SPORT 



by bowling twenty consecutive maidens in 

 the match against Notts. Next year Kent 

 was dismissed by M.C.C. for 25, Barnes 

 claiming 5 for 12. 



A county so dependent as Kent on its 

 amateurs naturally experienced considerable 

 difficulty in collecting representative sides. 

 Ill-health removed Messrs. Foord Kelcey, 

 F. Penn and CunliflFe. A masterly exhibition 

 in 1882 was that given by Rev. C. Wilson, 

 subsequently Bishop of Melanesia, in his 

 two great innings of 57 and 50 against the 

 Australians. Mr. E. F. S. Tylecote played 

 a memorable century. 



A famous stand was that made by Lord 

 Throwley and Lord Harris of 208 for first 

 wicket against Sussex in the same year. 

 Wootton was a somewhat expensive but 

 fairly efficient fast left-handed bowler. Of 

 higher class was Mr. Stanley Christopherson, 

 a really clever fast bowler. Mr. M. C. Kemp 

 was a capital wicket-keeper. Mr. F. Marchant, 

 a magnificent hitter of uncertain type, soon 

 shared the captaincy with Mr. W. H. Patter- 

 son, one of the most judicious and interesting 

 batsmen who ever appeared. Mr. Rashleigh, 

 a lively run-getter of very high class, and Mr. 

 Leslie Wilson, who could score all round 

 the wicket, played whenever possible. 



Martin proved a fine bowler with a lot 

 of spin on his ball which was invariably dead 

 on the wicket. With him was soon associated 

 Walter Wright, who made up for loss of 

 batting by effectiveness as a fast bowler. 

 He is the only Kentish representative in the 

 last thirty years who has appeared after 

 having played regularly for another county. 

 Two sound bats who were seen too little 

 were Mr. A. Daffen and Mr. C. J. M. Fox. 

 Major L. A. Hamilton showed masterly judge- 

 ment in his 117 against the Australians in 

 1890. 



In 1884 Emmett bowled Lord Harris an 

 over which yielded 3 wides and 15 runs off 

 the four balls. In the next year the strong 

 position which Lord Harris had taken up 

 against the bowling of Crossland and Nash 

 resulted in Kent declining to meet Lancashire. 

 Wootton in 1888 claimed 5 of the Middlesex 

 wickets for 8 runs, and Martin and Wright 

 took 8 Notts wickets for 11 runs. 



Kent made a bold bid for the championship 

 in 1893. A century by Mr. Rashleigh in the 

 match against Notts at Canterbury was 

 remarkable because the fast bowlers made the 

 ball bump as high as his head. Straight from 

 Winchester came Mr. J. R. Mason, the finest 

 cricketer Kent ever had, superb in every 

 department, an admirable captain and be- 

 loved by every one. Mr. W. M. Bradley, a tear- 



away fast bowler, came to do yeoman service, 

 and in 1896 appeared Mr. C. J. Burnup, 

 one of the best bats of his inches in modern 

 cricket. Style enabled him to command balls 

 that beat men of six feet high. Mr. S. H. 

 Day, always brilliant, made a centuryin his first 

 county match. In 1895, after scoring a first 

 innings of 470, Kent was beaten by 9 wickets 

 by Gloucestershire, for which Dr. W. G. Grace, 

 almost forty-seven years of age, obtained 

 257 and 73 not out. In 1896 at Trent Bridge, 

 Shrewsbury and Mr. A. O. Jones scored 223 

 for first wicket, to which Mr. J. R. Mason 

 and A. Hearne responded with 195. Lord 

 Harris, returning to county cricket after six 

 years in India, amassed 119 in his first match. 

 With Mr. E. B. Shine, Mr. F. Marchant 

 (144 not out) added 158 in an hour against 

 Warwickshire. 



With the new century must be mentioned 

 the Kent nursery formed in 1896 which, 

 giving the county an exceptional army of 

 capable professionals, reflects great credit on 

 Mr. McAlpine, Mr. Pawley and above all 

 Captain McCanlis. C. Blythe, who bowled 

 Mr. F. Mitchell with the first ball he ever 

 sent down for Kent, is the finest left-handed 

 bowler discovered since Wilfrid Rhodes, 

 whose successor he has become in Test 

 Matches. Fielder, a capital fast bowler, set 

 the seal on his fame by taking all ten wickets 

 of the Gentlemen at Lord's for nine runs 

 apiece in 1906. Seymour, a batsman almost 

 as attractive as Tyldesley, is perhaps the 

 best professional run-getter not yet selected 

 for the Players at head quarters. Humphreys 

 is a plucky hitter who can also get wickets. 

 This quartette are only seniors among excellent 

 juniors. Older than any is Huish, who has 

 caught out 511 opponents in 243 matches 

 and possesses an average never equalled by 

 any wicket-keeper, for he has also stumped 1 14. 



So long as he was able to play regularly 

 Mr. Mason was the mainstay of his side in 

 every department, while as time went on 

 he seemed able to come into county cricket 

 at any moment with form which showed 

 no diminution. Mr. E. W. Dillon for a 

 while was absolutely the best left-handed 

 bat of the day. Mr. Mason had given up the 

 captaincy to Mr. Burnup, and on the depar- 

 ture of the latter for Mexico, the old Etonian, 

 Mr. C. H. B. Marsham — whose family had 

 for generations been associated with the 

 cricket of the county — admirably succeeded 

 him. He is an excellent bat of a watchful type 

 and the success of Kent in 1906 was greatly 

 due to his capable direction. In that year 

 Mr. K. L. Hutchings leapt to the front as a 

 batsman of extreme brilliancy, and his form 



511 



