Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/90

 brother-in-law, Dr. Bernard, 21, everyone came to grief, and our total was 68.

In the year 1863 I made great progress in batting, scoring freely against our crack local clubs Clifton, Lansdown, and Knole Park, and was looked upon as one of the principal bowlers of the West Gloucestershire Club. Our first match against the Gentlemen of Devonshire illustrated the changing fortune characteristic of cricket. It was played at Tiverton on the 24th and 25th July. Devonshire winning the toss, batted first, and scored 227; two players, Messrs. J. H. Coplestone and A. D. Gill, scoring 141 runs between them. We scored 135 of which I made 15, not out, and had, of course, to follow our innings. E. M., Henry, Alfred, and my uncle grumbled terribly at the condition of the wicket, and spying a big roller at the extreme corner of the field, all hands were enlisted to bring it up, and we spent the time allowed between the innings in rolling. A change came over the look of affairs; for E. M. was in one of his uphill fighting moods, and played magnificently. He hit very hard, and scored 132 out of a total of 294. Mr. J. J. Sewell scored 42, my brother Alfred 32, and Henry and uncle 23 each. Devonshire was left with 203 to win, certainly not an impossible undertaking; but they were not equal to it. My uncle did one of his finest bowling performances, capturing 7 wickets for 36 runs, and getting rid of our opponents for the small total of 78.

The return match, played at Clifton 20th and 21st August, proved even more disastrous to us than the return match the previous year; for we were defeated by an innings and 61 runs.

Three days later we played Somersetshire at the Sydenham Fields, Bath, and won by 87 runs. I was top scorer with 52 not out, and obtained 4 wickets for 17 runs first innings; 2 for 26, second.