Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/66

 He bowled both roundarm and lobs, but was most successful with the latter.

The Hon. Spencer Ponsonby had the ball mounted with silver, and presented it to E. M. on behalf of the M.C.C.

I can remember E. M. in his twenty-first year. He is now in his fiftieth, with more than the average share of energy and activity left; at twenty-one he was as agile as a cat, and could field at point better than any player I have met. A very good judge said of him once:

"The only thing that man cannot do in the cricket field is keep wicket to his own bowling! "

The fame of E. M.'s doings spread everywhere, and his style of batting was freely criticised. The critics found fault with his cross hitting, and said he was not above hitting a straight, good-length ball; but all agreed that his hitting was something wonderful. It has always been a mystery to me how he timed the ball so accurately. Good-lengths, half-volleys, and long-hops were all the same to him. He got them on the right part of the bat, and neither bowler nor fieldsman could tell to which part of the field the ball was going. One hit they might expect. Give him a ball a little bit up, about a foot to the off, and they could depend upon it travelling to long-on. Many a fieldsman was placed there for a catch, but very rarely was the ground large enough for that particular hit, and a rough wicket made little difference to him. Do not imagine he could not play with a straight bat, or a defensive innings if he wanted. I have seen him defend his wicket as correctly and patiently as any one. From his twentieth to his thirtieth year his eyesight and quickness were exceptional, partly owing to his temperate and active habits.

In 1862, and for a good many years afterwards, his scores and averages were certainly remarkable; and