Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/368

 first-rate, and I know on several occasions they were very severely handled. When Southerton was bowling and he wicket-keeping they were an effective combination, and he brought off some remarkable catches.

His best stumping records were also made with that bowler, although, rather strangely, one of the, if not the finest, was when they were opposed to each other in 1868 he playing for Surrey, Southerton for Sussex. In that match he stumped four and caught eight! For the United South Eleven he was just as successful, keeping up his wonderful form until his hands gave way. Afterwards he rather shied at fast bowling, although, when compelled to, he would face it as pluckily as any man living.

It was intensely amusing to watch him go out to inspect the wicket in later days, and then return and say: "First-rate wicket, sir; slow bowling is sure to come off to-day." After he had done it two or three times it became rather a standing joke in the eleven, and no matter how slight the inspection of the wicket before a match, someone was sure to remark: "A slowbowler's wicket to-day, Pooley."

Once or twice he was thought to have been too eager in appealing to the umpire for a decision, and was accused of trying to entrap the batsman. My experience of him never showed that; and if he had exceeded the laws I should have certainly put it down more to keenness to win than a desire to overreach. He was always on the alert to stump or run out a batsman if he moved his foot before the ball was dead, but the batsman had only himself to blame if it came off; and if a mistake had been made, the umpire was more to blame than Pooley.

Mr. Octavius Radcliffe was born at North Newhton Rectory, Wiltshire, on the 20th of