and when the mind is off this strain, balls will escape the best of hands. Allowing for this tension of the nrind. and nerves, we give Mr Buller much praise as longstop, who, playing so long, and all the while with nearly double any proper longstop's work to do, still kept " extras," leg-byes and all, under four per cent of the score—fine play for any match. Messrs. Maitland and V. Walker worked wonderfully well. E. Grace we only wished had more to do: his fielding we deem second to no part of his wonderful play. But Mr Lubbock could not be surpassed at long leg. His second innings, too, was equal to anything in the match. Yesterday the Gentlemen went in against 238 runs, and made indeed a gallant Btand. Here, as throughout the match, they had anything but luck — nulli secundus with the bat, being the one to be run out. Hon. O. G. Lyttelton, Mr E. Grace, and Mr Lubbock played very cautiously and very well. Mr E. Grace made 25 quite as his friends would always wish to see him play. Indeed, nearly throughout the whole side, the gentlemen played as men who knew the game. We saw little or none of that eagerness to hit, whether there is anything on the ball or not, which heretofore has given the players the advantage, not only in the bowling but in the batting too. But the mainstay and the great holdfast of all the innings was Mr ~R. D. Walker, who in his usual cool and amusing style, scored 63, against first-rate bowling, with scarcely one hit that could have given a chance to the adversary. He seemed to be bowled at last only because (as always happens) that extreme tension or attention equal to the occasion becomes gradually less id a long innings. In this match the game was Batting v. Bowling, and the batting was so superior that nothing but bad luck lost the game. Certainly the players bowled their very best, for they bowled with care and earnestness. By James Lilly white, Howitt, and Bennett, we feared from the first that certain of the younger Gentlemen would be respectively non-suited, and so it proved. Mr Winter, a brilliant hitter, fell before Lillywhite, cramped from want of forward play. One other

failed rather in head than hand in playing Bennett—still it was anybody's game to the last. Messrs. Maitland and C. Walker, both good rebus in arduis were wisely reserved for the finish, and did their very best to win, Mr V. Walker leading off with a six for good omen, which, however, was not fulfilled, for they euded thirty-five in arrears.