Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/147

 ran out about ten yards to meet the ball, and caught it first bound; and while he was trotting quietly up the pitch in fancied security, with his back to me, I let fly at his wicket. I could throw in those days, and was not surprised when the middle stump went flying out of the ground. The surprise was on Carpenter's side, the laugh on ours.

"Well, well! there's no fool like an old fool," said he. "To think I should have played cricket all these years, and get out in that way!"

Surrey came out excellently in county contests that year, and headed the list: Kent dropped to the bottom.

Lancashire made good progress also, and was much indebted for its success to two bowlers W. Mclntyre and Watson. So well did those two perform, that Mr. A. Appleby, almost at his best, played a comparatively small part in bowling for his county. Mr. Hornby, too, was a host in himself, batting with great dash and invariably scoring. Daft and Selby did great things in batting for Nottinghamshire; and Mr. W. Yardley was very successful also. He had one exceptional experience at Lord's on the 20th and 21st May, playing for the South v. North: he was out first ball in both innings, earning his spectacles in a way that he will not readily forget!

An experiment was made at Lord's on the 9th May, in the match M.C.C. v. Next Twenty. The wickets were fixed an inch higher and slightly broader than the law prescribed. The experiment was not a success.

The year 1873 was my tenth of first-class cricket, and my best display of all-round form. I could show a higher batting average in 1872; but my bowling average was not so good, although! captured exactly the same number of wickets. The early part of the season was very wet, and batting generally was not up to the