Page:Cricket (Steel, Lyttelton).djvu/381

Rh thanks to Marlborough for the services of Mr. A. G. Steel, by far the greatest player ever turned out by that school, and perhaps the best all-round cricketer that has yet played for either University. Oxford have had more than the due proportion of Wykehamists, for eleven out of the thirteen have played for Oxford. Eleven Cliftonians have played for Oxford, and none for Cambridge; but seven out of eight Uppingham boys have represented Cambridge. Tonbridge, Cheltenham, Charterhouse, and Westminster have each had five players representing them, and on the whole the proportion between Oxford and Cambridge has been about equal.

Of all-round players both Universities have had their full share in numbers, but Oxford has never produced three to equal the famous trio, Makinson, A. G. Steel, and C. T. Studd of Cambridge. When we say this we take as our basis the performances of the three in the University matches, and we do not consider the men who played before 1854, for it is difficult to make fair comparisons over so long a distance of time. The above-mentioned three will be found in the first half-dozen of batsmen and in the first half-dozen of bowlers. Messrs. Makinson, Yardley, Lucas, A. Lyttelton, and A. G. Steel are the best batsmen from Cambridge, and Messrs. Mitchell, Ottaway, Key, and Pauncefote the four best from Oxford. In bowling, the champions from Oxford are Messrs. Marsham, Traill, and Kenney; from Cambridge, Messrs. Plowden, Lang, and A. G. Steel. This is an opinion only, and would have to be considerably altered if we were to take another basis than the Interllniversity match to draw our conclusions from. Mr. Kenney never played for the Gentlemen against the Players, and neither he nor Mr. Plowden could be compared as a bowler to Mr. Kempson, whose performance against the Players is historical. But he failed against Oxford. In the same way Lord Lyttelton, Mr. Ridley and Mr. Lane were each as good as Mr. Pauncefote, but they failed in the Inter-University match and consequently are out of our list.

Neither University can claim a superiority up to the present