Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/135

 batted six times, and scored altogether 258 runs. My best innings was in the second match played at Sheffield, when I scored 122 out of a total of 173, against Freeman, Emmett and Wootton. And I was fairly successful with the ball in the same match, capturing six wickets for 57 runs first innings. But Southerton's seven for 34 runs in the second innings put all other bowling performances in the shade; although in the whole match Freeman took 13 wickets for 86 runs.

The most remarkable match of that year was The Gentlemen of the South v. Players of the South, at the Oval on the 15th, 16th, and 17th July. It had been a scoring match most years; but 1869 outshone its predecessors, and at the end of the three days only 21 wickets had fallen for a total of 1,136 runs. The Players won the toss, and on a perfect wicket, and in favourable weather, batted all the first day and until 1.50 the next, for the large total of 475. Pooley and Jupp commenced the innings, and scored 142 before they were parted. Charlwood batted seventh man, and hit our bowling everywhere in his score of 155. Eight of us had a try at him; but it fell to the lot of my brother Fred to clean bowl him. My bowling average did not come out particularly well in that match. "At last," said the Players, "we have got the best of them!"

Mr. B. B. Cooper and I batted first for the Gentlemen, and the Players had close upon four hours of it before they parted us for a total of 283. Six of their regular bowlers nearly broke their hearts in trying to part us; but Mantle, the unexpected and about the last resource, caught and bowled both of us in six balls, Mr. Cooper having scored 101, while my share was 180. But that was not the end of it. Mr. I. D. Walker came afterwards, and smote them to the tune of 90; and it was five o'clock on the Saturday before the innings was at an end, for a total of 553. The 283 was a record for