FORTY YEARS OF CRICKET.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7772, 28 January 1891, Page 2

FORTY YEARS OF CRICKET.

By W. G. Gb-ok.

{Continued.) no. xxxiv.—ckick-tbhß i h-vb m~c. Scotton : Gunn : Shrewsbury. William H. Scotton was born at Nottingham, 15th January, 1856. He first represented his county in 1874; but it waa not until 1879 that he began to play regularly in the eleven. At that time he had the reputation of being a good left-handed batsman, with strong defence and fair hitting powers. To-day he would be described as a good batsman, with strong defence and no hitting powers... Many a batsman has longed to make a hundred runs in ah innings, and one or two can boast of having done it within the hour. Scotton has a record of a different kind; he can boast of having made 128 runs in eight hours and a quarter, and of having batted for an hour, on more than one occasion, without scoring at aiL He has been a very useful man with the bat for his' county, and has broken the heart of many a bowler. I must confess to aiding with a freer style; but once or twice, when a rot had set In, and runs were wanted badly, I wished from the bottom of my heart that Scotton, or. a batsman of his type, had been opposite mc. When England played Australia at the Oral in 1888, he and I batted first, and ?ut on 170 runs before we were parted. 7e had been 1 batting three hours and three-quarters, and Scotton's share was 34. At one stage of the innings he was in An Twur and seven minutes without sooring atoll! One shudders to think what the crowd would have done if two Scottons had been batting at the same time. Punch hit out on the subject: "—look, block, block, At the foot of thy vrioket, O Scotton I And I would that my tongue could utter My boredom. You toowt put the pot on I "Block, block, block, At the foot of thy wickets, ah, del But one hour of Grace or Walter Reid Were worth a week of yen." I believe it was a Cockney sportsman who described Mr Thornton's taU hitting in language more forcible than refined: as " bloomhr 'ard, bloomln' 'igh. bloomln' j hoften, and bloomln' fun;" and Scotton's as " bloomln' hawf ul 1" Whatever may be said about Scotton's style of batting, there cannot be two opinions about his being worth a place in the Notts eleven, or any eleven. The fact of his having, been chosen to represent England proves it. Besides, ho has scored the century in an innings cftener than players imagine, and on two occasions has exceeded 200 runs for the M. 0. C.; and he has also shown well np in the first-class averages for years. He has been to Australia on three occasions; and represented the Players against the Gentlemen as long ago as 1880. For a left-handed batsman, be plays very straight; and I suppose, ia the face of his recent displays, I may say he has no particular hit. At one time he had a fair reputation at a bowler. He is an excellent field and safe catch anywhere. William Gunn was born at Nottingham on December 4th, 1858, and is, therefore, now in his 32nd year. His height is 6ft gin.; weight 14st 41 ha. He did not represent his county so early as soma of the others I haye sketched; bat he very soon showed that he possessed batting powers of no mean order* So pleased were 1 the authorities of the M. C. C. with hie first display at Lord's, that they mado bins the '. otter of a place as one of the groundbowlers, which he promptly accepted. But he very soon gave evidence that It was as a batsman, and not as a bowler, that he was going to arrest attention.. The year 1881 saw him exceeding the century more than once for the old club, though he did not score so successfully for his county. , In the year 1884 he made a distinct step forward, and every year since he has been a most prominent figure with tha bat in county and representative matches. His great height enables him to get over the' Ball, and of late years his defence has much improved. He used to hit very hard and clean; but he has moderated his pace. the last two or three years, and exercises _ little more carefulness. •' His highest score for hia county is 203, made against Sussex in 1887; but he exceeded that by 14 runs two years later,, in the memorable match 3-C.O. and Ground v. Northamberlandshire. He has S roved himself to be a magnificent eld in the country; and his displays far the Players v. Gentlemen at the Oval and Lord's the last two or three years have been magnificent. The year 1889 saw him at the top of the batting averages in first-ass cricket: and judging by his form in the months ot May and June of the present year, he is likely to take a very high position in 1830. His grand score of .228 for the flayers against the Australians at Lord's on the 10ch and 20th June will be remembered as one of the finest bits of batting that has ever been witnessed against first-class bowling. There was not the shadow of & chance m it, and the last 28 runs were made in the same careful and scientific manner as the first hundred. Altogether he batted nine and a half hours, and it waa the highest

• PobUaheoVby pe__arr_i__n„,_ with the aathor. __—ghte reserved,

score ever made by professional or amateur against an Australian eleven In England. He has been moderately successful as a bovvler. His most successful batting averages in first-class cricket have been: Completed Most loan Innings. Buns. Innings. Average, 1834 23 647 ISS 25.22 1885 40 1151 203 38.11 1886 23 753 83 28.M ISS7 27 953 205* 35.13 18X3 45 9-20 91 20.20 1089 31 1299 118 38.7 Arthur Shrewsbury was born on the llth April, 1856. at New Lenton, near Nottingham. His height is sft Bin ; weight, 12st 21bs. It used to be said of Shrewsbury that he was a worthy successor of R. Daft, who helped materially with the bat to gain Nottinghamshire its very high position amongst the counties between 1860 and 1879. By his doings in later years, Shrewsbury has more than confirmed that. Daft's fine performances hare beea eclipsed, and it may bo safely said of Shrewsbury that no professional has ever wielded a bat with suoh excellent results as he has done.

