CRICKET NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7301, 27 August 1887, Page 6 (Supplement)

CRICKET NOTES.

A splendid display of batting by Hall and Ulyett enabled Yorkshire to gain a decisive victory over Sussex by ten wickets. When Yorkshire went in to bat a second time 139 runs were wanted to win. This number —which might have been expected to cost five or six wickets—was hit off by Hall and Ulyett in two hours and twenty minutes. The latter batsman, of course, made the largest proportion of the runs, scoring 111—in which were a five and seventeen fours —to his partner's 31. Sussex made 254 (Wilson 24, Bean 105 not out) and 188; Yorkshire 304 (Peel 91, Denton 51) and 142 without the loss of a wioket.

In the Surrey-Lancashire match W. W. Read and Roller became partners, with the Surrey Ecore at 104 for two wickets. These two batsmen actually remained together for over four hours, and put on no fewer than 305 runs, and so perfect was their play that only one mistake each could be urged against them. So far as the run-getting went, the batting presented a marked contrast, for while Roller's score was 120, Read's leached 247. The brilliancy of Read's hitting may be gathered from the fact that he made a five, thirty-five fours, nine threes, twenty twos, and thirtyfive singles. He played finely all round the wicket, but distinctly the feature of his innings was the tremendous severity of his off-driving. When he was dismissed the telegraph stood at 5—247-490. Shuter made 70, and Lohmann 68. Surrey now being in the position that they could not possibly lose, the last five batsmen weie told to sacrifice their wickets, as in the match against Notts, with the result that Lancashire were beaten half-an-hour before the drawing of stumps by an innings and 154 runs. In Lancashire's second innings A. G. Steel and Briggs tried hard to make a draw of it, but failed. Steel made 105 in three hours and a-half. Scores: Surrey, 557; Lancashire, 205 and 218.

Nottingham v. Yorkshire.—Daring the three days of this match only 702 runs were scored, for the loss of twenty-six wickets, an instance of slow scoring which would scarcely be seen on any other ground in England than the Trent Bridge. It took Shrewsbury and Scotton (who went in first) over three hours to make 97. Ulyett and Hawke both batted well for Yorkshire. Scores : Notts 253 (Shrewbury 81, Scotton 32); York 222 (Ulyett 65, Hawke 24) and 227 for six wickets (Ulyett 48, Hawke 78 not oat). The game was drawn. With reference to this match a prominent member of the Notts County Club writes: —"The Notts eleven were blocking and propping the whole of the second day, upon a good hard wicket, for a total of 200 runs, or an average of under 30 runs per hour. Scores of balls were pitched up, but the batsmen, instead of cracking them to the boundary, blocked or shoved them back to the bowlers or fielders, or put their legs in front to save the wicket. The spectators were tired and sick of it, itnd there is no wonder that the ' gate' decreases at county matches. Everybody is getting so disgusted that if this exhibition is repeated much longer nobody will go and see a county match. The papers state that the wicket was difficult, and the batsmen played with ' extreme caution.' It is rather remarkable that when the Notts side arc batting the wjckefc is generally 'crumbling,' but directly their opponents get in the wicket is represented as being good and easy. The Notts Eleven have been notorious for some time for always playing for a • draw.' They are by this time so thoroughly accomplished in the practice that English papers now give the team the prize for being the slowest scorers in England, even upon such a good hard wicket as Trent Bridge. This is a nice state of perfection for the champion county to have acquired." In the Sussex-Cambridge match, 1,197 runs were scored for the loss of twenty-five wickets. Sussex went in first, and scored 451 (Quaife 60, Humphrey 117, J. Hide 115). The University had lost eight wickets for 361, so that 11 runs were still wanted to avert the "follow-on." These, however, were not only got, but the last two wickets actually put on 173. Bridgman, who went in when five wickets had fallen for 109, carried out his bat for a superb 162. -He was batting six hours, and in. all that time he did not give a single chance or make a bad stroke. The innings closed for 534, of which Martineau made 109, Thomas 74, and Oxford 76. When stumps were drawn Sussex in their second innings had lost five wickets for 212, Tester having made 70, Quaife 52, and M. P. Lucas being not out with 43.

Following immediately upon his great innings of 247 at Lancashire, W. W. Read carried out his bat 244 for Surrey against Cambridge University. Surrey (543) beat the University (251 and 225) by an innings and 67 runs.

Middlesex v. Oxford University. —An extraordinary performance by Messrs Key and Philipson, for Oxford, was the great feature of this match. At 104 for six wickets these two became partners, and were not separated till the total had reached 444. During their partnership the score had thus been increased by 340 runs. Philipson was caught after making 150, but Key—who was last man out—achieved the distinction of the highest score of the season in a first-class match. In his 281 were thirty-eight fours. Middlesex could only reply with 119 and 207 to the 555 of the University, thus being beaten by an innings and 229 runs. After six weeks' uninterrupted success the Surrey eleven were beaten by Oxford on June 29 by 82 runs. The victory was mainly due to E. Buckland, who, besides scoring an innings of 148, took five wickets for 25 runs in Surrey's second innings. Oxford 355 (Buckland 148, Rashleigh 75) and 139 ; Surrey 309 (Roller 109 and Lohmann 79) and 133.

Daring the progress of a match at Bickley Park a swarm of bees caused a rapid dispersion of the principal performers by weir sudden appearance at the bowler's end. Bowler, batsman, and umpire were lost to view in a moment, and for a time the bees were masters of the situation, During the Surrey-Lancashire match a swarm also inter* fered with the play. Shrewsbury's extraordinary performance in scoring three successive innings of over 100 runs at Lord's is, says ' Cricket,'without a parallel, though it is difficult, in the face of Mr W. G. Grace's wonderful achievements, to say what is a record in the way of batting. Shrewsbury's scores in important fixtures this season are given below. From these it will be seen that he has made 615 runs in seven innings, which gives him an average of 87.6. In these seven innings he has got into three figures four times:— Nottingham—Notts v. Surrey, first innings 17, .second innings 5; Lord's—Notts v. Middlesex, 119; Lord's—England v. M.C.C., 152; Nottingham—Notts v. Yorkshire, 81; Nottingham Notts v. Lancashire, 130; Lord's—Players v. Gentlemen, 111.