Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/130

 first-class matches and who had the very fine average at the end of the season of 72.4 for 5 innings.

Wootton and Southerton both captured over 100 wickets in first-class matches; but Grundy, Emmett, Freeman, and one or two others bowled with finer results. Emmett and Freeman proved invaluable to their county, and- it was owing entirely to their allround efforts that Yorkshire, after being at the bottom of the poll in 1866, was raised to the top in 1867 not losing a single match in the six played.

Neither Surrey, Kent, Cambridgeshire, nor Middlesex kept up its 1866 form; but Sussex and Lancashire showed improvement, and Nottinghamshire was still well to the front. Nottinghamshire played one match against the North of England, which practically meant the combined strength of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cambridgeshire, but was beaten by 112 runs. Freeman and Tarrant bowled unchanged in both innings against them, dividing the wickets and clean-bowling nine of their opponents.

Batting generally advanced with rapid strides in the year 1868. Total scores and individual performances exceeded everything in the past, and the cry was that the batting had now become too strong for the bowling. Two innings of 689 and 630 runs were scored; Mr. Tylecote scored his memorable 404 not out at Clifton, and Mr. W. J. Batchelor scored 289 for the Long Vacation Club at Cambridge. Totals and individual scores were the highest yet recorded in the history of the game. Altogether over 200 runs in an innings were scored by six players, and the century was exceeded at least 200 times. It was very much owing to the lovely weather which prevailed the greater part of the season, making the wickets dry and fast.

An eleven of Aboriginal Players of Australia visited