R. E. FOSTER

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 114, 15 May 1914, Page 2

R. E. FOSTER

■' i i 'A FAMOUS CRICKETER.; The late R. E. Foeter whos,e death, was announced in yesterday's issue was the most famous of all his brothers— B. S. G. N., H. X., M. X., and W. L. After leaving Malvern, Foster gained his Blue at Oxford in 1897. In July, 1899 the Worcestershire crack leapfinto fame by scoring- 134 and 101' not; out at tho j expense of the Hampshire bowlers. The following season, as captain, of the Ov onian side, he broke dll University r«cords by scoring 171 against Cambridge, scoring , 939 in thirteen innings (once not onQ, with ah average of 77, and ! making 100 twice in one match— l2B and 100 not out v. A. J. Webbe's Eleven, at Oxford. 'A few days later "R.E." set up another record m a record mateh — Gentlemen v. Players— scoring 102 not j out and 136 for the Gentlemen at Lord's on his first appearance* in the classic j fixture. In 1901 Foster was the batsman of the season in county cricket, and aggregated 2128 runs. The crowning triumph of Foster's career took place in Sydney during tho 1903 04 season. lie ! was a member of the English team, led by P. 1?. Warner, who regained "those aches" for England. On, Saturday, 10th December, 1903, Foster had Arnold' for I a partner until tho Worcestershire proI fessional Was caught by Layer off Armstrong. 117—4—27. This ecore was ! hoisted when L. C. Braund, of Somerset, j joined Foster, and the pair were at the wickete when play ceased for the day, the score standing at 243. On Monday Foster and Braund collared the bowling. The amateur was first to' reach three figures with a late cut for 4 off Juaver. This stroke was Foster's beat effort of the Australian tour, the batsman dabbing down on an off ball with lightninglike wrists. R. , E. Foster Was one of the few players to make a hundred in their first Test match. Braund got his hundred in the following over. He went from 94 to 102 by means of two offdrives, but the next ball from W. Howell yorked him. 309—5—102. Hirst, Bosanquet, and Lilley retired in quick succession. A. E. Relf for a time played purely defensive cricket, while Foster f tit the Australian bowlers as s they had never been hit before in all the previous Tests between England and Australia. Jt mattered not who bowled ; it was all the same to R. E. Foster. Relf was caught in the slips by Armstrong off J. V. Saunders in the last over before the tea adjournment, the score standing at 447. Foster had previously eclipsed Eanjitsinhji's 175, and "shortly afterwards he passed S. E. Gregory's score of 201, made on the Sydney ground in 1894. (England won this match by 10 runs.) Curiously enough, Gregory himself was bowling at the time. A few minutes later Foster beat the late W. L. Murdoch's score of 211, compiled at Kennington Oval in 1884. That innings had istood for nearly twenty years on what seemed an inaccessible pinnacle, when Foster, in his first Test match, beats it. In sixty-six I minutes Foster and Rhodes added 130 tuns — Rhodes now goes in first wicket for England — and then, from sheer exhaustion, the great Worcestershire bats- < man skied J. V. Saunders to mid' Off. where Noble ended his secord innings. On Saturday Foster batted three hours for 71 runs/ and on Monday four and a quarter hours for 216 runs. Foster's forcing shot on the off-side, between cover and ex"tra-cover, was made repeatedly and with astonishing power. Malvern may well be proud of such a cricketer. Rhodes carried out his bat for 40 The innings closed for 577, and England eventually won the match by five wickets. Foster 'did not play in England in 1904, but played for his county in 1905. In, 1907 Foster captained AllEngland in the Test matches with South Africa.