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MOT Out » Photo by Dattn <5r» Son, Red Htll. SEVENTY-ONE NOT OUT THE REMINISCENCES OF WILLIAM CAFFYN MEMBER OP THE ALL ENGLAND AND UNITED ELEVENS, OF THE SURREY COUNTY ELEVEN, OF THE ANGLO-AMERICAN TEAM OF 1859, AND OF THE ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN TEAMS OF l86l AND 1863 EDITED BY “MID-ON” WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MDCCCXCIX All Rights reserved TO GENERAL SIR FREDERICK MARSHALL, K.C.M.G., AN ARDENT AND GENEROUS SUPPORTER OF THE NOBLE GAME OF CRICKET. — PREFACE. I have lived to the age of seventy-one (hence the title of this work), and until some six months ago the writing of my reminiscences never occurred to me. Indeed had it not been for the fact of my meeting with an old friend—almost accidentally the ensuing pages would never have been written. Like most cricketers, I have unfortunately kept comparatively few records of my long career. Luckily I am possessed of an excellent memory, and with this and the aid of many an old volume kindly lent to me by various gentlemen I have been able to complete my somewhat difficult task. I have given a short sketch of the state of the national game at the time of my birth; how I learnt both batting and bowling when a boy ; have described my connection with Clarke’s old All England Eleven, and afterwards with the United; Vlii PREFACE. my visit with the first team to America in 1859; with Stephenson’s team to Australia in 1861, and with Parr’s more famous one in 1863; have given an account of my seven years’ residence in the Antipodes, and the close of my career after my return to England in 1871. That this record of my career may prove interesting to lovers of our grand old English game is my sincere hope and desire. W. CAFFYN. April 1899. — The Editor wishes to express his sincere thanks to those who have been kind enough to assist him in the compiling of this Work by the loan of pictures and other matters Mr A. J. Gaston, Brighton; Messrs Cobbetts’ Cricket Bat Co., London; Mr George An- derson, Aiskew, Yorkshire; Mr R. Daft, Radcliffe-on-Trent, &c. CONTENTS. chap. page I. CRICKET AT THE TIME OF MY BIRTH . I II. MY CRICKET AS A BOY .... 8 III. I COMMENCE MY PUBLIC CAREER . 13 IV. THE LION OF THE NORTH . 41 V. A CRICKET SEASON OF NEARLY HALF A CENTURY AGO, AND SOME PLAYERS WHO TOOK PART IN IT 49 VI. THE SEASON OF 1852 .... 66 VII. THE SEASON OF 1853 .... 77 VIII. THE SEASON OF 1854 . .88 IX. THE SEASON OF 1855 . *99 X. THE SEASON OF 1856 .... I07 XI. THE SEASON OF 1857 . *115 XII. THE SEASON OF 1858 . .122 XIII. THE SEASON OF 1859 .... I34 XIV. THE FIRST ENGLISH TEAM IN AMERICA . 141 XV. THE SEASON OF i860 . >154 XVI. THE SEASON OF 1 86 1 . 164 XVII. VISIT OF THE FIRST ENGLISH TEAM TO AUSTRALIA 171 XII CONTENTS, XVIII. THE SEASON OF 1862 .... 185 XIX. THE SEASON OF 1863 . I9I XX. VISIT OF THE SECOND TEAM TO AUSTRALIA . 196 XXI. MY RESIDENCE IN AUSTRALIA . 2l8 XXII. THE CLOSE OF MY CAREER, TOGETHER WITH A FEW REMARKS ON MODERN CRICKET . 228 INDEX ...... 259 5 ILLUSTRATIONS. william caffyn ..... Frontispiece FAGS lord's cricket-ground (1833) . .2 THE OLD TREE, REIGATE, AGAINST WHICH W. CAFFYN PLAYED CRICKET WHEN A BOY ... 7 WILLIAM LAMBERT ...... IO SURREY CRICKET-GROUND (1848) . 1 W. F. LILLYWHITE ...... l6 PLAN OF FIELD FOR W. CLARKE’S BOWLING . l8 E. G. WENMAN ...... 23 W. CLARKE—PILCH—DEAN—HILLYER . .26 THOMAS BOX ...... 31 MR N. FELIX ...... 33 A. FAST. PLAN OF FIELD FOR MR MYNN’S BOWLING . 34 GEORGE ANDERSON ...... 39 GEORGE PARR ...... 42 OLD CRICKET-GROUND, RADCL1 FFE-ON-TRENT . 47 PLAN OF FIELD FOR W. CAFFYN’S MEDIUM-PACE BOWLING 53 XIV ILLUSTRATIONS, MARTINGELL—MR A. MYNN—BICKLEY—WILLSHER . 60 OLD PAVILION, TRENT BRIDGE GROUND . .69 NEW PAVILION, TRENT BRIDGE GROUND . *77 WILLIAM CAFFYN ...... 96 BEAGLEY — MR C. G. TAYLOR — MR F. P. MILLER — MR V. E. WALKER . .IOO MR REGINALD HANKEY ..... I09 RICHARD DAFT . I32 FIRST AMERICAN TEAM . • . • .141 CARPENTER—DIVER—HAYWARD . 164 FIRST ENGLAND ELEVEN IN AUSTRALIA . .173 MELBOURNE CRICKET-GROUND (1898) . 1 76 SYDNEY CRICKET-GROUND (1898) . 1 78 SURREY ELEVEN, l 86 l -62 . I9I AUSTRALIAN TWELVE, 1863 .... 