Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/336

 when he picked it up. I had the sense to keep running, and Willsher hearing my feet thundering behind him lost his head, and instead of putting the wicket down quietly, as he might have done, let fly with all his force and missed it by yards! I believe that was the culminating point of our temporary insanity; for Mr. Hornby and I were so tickled at the absurdity of the run attempted that we settled down and played correctly.

Mr. Hornby's scores have been very large. He has exceeded 100 as many as eight times in one year, and more than once has scored over 200 runs in an innings. He scored 104 in the Gentlemen v. Players match in 1873, against the bowling of J. C. Shaw, Alfred Shaw, Emmett, Willsher and James Lillywhite; and 144 in the same match, against Mycroft, Morley, Emmett, Ulyett and Barratt, in 1877; and at the end of the season of 1881 took first place in batting honours, being well ahead of both amateurs and professionals. Three times in 1881 he scored over a hundred in an innings for his county, the highest being 188, against Derbyshire.

No finer fieldsman ever donned flannels: in his best days he was most brilliant at coverpoint or longleg, and never seemed to tire. He has captained the Lancashire Eleven to many a glorious victory, and he is almost idolised by them.

His best batting years:


 * 1870 || 8 || 338 || 132 || 42.2
 * 1872 || 10 || 314 || 80 || 31.4
 * 1873 || 17 || 586 || 64 || 34.8
 * 1877 || 26 || 764 || 144 || 29.10
 * 1879 || 20 || 606 || 64* || 30.6
 * 1881 || 37 || 1531 || 188 || 41.4
 * 1882 || 49 || 1383 || 131 || 28.11
 * 1890 || 30 || 672 || 75 || 22.12
 * }
 * 1879 || 20 || 606 || 64* || 30.6
 * 1881 || 37 || 1531 || 188 || 41.4
 * 1882 || 49 || 1383 || 131 || 28.11
 * 1890 || 30 || 672 || 75 || 22.12
 * }
 * 1890 || 30 || 672 || 75 || 22.12
 * }
 * }