The Grand Old Man of Cricket.

Otago Witness, Issue 1875, 28 October 1887, Page 27

The Grand Old Man of Cricket.

An exchange, in an article on Mr W. G. Grace, writes thus :— When, a month or so ago, Mr Adderly and his fellow-workers at the East End of London, appealed to cricketers to come and encourage the multitude to take an interest in the best of our manly sports, and a similar request was made on behalf of the pupil teachers, many worthy folk seem to have been much exercised in mind. For the first time it dawned on them that people required looking after in their pastimes as well as in their studies; and that health at muscle and brain is best promoted by earnest occupation instead of a general loafing about and doing nothing well.

Games can teach lessons, and the lessons that can be learnt from such a game as cricket were clearly hinted at in the appeal from the pupil teachers. To play honestly and fairly, totreat an opponent with courtesy, to practise discipline and under all circumstances persevere to the end, whatever that end may be, and to respect an umpire's decision, although it may be wrong; these things do not come to all men without effort. " Let us learn them by example," said the teachers, " and by example teach them to our pupils !" There is more in this of masters being their pupils' playfellows than is at first apparent; and the more men we have of the stamp who can bring their pupils and congregations along with them in their leisure hours the better for the nation will it be.

Man must play; let us help him to play wisely. During the last 20 years the people's pastimes have undergone a welcome change. With the revival of athleticism there has been a decline, not only comparative but actual, of the sports wherein the hard work is done by deputy. Cock fighting has gone, prize fighting is dead, and horse racing, notwithstanding the fussit makes, is retrograde, with fewer horses in training, fewer meetings, and a decline in the value of stakes. Other pastimes have risen to take the pkces of these, and among these the best and most flourishing is cricket. For this there are two reasons. Firstly, it is a strictly organised game with unmistakable rules and an obvious method of scoring its points. Secondly, it has produced a player who has excelled all o tiers in a way that no other player has excelled in any other sport. Wherever our lauguage is spoken the name of Dr W. 6. Grace is familiar, and the desire to emulate his deeds with bat and ball has given more life to the game and made more cricketers than all the books put together. There is no greater incentive to progress than the endeavour to improve on the record. And Dr Grace's record is a brilliant one. During his career he has made in all matches considerably over 50,000 runs ! More than 130 times has he made over 100 runs in an innings, 12 times he has made over 200, three times he has made over 300, and once he mads 400! In the best of the matches, those recognised as

firsfc-claßsby the cricket authorities, he has dur- 1 ing the 23 years made over 30,000 runs, at an average of over 44 per innings. In 1871 hisaverage in first-clasa matches reached 78, the highest ever kuown. Previous to the achievements of his brother, E. M. Grace, 20 runs per iunings were thought remarkable. It was "W. G/' who raised the tide mark to the 30 at which it now stands in the cricket annuals. But in the cricket world there is even a better i test of merit. Ths great contest of each year is* that between Gentlemen and Players. Until the rising cricketer has been chosen to do battle in one of the elevens of that match his claim to recognition" as a really first-class player is not admitted. 'What has W. G. Grace done in Gentlemen and Players? His first appearance was in 1865, before he was 17, he being the youngest ever chosen in either of the teams. This first match wftß at the Oval, the second bo : ng a week afterwards at Lord's, when, for the first time for 12 years, the Gentlemen won. Including the 1865 and 1886 scores he has since made in these annual trials of cricket skill no less than 3529 runs, being over 2000 more than the total made by any other Gentleman or Player. And these 3500 odd runs have been made at an average of 45 per innings, which is 15 per cent, higher than that of any other man who at any other time has played in these matches. County cricket has yielded similarly astonishing results. Out of the 47,311 rues gained by the Gloucestershire cloven since it started into life in 1870, W. G. Grace has made, 10,826 ! And of the county wickets taken he claims 254. In first-class matches of all kinds he has taken 2000 wickets. But these figures must here cuffice us. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing after all is that his strength and skill should have kept up as they have done. In 1886, in his thirty-eighth year, his aggregate score was greater than at any time during the last 10 years ; and in 1887 he is still making his hundreds. A falling off there has been, but it is a slight one. Never had man such a cricket life before, but then never did cricket flourish as it does now.