196 W. G. GRACE 252 SEVENTY-ONE NOT OUT. CHAPTER I. CRICKET AT THE TIME OF MY BIRTH. Between the year in which I was born (1828) and the one in which I first took part in first-class cricket (1849) our great national game underwent many changes and improvements. Not only did some mighty names arise in the cricket world during this period of twenty-one years, but the game received the assistance of an ally who sprang up at this time, and who has done more to popularise it than even any one who actually took part in it—the Loco- motive. What a change in the history of cricket has been brought about by the railways! What a countless number of matches have they been re- sponsible for ! The increase in the popularity of our great game naturally dates from the time of the in- troduction of the locomotive. In 1828 there was A 2 CRICKET AT THE TIME OF MY BIRTH. nothing of this kind. Matches were indeed few and far between. It was not only difficult for spectators to get from their homes to the scene of action, but difficult for players as well. We find many records in the old books of “ absent o ” being placed to the name of a player, owing to his not arriving in time to bat. I myself have had to walk many a mile before a day’s cricket in my early years. At the time I was bom cricket may be said to have flourished principally in the south of England, with the exception of a circle in the middle of the country comprising Leicester, Nottingham, and Sheffield. In the South, Kent and Sussex were the two most powerful counties, and the matches played between them created a vast amount of interest. Hampshire (the cradle of cricket) did not at this period possess such a monopoly of fine players as in former years, still they had a few first-rate men in their ranks notwithstanding. When one considers the difficulties of travelling from place to place in those days, it will readily be seen that the arranging of an attractive season’s programme in the few leading centres of cricket was no easy matter. When one county could not meet another on equal terms they played one or more “given men” from another county. This custom was kept up till a much later period. Another way of equalising two elevens was to “ bar ” a celebrated batsman or bowler. Up at Lord’s an eleven of (1833). CRICKET-GROUND LORD’S TOM MARSDEN. 3 right-handed players would oppose an eleven of left- handed ones. A team whose name all began with B on several occasions played the rest of England by way of variety. The Sheffield v. Nottingham matches were very keenly contested, sometimes one side gaining a victory and sometimes another. One of the Not- tingham players, it is said, used to ride on horse- back to Sheffield before playing in this match, rising at an unearthly hour to do so. The Sheffield score- book describes one of these contests as “a most disgraceful match,” as the Nottingham umpire kept calling “No ball ” whenever a straight one was bowled ! — and it goes on to say that the Shef- fielders were foolish to continue the game when they perceived such an unfair advantage was taken. It is needless to add that Nottingham won this match. Both of these famous towns possessed at this time some noted players. Old Clarke was the “General” of the Nottingham team, and was ably supported by such men as Tom Barker, George Jarvis, and Tom Heath. The most famous player amongst the Sheffielders was Tom Marsden, a left- handed bat with tremendous hitting powers. When playing for Sheffield against Nottingham and Lei- cester combined in 1826, he knocked up the huge total of 227. This would have been, indeed, a wonderful feat in those days against almost any side, but the fact that the score was obtained 4 CRICKET AT THE TIME OF MY BIRTH. against Clarke and Barker’s bowling renders it still more meritorious. In the year of which I write he made another large score against Not- tingham — viz., 125. Tom represented England on several occasions, and also appeared for the left-handed against the right. His feats with bat and ball have been celebrated in poetry as well as in prose. He was a noted single-wicket player, and met many opponents, most of whom he de- feated. Fuller Pilch, however, twice succeeded in lowering his colours. It must be remembered that although round-arm bowling had to a certain extent superseded underhand, the new fashion had many opponents, who would persist in describing it as “ throwing,” and declared that it had been the ruin of all scientific batting. At this time the bowler’s hand had to be lower than his elbow when he delivered the ball, which must have been a cause of great trouble to the umpires. When a fast bowler was on, it must have been very difficult to detect what was fair and what unfair in this re- spect. No such things as batting - gloves or pads were used, and accidents to batsmen were natur- ally common enough.