Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/69



Y father, Henry Mills Grace, was born at Long Ashton, in Somersetshire. He was a fair cricketer, though not possessing the skill of either of my brothers. When a boy he played a great deal, and if he had had the opportunities afforded to his children, he would have attained a good position as an all-round player. Clubs were few in number in his boyhood, and grounds were fewer still. For one that possessed a ground of its own, a dozen had to be content with the open common. Nor were schools so considerate about playing cricket in his time, and players had many difficulties in the way of practising and learning. The greatest difficulty he had to contend against was the distance to the ground. Clubs in the neighbourhood of Bristol were singularly fortunate in one respect: they had plenty of open ground then, as they have now. Durdham Downs were available, and, though not looked after as they should have been, a very fair pitch could be obtained.

When my father became a medical student, it was impossible for him to get away during the afternoon or evening, as most students do in the present day, and if he had not resorted to extraordinary hours he would have been compelled to give up playing. Two to three days a week throughout the cricketing season, he and a number of companions were in the habit of going to the Downs and practising between the hours of five and