Page:The Crisis in Cricket and the Leg Before Rule (1928).djvu/65

Rh played in four University matches and several for the Gentlemen against the Players, beside others, and I have often heard him say that though a Lords' wicket was diffi­cult, this was mainly on account of the shooter and it was never dangerous, and he thought that cricket was more interesting there than anywhere. I once played at Upping­ham against the School and had a talk with H. H. Stephenson, who played in Gentlemen v. Players at Lords in 1865. The late F. R. Evans bowled successfully for the Gentlemen, and was fast with a doubtful action. H. H. Stephenson told me that he hit George Parr a pretty severe crackon the head, and in his opinion, the wicket was dangerous. Mitchell, who was playing, and played a very good innings of 44 not out, told me that the wicket was quite a good one. Caffyn, like all Surrey players of that date, played most of his cricket at the Oval and did not like Lords, and in his book, 71 Not Out, says he was not always sorry when he got out at Lords when Jackson was bowling, and how Jimmy Grundy stamped and swore like a lunatic when Jackson cut him over on the arm, but I do not think that in the opinion of the majority of cricketers Lords was thought dangerous. The only serious accident was when Summers was killed in 1870, but if he had obeyed his doctor instead of a quack, who in this instance was his mother, he might have been alive now.

But, taking England altogether, the wickets in those days were adequate when bowling was not so high, but changes in the preparation of grounds gradually came about. The mowing machine brought in about 1870 made an enormous difference, and so did the heavy roller still later,