Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/434

412 in 1896. He bowls— to use a technical phrase—from his toes, has a beautiful off-break, varying his pace with excellent judgment. For M.C.C. v. Australia at Lord's in 1896 he was credited with 13 wickets for 77 runs, while in the final test match between England and Australia at the Oval the same year he obtained 10 wickets for 60 runs.

Several famous names, too, must be added to this article of Middlesex cricket. George Howitt, a fine left round-arm bowler with a ripping break-back from the off, who bore the brunt of the bowling in the sixties; Mike Flanagan, who did fairly well with the leather in the seventies; Mr C. K. Francis, the Rugby fast trundler; Mr F. M. Buckland, the Oxford cricketer; Mr J. Robertson; Mr T. S. Pearson; Mr Stanley Scott; Mr G. F. Vernon, a splendid hitter, and one of the finest fields Middlesex ever possessed; Mr P. J. De Paravicini, Mr J. E. K. Studd, Mr A. W. Ridley, Mr A. P. Lucas, Mr Francis Ford, Mr Gregor M'Gregor, Mr R. Slade Lucas, Mr E. Nepean, Mr J. Douglas, Mr Cyril Foley, Mr P. F. Warner, Dr G. Thornton, J. T. Rawlin, and Jem Phillips. The President is the Earl of Strafford; the Hon. Secretary, Mr Percy M. Thornton.

The earliest recorded match played by Notts took place at Sheffield in 1771, the contest being brought to an untimely end through a dispute. There is little doubt that matches were played between Nottingham and other towns during the following few years, but no other record has been handed down until 1789, when Nottingham played and beat Leicester at Loughborough, a return match the same year reversing the verdict by a single run. In 1791 great excitement was caused in the town through a visit of the Gentlemen of M.C.C., who played a match with Nottingham on the Meadows before a crowd of 10,000 people. Matches were played during the next few years between Nottingham and other towns—viz., Sheffield, Rutland, &c.—and in 1817 an All-England Eleven played Twenty-two of Nottingham. In this match many celebrated names appear—viz., Lord F. Beauclerk and G. Osbaldeston, Esq., on the M.C.C. side, and William Clarke for Nottingham. Many important matches were played on the Nottingham Forest previous to 1839, but in that year the Trent Bridge ground was opened by William Clarke, the famous slow bowler. Notts played matches with Sussex as