A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



31 July, 1884, six of the brothers Kingston 

 played for Kingston's School v. Welling- 

 borough Town Club, and between them 

 scored 341 out of 380, Mr. J. P. Kingston 

 heading the card with 171, Rev. F. W. 

 Kingston making 61 and Mr. W. H. J. 

 Kingston, 43. 



Some striking incidents have been recorded 

 in more recent matches. In a round of the 

 Northampton Town Challenge Cup in 1889, 

 the encounter between the Enigmas and 

 Grammar School Rovers yielded 1219 runs 

 in four innings, played on five afternoons. 

 On 24 August, 1889, for Northampton Club 

 and Ground v. Rugby, the home team de- 

 clared their innings at an end with a score of 

 254 for no wicket, made in four hours, Mr. 

 G. J. Gulliver being not out lOO, and Bull 

 also undefeated with 127 to his credit. In 

 the following year Leicestershire Club and 

 Ground defeated Northampton Club and 

 Ground by 4 wickets with only a minute to 

 spare. A stand between Messrs. A. J. 

 Darnell and P. Cox for the third wicket of 

 Excelsiors v. Enigmas, which yielded 209 runs, 

 was one of the longest partnerships recorded in 

 the county. At Wellingborough on 28 July, 

 1898, for the Masters' Eleven v. Leicester 

 Ivanhoe, Mr. A. W. Piatt (105) and Mr. 

 P. A. Fryer (91) scored 198 for the first 

 wicket in ninety minutes. 



OuNDLE School Cricket. — Oundle has 

 not turned out many great cricketers, but 

 Mr. A. M. Sutthery gained his blue at Cam- 

 bridge in 1887, when he batted consistently 

 well with an average of 38 and headed the 

 bowling figures of a side rather deficient in 

 attack. He also took part in the inaugural 

 match of the now extinct Hastings week, 

 whilst he represented the South v. Australians 

 on the same ground in 1888. Mr. R. A. A. 

 Beresford was also frequently tried for the 

 same University, but just failed to obtain a 

 place in the team. He achieved a remarkable 

 feat on the school ground on 29 and 30 

 May, 1888, when he scored two centuries in 

 the same match and was each time not out, 

 his figures being 102 and 307. He also 

 made 225 not out against the Old Boys, 

 and in the season took 33 wickets for an 

 average of 12 apiece. In 1881 for the School 

 V. Kettering Mr. R. F. Winch took all ten 

 wickets, every one being clean bowled. He 

 subsequently became a master, and with the 

 head master, the Rev. H. St. J. Reade, who 

 captained Oxford in 1862, did much for the 

 cricket of the school. Mr. Reade made 49, 

 top score, v. Cambridge in 1 86 1, and in 

 1862 took 5 wickets for 47, being each 



time on the losing side. He remained at 



Oundle about ten years, but Mr. Winch 

 stayed on till 1896. Mr. F. W. Sanderson 

 became head master in 1893, and has always 

 insisted on all sports being made as inter- 

 esting as possible for the smaller boys. 

 The nets and games are now carefully or- 

 ganized and supervised, and the cricket of the 

 whole school is much better than it used to 

 be ; the eleven, too, is gradually improving. 



The levelled part of the playing-fields 

 measures about 300 yards by 100, and 

 affords room for six games at once, which at 

 present is just sufficient for the needs of the 

 school, but fresh ground must soon be laid 

 out. In the summer, Mondays, Wednesdays, 

 and Fridays are whole school-days ; Tuesdays, 

 Thursdays, Saturdays half-holidays. On the 

 half-holidays the whole school, arranged in 

 six games according to merit, plays from 2.30 

 to 5-30 > then for the last hour of the after- 

 noon there is practice at the house-nets, of 

 which there are two for each house. On 

 whole school days net-practice is continued 

 for an hour and a half, from 2.30 to 4 till 

 the weather becomes warm, and then for the 

 latter part of the term from 5 to 6.30. 

 There are nine of these nets — three for the 

 first game, two for the second, and one for 

 each of tlie others, and boys are put down in 

 turn for them, so that every boy gets net- 

 practice about once a week. The masters 

 take a great interest in the games, and five or 

 six of them (that is half the staff) may often 

 be seen on the field at the same time, coach- 

 ing at different nets. 



The school eleven plays Oakliam School, 

 against which it holds its own, and Leys 

 School, Cambridge, which is often too good. 

 The other matches are with Oundle Town, 

 Burghley Park, and two or three of the Cam- 

 bridge colleges. The Oundle Rovers, com- 

 posed of old boys and masters, go on tour for 

 a week at the end of the summer term, and 

 are a match for most ordinary clubs. 



Wellingborough Grammar School. — 

 Previous to 1879 the school was situated in 

 the centre of the town, and there were no 

 grounds connected with it on which cricket 

 could be played properly. In 1879, when 

 Dr. Piatt was elected head master, there were 

 less than 20 boys in the school. Now there 

 are 250. As the number of boys has gradually 

 increased, so the standard of the games in the 

 school has increased proportionately. In 1880 

 new buildings were erected outside the town, 

 and as there was plenty of land adjoining, 

 Dr. Piatt set to work to lay out grounds on 

 an extensive scale, so that at the present time 

 playing-fields of upwards of twenty-three acres 

 of perfectly level ground are in use, which will 



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