Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/426

404 the great progress of the town of Leicester, fell into the builders' hands in the latter part of the "fifties." This ground was the scene of some fine cricket: it was here that the great North v. South match took place in 1836, Alfred Mynn making 136 and 26. The match lasted four days. I Zingari played the county in 1850, and matches with Derbyshire were played regularly. Other notable events of this early period were the matches played with M.C.C., Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, and other good clubs.

From the records of those days the moving spirits of the club appear to have been Sir F. W. Heygate; Revs. E. Elmhirst, J. Bradshaw, H. J. Hoskins; Earl Stamford, Sir W. Dixie; Messrs Richard Sutton, Wm. Brookes, E. B. Farnham, J. D. Burnaby, R. Cheslyn, C. T. Freer, T. P. Seabrooke, A. Payne, W. W. Tailby, J. B. Storey, E. Warner, J. S. Nedham, G. C. Bellairs, T. Macaulay, and others.

After the breaking up of this ground there was an interregnum of some few years, when cricket was only able to be carried on at the various private grounds in the county till a portion of the old race-course was laid out for cricket, and county and other matches took place there under the management of a committee, which was afterwards merged into the Leicestershire Cricket Association. The want of an enclosed ground being felt (as no gate-money could be taken without enclosing the ground), in 1878 the present county ground was opened. The first county match played there was against the first Australian team, when Arthur Sankey and Wheeler scored 130 for the first wicket. The county club was established upon its present basis in that year.

The most successful year the county has had was in 1888, when it did not lose a single match.

The county have had amongst its players since the year 1870,—Earl Lanesborough, Lord Curzon; Revs. E. H. Willes, H. Gillett, G. S. Marriott; Messrs R. A. H. Mitchell, C. Marriott, W. H. Hay, A. Sankey, T. S. Pearson, H. P. Arnall Thompson, J. A. Turner, A. W. Crofts, S. R. Wright, G. W. Hillyard, C. C. Stone, J. Collier, Randon Bishop, Panter, Ryllot, Parnham Wheeler, Warren, Pougher, Woodcock, Tomlin.

It was in 1885 that Pougher, the professional, who has proved cf so much service to the county, first took a place in the County Eleyen, to which he has proved such a tower of strength, both in batting and bowling.

In 1887 Mr C. E. De Trafford made his début for the county, and in 1889 was elected to the captaincy, a position which he