Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/325

Rh result that one boy scored over 200 runs, and the garrison never got an innings!

Among great Rossallian cricketers may be mentioned, in addition to F. W. Wright, W. Townshend, G. Savile, Rev. V. Royle, P. H. Morton, Rev. W. H. Bathez, F. A. Phillips, A. B. Rowley, E. B. Rowley.

The chief matches are with Liverpool, Preston, and M.C.C.; the schools encountered are Loretto and Shrewsbury. In the inter-school matches the scores are as follows: Against Loretto, Rossall has won 4 matches and lost 4—6 being drawn. Against Shrewsbury, Rossall has won 6 and lost 2—3 being drawn. With Malvern (1886-1891), Rossall has won 4 and lost 2: the match is now discontinued.

Few schools can point to finer cricketing records than the big Midland school, though, curiously enough, there are very few Rugby men who, at the time of writing, are playing in first-class cricket. For all that, the Rugby teams are still tough customers, and are generally strong throughout. "Big-Side," where the school-matches are played, is perhaps a little small; but it is a picturesque ground, and provides very good wickets, which, however, are apt to be fiery in dry weather. The row of beautiful elms which separated "Big-Side" from the rest of the ground suffered so severely in a recent gale that it is hardly a row any longer; but from a cricketer's point of view the loss is not great. "Big-Side" is the extreme end of a long oblong, the rest of which is devoted to cricket, and, unfortunately, to football as well, with the result that for the junior games the wickets are apt to be rough, which is a genuine misfortune, though common to most schools. Adequate space for both games is, in almost every case, a luxury too expensive for attainment.

The system of training and selection is as follows: Likely youngsters are carefully "spotted" by the cricket-loving masters, and are drafted into the so-called "Young Guard," to which special nets are assigned and a steady old professional, while a watch is kept on their style and improvement. After about a couple of years in the "Young Guard" the youngster gets less professional training, but is under more immediate supervision,