Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/375

Rh highest aggregate, and 16 the highest individual innings. This was C. G. Lane's last appearance for Oxford, and R, Lang's first appearance for Cambridge: the latter was a bowler of terrific pace, and, when straight, was practically unplayable. Cambridge, it may be noted, had to score only 41 to win, yet lost 7 wickets in the attempt, but the wicket was little better than a swamp. The year 1861 found Cambridge with a very fine side, including T. E. Bagge, H. M. Marshall, H. M, Plowden, D. R, Onslow, C. G. Lyttelton, A. W. T Daniel, and R. Lang, and her win by 133 runs was quite decisive, yet she was headed in the first innings, and owed her success to the fine bowling of Salter and Lyttelton. It was mainly Lang's bowling—5 for 4 and 4 for 31—that gave Cambridge a win next year; but the Oxford batting was weak, save that of R. A. H. Mitchell, probably the most successful batsman in Inter-University matches that has ever worn a "blue," when the conditions of things are considered. Anyhow, he opened his career by scoring, 37 and 53 out of totals of 64 and 158. Cambridge, however, had a very fine side, and her victory by 8 wickets was no fluke. At the end of 1864 thirty matches had been played, and the score stood at "fourteen all."

It was not till 1867 that Cambridge won another match, this time by 5 wickets; but it was no walk-over, for Cambridge, with no to win, lost 5 good wickets for 56 runs, 3 of them caught at the wicket by R. T. Reid, now Sir R. T. Reid, the late Solicitor-General, who was an amateur stumper second to no one of any period. W. S. O. Warner and the Hon. S. G. Lyttelton, however, settled down, and hit off the necessary runs without further loss; but excellent bowling by C, J. Brune in the first innings, and by the Hon. F. G. Pelham in the second, had done much to prepare the road to victory. Cambridge won handsomely in 1868 by 168 runs. C. E. Green, the retiring captain, played splendidly on wickets affected by rain, and hit up 44 and 59, while the bowling of C. J. Brune, C. A. Absolom, and W. B. Money (lobs) got out Oxford twice for less than 100 runs an innings; yet there were fine bats in the Dark-blue ranks, notably B. Pauncefote of Rugby fame, who now made his début in the 'Varsity match. This match again left the scores equal, at sixteen all, two drawn games.

Dreadful weather attended the thirty-fifth match in 1869, and so low was the scoring that only 452 runs were scored for the loss of 40 wickets, and Cambridge's majority of 58 may be regarded as very decisive: no doubt it was largely due to the advantage of batting first on a wet wicket, when the hitters, C. T. Thornton