ENGLISH CRICKET NOTES.

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 2321, 25 August 1898, Page 40

ENGLISH CRICKET NOTES.

(From the Daily Times Correspondent )

LONDON, July 8

There has been an interestiug week's cricket. Yorkshire still first and the rest nowhere is the position as to the county championship ; in facfc, tbe Yorkshire strength seems impregnable, not one defeat having yet befallen tbe county. Sussex — of all counties ! — was actually making a good fight and defying the quartet of crack bowlers— Rhodes, Haigh, Waiuwright, and Jackfon, representing all the varieties cf roundarm deliveries,— -Murdooh scoring SO nnd Brann 85. But then came Yorkshire's usual luck. Brown, the famous batfmau, is never regarded ac a bowler at all, but can put iv some q«e«r leg-twieting " lobs "at times. In this ins»at oe he was tried aud proved irresistible, taking six Sussex wickets for only 52 runs. So now Yorkshire has to its credit 11 wins and no losses !

Lancashire comes next with five wins and one defeat. After beating Nottingham by 254 rues on Saturday (Ward 119) it would have added another victory ov«r Nottingham in the return match on Wednesday, but had made too many runs before " declaring," and so Nottingham "played out time" and got a rraw; The veteran Shrewsbury made 92, not out, in the firet innings, bah was clean bowled by Moid first ball in the second. Perhaps the most remarkable match, however, was that between Derbj shire and Esoex. The former having gone out for 166, Essex went in and made 417 for three wickets— Owen 92, Carpenter 95. Perrin 104, M'Gnhey 115 being the firefc four entries in the score sheets, to which some byes were added. Two more wickets carried tbe score to 497, and then the captain "declared." Derby could only respond with 159, and so Essex won with one innings and five wickets to spa.ye. Storer, the Derbyshire crack wicketkeeper (wbo scored 80 in the first innings), is proving so good a bowier that he often has to resign the pads and glovos to his "ondetetudy." E-sex now stands third in the championship list, with five wins and two losses. Surrey, with three wins and two defesito, has worked up to fourth place by defeating Derbyshire in one inniogs with 43 runs over. Abel made 88, and so ha« gone up to the top of the batting average with 58, Shrewsbury coming next with 55. No other batsman has reached an average of 50. The champion, Dr Grace (" W.G."), is down to twentj -second wifch 35. The four "Yorkshire terrors," Rhodes (slow left), Wainwright (fast), Jackson (fast), and Haigh (medium pace), still head the bowling averages, with respectively 9, 10, 11, and 12 runs per wicket token, of which Rhodes has 92. J. T. Hearne comes fifth with 13 runs per wicket, bub has token 119 wickets. Slvangely enough in this " bowler's reason " Richardson has provod a comparative failure. Tbe University mutch &t Lords has brought another of those surprises in which the history oi these matches abounds Judging by previous matches against other opponents played by each team C»inbridge seemed an assured winner. Apparently Oxford would be nowhere. Yet, after a three days' battle, Oxford won with nine wicket" to spare, having outplayed Cambridge at every point of the game. The result was largely due to the fine bowling of Lee. who only got his "blue" atthe last moment. Cuuliffc, the Oxford captain, also bowled well. But even so Cambridge onened with

273 (Wilfonlls), and when Oxford began badly the match se<m«d a gift to tha Cantabs. But then Eccles (109) and Foster (57) came to the re*cu>», and in the end Oxford made 362, or 89 ahead. Then came a wet night, and Cambridge could only aaia»s 140 in the iecond innings. So Oxford had an easy tusk, and the nesdful 52 coat but one wickat. A» usunl the bo-wliog and fieldißg settled the matter. Oxford had four verj fine bonlers in Cuuliffe, Loe, Stock*, and Bo«auquet, while for Cambridge only Jessop, the Gloucester "lightning man," pr»ved of any value. And in fielding the Oxonians completely " wiped the eye" of their. opponents. It is an " Oxford year" in sports of all sorts. On the river, at the athletic sports, and in the cricket; field Oxford has won " hauda down," and only in golf h«w Cftmbridje been able to hold its own. However, no doubt the students of the Cain will h»ve their turn again iv due course. The "swieg of the pendulum" seems a fixed principle in sport as in politics. By the df-ath of Mr I. D Walker on Wednesday cricket loses one of its most famous expoueats of yore. One of tho famous Middlesex family of (Soutbgate) Walkers, " I. D.," was once as well known by his initials its " W. Gr." Grace, of whom in 1868— ju»t 30 years ago — he w*s the sole rival. In th*t year he made his great soore of 165 in the Gentlemen v. Players match, one of tbe best things ever done in the long series cf those annual events. In 1883 he made 145 for Mid^leiex, and with Mr A. G. Lyttelfcon put on 226 runs in one hour and threequarters. Tbe following eea*on was bis la»t, and I remember seeing him bat at the Otal that year in fine foi m. He was often very successful as a bowier of " lob»," but never equalled bis brother "V. E." in this rttp^ct. He was a very hard hitter, hia pet stroke being a higb off drive over covorpoint's head, which he made off balls that most batsmen would have cut. He hud been tufltttring from headaches, and liutt Friday became insensible. He navor regained full consciousness, but after lingering for five days pa**ed away. The o»use of death was apoplexy. Dr W. G. Grace, the redoubtable champion, has at last, aud quite suddenly, come out again iv his old form. Plajing yesterday for his county, Gloncrster, agaiutt the very stroDg E« sex County Eleveo, he first as a bowler took b<> fewer than aev«n of the Esstx wickets for 44 runs— fivo for 14,— and then when batting ran up 109, including Bineteenj4's.