SPORT ANCIENT AND MODERN 



in the old Deer Park facing the New Road, 

 and on one side running up to Kew. R. 

 Danvers was the first Hon. Secretary, but 

 he held office only for a year or so at most ; 

 John Hale, who resided and worked in Rich- 

 mond for over sixty years, succeeded him ; 

 and occupied the position from 17 November 

 1862 to 19 February 1868. Mr. Hale was 

 in the Cambridge University eleven of 1853 

 and 1856. 



How early cricket was played at Richmond 

 has not as yet been really discovered. That 

 Richmond Green was a popular resort of 

 cricketers from all parts a hundred and seventy 

 years ago is certain. The records tell of 

 county matches there in 1730. But it was 

 not until ten years later that Richmond 

 comes into evidence as a team. At times, 

 by itself, occasionally in conjunction with 

 Kingston, once with Kingston, Moulsey and 

 Esher, Richmond played London with vary- 

 ing success. As a matter of fact the first 

 mention we have now of Richmond as a side 

 is in 1741. It may be taken for granted that 

 the Royal borough of Richmond was repre- 

 sented in some form or other on the cricket 

 field, though big matches ceased to be played 

 on the Green before the end of the eighteenth 

 century. There may have been a Richmond 

 Club that lapsed during the long interval 

 when Surrey cricket lost organization and 

 place in the history of the game. 



The Richmond Club of to-day can boast 

 a long list of cricketers who have made their 

 mark. John Hales, one of the early fathers 

 of Richmond cricket, was in the Cambridge 

 University eleven. A later generation 

 brought to the front J. Robertson of Oxford 

 and Middlesex, for years one of the best 

 fast bowlers. A. H. Lushington of Hamp- 

 shire, F. W. Bush of Surrey, Sir Kildare 

 Borrowes, who kept wicket for Middlesex, 

 J. Dunn of Harrow and Surrey, the brilliant 

 bat who went down with the ill-fated steamer 

 Bokhara, F. B. Shadwell, who played for 

 Surrey as ' A Sagle,' W. Lindsay, H. K. Avory, 

 F. Fielding, all of whom represented Surrey ; 

 T. Latham of the Cambridge eleven, C. H. 

 Prest of Yorkshire, a good short-distance 

 runner and an actor, E. D. C. Cecil of Hamp- 

 shire, Capt. Inglis and A. M. Inglis, both in 

 the Kent team ; C. M. Tuke, whose fast 

 bowling was occasionally of use to Middle- 

 sex. Such well-known players as H. J. Hill, 

 E. J. C. Studd, H. M. Studd, F. E. Street, 

 J. S. Russel (Northumberland and M.C.C.), 

 J. Tomlinson, a really good lob bowler, A. 

 H. Hamilton, who was captain of the eleven 

 for a time, F. S. Willett and J. Wilkes of 

 Cambridge University, J. Sudel, W. E. 



Martyn, and O. B. Martyn of Oxford Uni- 

 versity, played for Richmond during the ten 

 years A. E. Yerburgh acted as Hon. Secretary 

 of the club or captain of the eleven. Yer- 

 burgh's immediate predecessor in the secre- 

 taryship was F. B. Shadwell, his next suc- 

 cessor L. H. Gunnery, who was followed by 

 H. B. Denham, the present holder of the 

 office. During its career of forty years 

 Richmond has played most of the best wan- 

 dering teams, as well as the pick of the 

 metropolitan clubs. Among these may be 

 mentioned the Marylebone, the Surrey 

 County C.C, the now defunct Will o' the 

 Wisps, Civil Service, Yorkshire Gentlemen, 

 Incogniti, Harrow, Blues, Anomalies, Elstree 

 Masters, Crystal Palace, Wimbledon, Ken- 

 sington Park, Beckenham, Ulster C.C, 

 Beckley Park, Emeriti, Eton Ramblers, 

 Bexley, Upper Tooting, ' Ne'er-do-Weels,' 

 Orleans Club, Royal Military College, Sand- 

 hurst, and Moor Park. The Richmond 

 ground is not only one of the most picturesque 

 round London, but the pitch will compare 

 favourably with the best in the country. 



The Streatham Club was not, it is said, 

 actually founded until 1856 ; but cricket was 

 played at Streatham and in some organized 

 form as early as the thirties. Long before 

 the formation of a regular club matches were 

 played by Streatham elevens. The brothers 

 Scott, father and uncles of the present Hon. 

 Secretary, H. H. Scott, represented the 

 village of Streatham against other clubs in 

 the later thirties. Scores of matches in 

 which Streatham met Clapton as well as 

 Kent between 1846 and 1850, and a good old 

 Surrey match recall vividly the details of 

 a game about this time on Streatham Com- 

 mon, in which the late John Walker, the 

 senior of the Great Southgate Brotherhood, 

 represented Clapton. At that time Henry 

 Mortimer, for many years the treasurer of 

 the Surrey County Cricket Club, was one 

 of the regular players for Streatham, and in 

 the match with West Kent of 1849 ^- ^• 

 Miller, subsequently captain of the famous 

 Surrey eleven, scored 30 for Streatham. In 

 this same match Herbert Jenner first repre- 

 sented West Kent. He had been at the 

 wicket for some time, and Streatham were 

 anxious to get him out before they left off 

 as it was getting dark. To this end they put 

 on a lob bowler, with the result that every 

 ball of the over was hit by Herbert Jenner, 

 as he was then, for four. Streatham, the 

 story naively adds, ' then made for the tent.' 

 In the first half of the fifties the Westhalls, 

 A. Plant, E. Riley, and E. R. Hickling used 

 to play regularly on Streatham Common, 



539 



