Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/433

Rh From that date to the present time A. J. Webbe has remained most constant to his native shire. It was a great task for him to follow such an incomparable captain and tactician as "I. D.," but he succeeded, and bids fair to render the county even longer service than the Southgate gentleman. Possibly no man who ever represented Middlesex has enjoyed greater popularity, and that deservedly, than A. J. Webbe, who will rank, too, as amongst the best of the scores of crack batsmen Middlesex has had. He was in the Harrow Eleven of 1872, and played for the Gentlemen of England in his Oxford days. Mr Webbe has, however, chiefly devoted himself to Middlesex county cricket. In 1887 he scored 192 not out v. Kent, and 243 not out against Yorkshire.

In the year 1B77 Middlesex migrated to Lord's, and has ever since remained there, while five years later, in 1882 and 1883, the brothers Messrs C. T. Studd and G. B. Studd were in fine form, and in these two years in first-class cricket C. T. Studd not only scored 1000 runs, but captured over 100 wickets—viz., 1249 in 1882 and 128 wickets, while in 1883 he was credited with 1193 runs and 112 wickets.

In 1885 Mr A. E. Stoddart first appeared for the metropolitan county, and it is doubtful if Middlesex ever had a better or more brilliant batsman than Stoddart. He is one of the very few batsmen in modern days who has achieved the honour of making two hundreds in a first-class match, a feat which he accomplished against Notts in 1893, contributing 195 not out and 124, while he also claims the record for the highest individual score, 485, for the Hampstead Club against the Stoics in August 1886.

Sir T. C. O'Brien's famous match against Yorkshire in 1889 will ever have a cherished memory in the history of Middlesex cricket, for in that never-to-be-forgotten game Middlesex had to get 280 to win in three hours and thirty-five minutes. Neither players nor spectators dreamt of anything but a draw. With an hour and a half left to play, 151 runs were still required with 6 wickets to fall. T. C. O'Brien came in to hit most lustily. At one time there were three men placed in the long-field to fast bowling, but it mattered little to T. C. O'Brien, who lashed the ball all over Lord's, and at ten minutes to seven the winning hit was made, O'Brien actually scoring his 100 runs in eighty minutes.

The most prominent bowler for Middlesex at the present time is J. T. Hearne, a nephew of Tom Hearne. He has twice captured over 200 wickets in a season—viz., 212 in 1893 and