It is a great many years since he first appeared for his county. As far back as 1875 he represented it, and captivated tho critics by his admirable style of play and great coolness. Greater things were expected of him yearly, but somehow they did not come. Bit by bit he built up his great reputation; but it was not until 1885, when he was in his thirtieth year, that he was seen at his best. Two or three years previously he had scored over 200 runs in an innings twice for his county, batting in a way that was worthy of the highest praise; but in 1885, from the beginning to the end of the season, his form was consistently good, and he could show tk'e fine average of 54.7 for fifteen com{ilcted innings. He continued his successul career in ISB6 ; and In 1887 his results with the bat far outshone every professional display since the game began. For hi 9 county that year he played— 19 complated innings; scored 1,484 runs; average, 78.2. And altogether in first-class matches he played— 21 completed inning 3; scored 1,658 runs ; average, 78.1&, Three times he scored over 200 runs in an innings, and eight times he exceeded the century; English and Australian matches Included.

! The year 1838 was a blank one for bim in English cricket, owing to his absence in Australia; but ISB9 saw him well to tire front again, though not in such great form as In 1887. To-day he has lost none of his skill. I should not be surprised if 1890 turns out to be as successful a year for him as any in which he has yet played. He has represented the Players agaiust the Gentlemen since 1876, and his batting has been a tower of strength for them. In conjunction with Alfred Shaw and Jas. Llllywhite, he has taken a team to Australia four times, and on every occasion he batted splendidly. On his return from Australia, in December, 1888, a very handsome testimonial was presented to him by the noblemen, gentlemen, and residents of the town and county of Nottingham, in acknowledgment of his great ability as a cricketer, and manly, straightforward bearing in private life. His style is too well known to demand a lengthy description. Great patience and coolness are his chief characteristics. You can never tell by his manner or play whether he has just scored hia first run or his hundredth. Good balls are carefully watched by him to the end of his innings, however long it may be; and loose ones are freely punished. His defence is admirable, and his fine wrist-play enables him to play the ball firmly away from his wicket, and he rarely allows a ball to pass bis bat. And his bitting Is as safe and scientific as his defence. He times the ball most accurately, gets well over It, and risks nothing In the way of lofty hitting. On good or bad wickets he is equally at home, and more than once he has shone conspicuously when the rest of the team had collapsed. Of late years he has fielded chiefly at point, with great success; hut it is not so very long ago since he could be placed anywhere, with credit to himself and profit to his side. His most successful years with the bat in all matches were—

©Si JJ&fl M fi i hi '§' i£ _l _£ A 1878 « .. - 25 693 118 23.18 1883 .. -' N 20 633 207 26.13 1883 _ .. - 38 1117 98 29.15 1884 .. „ .. 82 908 209 28.12 1885 - ~ .20 1130 224« 66.10 188(5 _ _. ..83 1494 217* 42.18 1887 „ - .. 21 1653 287 78.15 ISB9 „ _ _. 14 622 104 37.4

Shrewsbury's Three-figure Inalngs in First' class Matohet. June, 1876—For Notts v. Yorkshire, at Trent Bridge .. .. ..118 May. 1887-For PUyers of tbe North v. Gentlemen of the South, at Oval .. 119 August, 1882—For Notts v. Surrey, at . Oval 207 June, 1884—For Notts v. Sussex, at Brighton 209 August, 1884-For Notts v. Surrey, ac Oval 127 March, 1885—For England v. Australia, at Melbourne .. .. .. 105* July, 1886—For Notts v. Middlesex, at Lord's.. .. .. .. ' .. 224* Jnly, 18S5—For Notts v. Gloucestershire, at Trent Bridge .. ..137 July, 1885—For North v. South, at Manchester .. ... 101 August, 1885—For Notts v. Derbyshire, at Derby " , .. 118 Jane, 1888—For Notts v. Gloucestershire, at Moreton-in-Marah .. .. .. 227* July. 1888;— For England v. Australia, at Lord's .. .. 164 July, 1836—For Players v. Gentlemen, at Oval 127 Ootober, 1886—For England v. Fifteen of ! South Australia, at Adelaide ..100 March, 1887-For England v. Victoria, ab Melbourne ... .. .. .. 144 March, 1887 — For Non-Smokers v. ' Smokers, at Melbourne .. ..238 June, 1887—For Notts r. Middlesex, ab > Lord's .. .. .. .. 119 June, 1887—For England V. M.0.0. and Ground, at Lord's „ .... 152 Jun_ 1887—For Notts v. Lancashire, at Trent Bridge .. .. .. ..130 July, 1887-ForPlayers v. Gentleman, at Lord's . .. .... ill July, 1887 — For Notts v. Sussex at Brighton .... .. .. 101 August. 1887—For Notts v. Gloucestershire, at Clifton .. .. .. 119» August, ÜBt-For Notts v, Middlesex, at Bridge .. .. ..:• '.; 267 Augutt. 1887—For Notts v. Sussex, at Trent Bridge .. .. .. _85 j December. 1887—For England v. Yiotoria, at Melbourne .. .. .. ..232 March. 1888—For England v. Sixth Aus- - • tralianTeam .. .. .. 208 May. 1889—ffor Notts v. Sussex, at Trent). > Bridge : ..104