THE VILLAGE CRICKET CLUB. 309 



that he was born and brought up at Gerard's Cross 

 near Uxbridge, and at the age of nineteen, had 

 become the first cricketer in Buckinghamshire. 

 He was contemporary with Beldam, Harris, the 

 two Walkers, Tom and Harry, Robinson and 

 others; and Sir Horace Mann was then the en- 

 lightened and enthusiastic patron o'f the art. 



c The Hambledon Club in Hampshire was at this 

 time the first in England, and instead of the pre- 

 sent Marylebone Club at London, there was one 

 at White Conduit House, from which the Mary- 

 lebone has descended. Determining to profit by 

 the recollections of this accurate observer and ac- 

 complished cricketer, we procured a copy of the 

 old matches, and from Fennex's dictation we noted 

 the play of every single person mentioned in 

 them ; so that we now possess a Catalogue which 

 is invaluable in the history of the art, and which 

 we believe no other person, not even Mr. Ward 

 nor Lord Frederick Beauclerk can boast of having. 

 There are recorded Beldam's witticisms (cuts both 

 with the tongue and arm) and Tom Walker's atti- 

 tudes, there is the picture drawn to the life of 

 Harris allowed a chair while bowling ; so grand was 

 his execution, even when crippled with the gout. 

 There we have preserved the excellencies of his 

 rival and successor Lumpy ; who if his speed had 

 equalled his accuracy, would have been what 

 Nireus was in beauty, and Achilles in war. But 



