Page:VCH Hertfordshire 1.djvu/446

A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE bowler. The wicket-keeping for Hertford- shire in 1878 was shared by Mr. G. Hanbury and Rev. W. H. Mackenzie, who, thanks to a valuable 76, came third in the batting averages. The fielding of Rev. H. T. Wood, when he could play, was remarkable. Several matches were played by the gentlemen of the county, but the only victory was over the Incogniti. A much more successful season was that of 1879, when five victories, one draw and three defeats were chronicled. By far the most notable event was the double victory over Sussex. At Hitchin V. A. Titchmarsh captured 10 wickets for 45 runs in a match in which no one scored 30 ; but the home side were victors with 8 wickets to spare. At Brighton the same fast bowler claimed 1 3 for 60, a splendid performance. The highest score in the match which Hertfordshire claimed with a margin of 5 wickets was a capital 35 not out by the secretary, Mr. C. E. Keyser. Suffolk were disposed of for 27, John Hughes taking 4 for 13 and Mr. Herbert Pigg 5 for 13, after 4 for 16. Tom Pearce made 78 and took 4 opponents at the wicket. At Brentwood John Hughes sent back six batsmen for 22 runs, he being in his fifty-fourth year. As a rule the scoring for Hertfordshire ruled small in a wet year, 1 85 being by far the largest total. This was against Somersetshire, when Mr. H. Freeman hit hard for 61. Two matches were aban- doned without a ball being bowled. Less ambitious and much less notable was the tame card for 1880, only rendered remarkable by the performance of Mr. Charles Pigg at Hitchin on July 29, when he took all ten Northamptonshire wickets for 13 runs, the side being dismissed for 45. The solitary large aggregate for Hertfordshire was 320 v. Essex, and the largest individual contribution was 89 not out by Pearce. Next season double victories over Essex had to be set against four defeats ; but they had bad luck owing to rain at Lord's. Mr. I. D. Walker made 137 and Mr. T. C. O'Brien (then known merely as a big hitter for Kensington Park Club) scored 89 out of 115 whilst in. In the home match for M.C.C., Mycroft taking 5 for 1 1 and Barnes 4 for 1 1, Hertfordshire were dismissed for 28. Pearce scored 101 v. Essex, the only contribution over 60 during the season, whilst the best bowling analysis was that of Mr. H. L. Butler, 7 for 28. A double victory over Bedfordshire and the discomfiture of a weak M.C.C. side at Hitchin by 145 runs were the best features of 1882. Titchmarsh took 56 wickets for less than 10 runs each ; but the batting was moderate and the side rarely identical. The scratch teams had a deplor- able effect on the fielding. A solitary victory by 7 wickets over Suffolk in 1883 had to be set against seven defeats, four being with an innings to spare. Hearn scored 109 in the only drawn game, the return with Suffolk. Breedon proved a useful medium-paced bowler ; but as may be imag- ined the standard was low. The effort to oppose Surrey proved too ambitious, though Pearce hit ten fours in his 58. Barratt claimed 13 wickets for 139, and Maurice Read made 97 out of 135 in an hour and a half without a chance. With a more restricted programme in 1884 the only success was against M.C.C. by 10 wickets. Westell however with an average of 43 improved on the batting figures for previous seasons. He scored 188 v. Essex, and Hearn was credited with 132 against the same county. Curiously enough an identical result was recorded for 1885, the only victory being over M.C.C. at Lords. The margin was an innings and 75 runs. Mr. Herbert Pigg scored 141 and Mr. Charles Pigg 74, adding 156 for the fourth wicket. The collapse of Bedfordshire as a county had released Mr. H. G. Tylecote, a capital slow bowler, who was four seasons in the Oxford eleven, from 1874 to 1877, in which year v. Cambridge he took 10 wickets for 1 2 runs apiece. He signalized his appear- ance for his new county by taking 7 M.C.C. wickets for 42 runs. The two Harrovians, Messrs. H. E. and Eustace Crawley, also came into the team. The latter was one of the most determined 'stone-wallers ' ever seen. After getting 35 and 103 not out for Cam- bridge v. Oxford in 1887, he batted for an hour before he was bowled, without having scored, in the four-day match of 1888, and in the second innings was an hour before he made one, after which he was promptly bowled. In the year now under considera- tion 1885 he had scored 100 for Harrow v. Eton. He subsequently entered the gth Lancers. His elder brother scored 103 for Hertfordshire v. M.C.C. Poor fielding mitigated even the moderate success of the bowling. Yet again in 1886 out of six matches for the third year in succession the one triumph was over M.C.C. at Lord's, Pearce atoning for a long course of ill-luck by a capital 58. Mr. Herbert Pigg could only spare time to play against Hants, when he proved the value of his batting with a fine 133. Some steady bowling by Mr. Charles Pigg was the only other feature worth recording. For Hampshire Mr. F. E. Lacey 376