SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



bowler, captured seventeen wickets for 7 1 runs. 

 Yorkshire only won by two runs at Nottingham, 

 Emmett being prevented from bowling because he 

 changed ends more than the legal number of 

 times. 



Next year Alfred Shaw became recognized as 

 a great bowler ; indeed, at his pace he has never 

 been equalled, and no praise is great enough for 

 his skill. At this epoch, although Jackson, in 

 his day so destructive, Grundy (who, when 

 Yorkshire needed 101 to win, took five wickets 

 for 13), Wootton, the best left-handed bowler of 

 his time, Parr, and Tinley had retired, new men 

 were coming forward, chief among whom, 

 besides the Shaws, we must name Martin, 

 Mclntyre, Bignall, Wild, Selby, a capital bat, 

 and Oscroft, a vigorous run-getter and the last 

 of the old school of leg-hitters. Out of J. C. 

 Shaw's fifty-four wickets, forty were caught, an 

 abnormal proportion in those days. Dr. W. G. 

 Grace's first match at Trent Bridge drew 25,000 

 spectators. Notts., having scored 364 in their 

 first innings, had only to go in for I run in 

 their second, while of Gloucestershire's 147 

 and 217, Dr. W. G. Grace compiled 79 and 

 116 out of 163 while in. In the following 

 summer, against the same visitors, Notts, amassed 

 489, the biggest total then made at Trent 

 Bridge, Wild, Selby, and Daft being responsible 

 for 316. An extra match against Yorkshire at 

 Prince's, ' notable for all on both sides being 

 native born,' resulted in a victory by 6 runs, 

 J. C. Shaw taking seven for 35, and A. Shaw 

 six for 3 1 . 



In 1873 fresh developments were seen, for the 

 prize bat in the colts' match was awarded to 

 Arthur Shrewsbury, whose 35 was ' cool, steady, 

 and well played.' He eventually proved to be 

 the greatest professional bat of his day. It was 

 not until he came back from Australia, strength- 

 ened by the sea voyages and warm climate, that 

 he really developed his wonderful staying powers. 

 He himself always considered his best innings to 

 be the 164 that he made in the Test Match at 

 Lord's in 1886. His style of back play was 

 masterly in grace, and peculiar to himself. It 

 was said of him that he seemed to see the ball 

 closer up to the bat than did any other player. 

 Certainly there never was a better judge of length. 

 His patience, too, was inexhaustible, and he intro- 

 duced the system of leg play which other players 

 have so outrageously abused. 



Morley, the fast bowler, began to be destruc- 

 tive, and Mclntyre at the Oval took the last 

 four Surrey wickets for o, and the last five 

 wickets, four bowled, in eleven balls. At 

 Sheffield in 1874 he claimed five all bowled for 

 8 runs, while Morley took six for 14 at the Oval 

 and Alfred Shaw claimed eighteen for 167 in the 

 matches with Middlesex. It was remarkable 

 that in one county fixture, in which he was not 

 ^ut on to bowl, his side was victorious by one 



wicket. His record for 1875 was eighty-two for 

 628, his chief performances being seven for 7 

 against M.C.C., and six Surrey wickets for 8, 

 while in 1876 he bowled I, oil overs for 

 918 runs and seventy-eight wickets. North 

 against South was chosen for Daft's Testimonial 

 Match, when the South, having 190 to get, 

 made the runs in ninety-six minutes for one 

 wicket. Dr. W. G. Grace scored 114, and was 

 assisted by Messrs. I. D. Walker and A. J. 

 Webbe, the bowlers being Shaw, Morley, Hill, 

 Ulyett, and Lockwood. Surrey was sent back 

 at Trent Bridge for 26, Shaw taking five for 15, 

 and Morley five for 10. The season of 1877 

 was, however, a doleful time, although Morley 

 claimed sixty for 929, for Shaw fell sick, and bad 

 fielding was as conspicuous as the absence of a 

 regular wicket-keeper. Middlesex amassed 400 

 at Nottingham, Mr. A. J. Webbe and the Hon. 

 Alfred Lyttelton each getting exactly 100, but 

 the last pair of the home team ultimately played 

 out time. Championship honours went to Notts, 

 in 1878, when Morley took 118 wickets for 

 9 runs each, and Shaw eighty-one for 12. Selby 

 batted with great vigour. Flowers was recognized 

 as a most useful all-round player. Barnes was a 

 most valuable batsman, especially strong on the 

 off-side, and it was sometimes through undue 

 eagerness that he lost his wicket. He detested 

 bowling, although he was cunning with the 

 ball and had hours when he was deadly. The 

 Australians played their first match in England 

 in May 1878 at Nottingham, and on that occa- 

 sion Shaw and Morley bowled unchanged on a 

 slow wicket, and Selby beat the first total of the 

 Colonials off his own bat. 



On the phenomenally wet pitches of 1879 

 Nottinghamshire was superior to Lancashire, their 

 nearest opponents. Morley's figures were eighty- 

 nine for 867. Oscroft's fine hitting averaged 32. 

 He was the leading professional bat of the sum- 

 mer, and his 140 at Canterbury, exceeding by 

 14 runs the effort of the Kent eleven, was the 

 largest innings of the year. 



The first Test Match on English soil took 

 place at the Oval towards the close of the sum- 

 mer of 1880, and the three professionals chosen 

 Barnes, Shaw, and Morley were all Notting- 

 hamshire men. Later, when no other county 

 had done so, Nottinghamshire beat the Austra- 

 lians by one wicket, Shrewsbury and Barnes 

 scoring 1 08 out of 125 in that last innings from 

 the bat. Shaw took twelve for 95, was twice not 

 out, and made the winning hit. The following 

 Nottinghamshire men have been chosen for 

 Test Matches in England : Mr. A. O. Jones, 

 Shrewsbury, Scotton, W. Gunn, Barnes, Shaw, 

 Morley, Flowers, Attewell, Sherwin, and J. 

 Gunn. All these have been to Australia, and 

 so have George Parr, Jackson, Tinley, Mclntyre, 

 Oscroft, Selby, Bean, W. Lockwood, Hard- 

 staff, and George Gunn. Daft's unbeaten team 



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