Saturday 30 January 1897, page 13: THE LANCASHIRE COUNTY CLUB The annual meeting of the Lancashire County Cricket Club was held last evening at the Albion Hotel, Manchester, Mr A N Hornby presiding. The report, read by Mr S H Swire, the honorary secretary, stated that the county again occupied the second place in the championship. The attractive programme played, including as it did Australian matches, had the effect of considerably increasing the membership, which now reached greater proportions than ever. Last season there were 2,637 members, 320 having been elected during the year, while 42 resignations and 28 deaths were recorded. On no previous occasion was the interest and patronage of lady subscribers more marked, no fewer than 659 tickets having been taken, as compared with 475 in the preceding year. One of the most interesting features of the season had been the splendid support accorded by the general public. Allowing even for the Australian visit, the figures were abnormally large, reaching a total of 202,300 – an increase of 52,000 as compared with 1895 and more than double the number that passed through the turnstiles in 1894. The financial statement, read by Mr James Maclaren, showed that the subscriptions amounted to £3,446 and the gate-money to £6,233. The surplus on the year’s working was £2,569. Payments amounting to £2,879 had been made on account of the new pavilion, which was now fully paid for, the total cost being £9,033. The report and balance-sheet were adopted, and Mr A N Hornby was re-elected president, Mr Swire honorary secretary and Mr James Maclaren honorary treasurer. 1 Thursday 4 February, page 11: THE NOTTS COUNTY CLUB The annual meeting of the Notts County Cricket Club was held in Nottingham yesterday, when the chair was occupied by the Bishop of Southwell and there was a large attendance. In moving the adoption of the report, the chairman remarked that in the matches which he witnessed last year he was struck by the bad luck which Notts experienced and hoped their turn would come in future, and also that in this commemoration year the number of subscribers would be increased to 2,000. Lord Belper and Mr W C Denison spoke to the report, and the former congratulated the team upon the improved form shown last season. Whereas 12 months ago the club’s balance at the bank was £195, it was now £1,312, which showed that interest in cricket was fully sustained in Notts in spite of all that had been written to the contrary. Mr Denison expressed the opinion that luck and Notts had been dissociated for some years. The performances of the team last season were, however, extremely good, and if only they could find a somewhat terrifying bowler and keep batsmen and fielders in good health they would win many more matches and regain what they regarded as their normal position at the head of the list. Nottingham now had two clubs left in the competition for the Football Association Challenge Cup, and they hoped that success on one athletic pursuit would follow them in the other, with which the name of the county was more intimately associated. Lord Belper and Mr Ernest T Hooley were among those elected on the committee and, upon the nomination of the chairman, Mr W W Hall, of Mansfield, was appointed president. It was announced that the Philadelphians would meet Notts at Trent-bridge on July 12. The hon. secretary said that the ground and approaches were being greatly improved, and the club and ground scheme promised to be a success. The Bishop of Southwell was cordially thanked for his services as president. Thursday 4 March, page 6 The annual meeting of the Kent County Club was held on Tuesday at the Golden Cross Hotel, Charing-cross, among those present being Major-General Denne, Mr F Marchant, Mr W H Patterson, the Rev C E B Nepean, Hon Ivo Bligh, Mr F A Mackinnon and Mr George Marsham. The new president of the club is General Sir Bevan Edwards, M.P. The Hon Ivo Bligh, Mr Stanley Christopherson, Mr C S Hardy and the Rev C Randolph, who retired from the committee by rotation, were re-elected, and six vacancies were filled by the election of Colonel Isacke, Hon J Tufton, Mr Percy B Neame, Mr J N Tonge, Mr M J R Thornton and Lord Camden. An application for a benefit match during the forthcoming season was made by Alec Hearne, but the committee, while fully recognizing Hearne’s brilliant services to the club, decided to defer the match a little longer, the purchase of the St Lawrence Ground at Canterbury having for the time put rather a severe strain upon the club’s finances. Walter Hearne, whose injured knee has closed his active career as a cricketer, was appointed official scorer to the club in place of Mr Crow, while G H Remnant was again nominated by Kent to umpire in county matches. Five young players – three of them Kent-born – are to be coached this season at Tonbridge by Webbe, the Tonbridge School professional. Since the meeting of county secretaries at Lord’s in December some slight alterations have been made in the Kent fixtures. Gloucestershire will play Kent on May 27 at Maidstone instead of at Gravesend, as originally arranged. The Notts eleven will appear at Gravesend on June 17, instead of at Maidstone, and the match with Somerset on July 15 will be played at Blackheath and not at Maidstone. The match with the Philadelphians, which in December was left open to be played somewhere in Kent on July 26, will now come off at the new Athletic Ground, Maidstone. Moreover, matches between the second elevens of Kent and Sussex will be played at Brighton and Tonbridge on dates to be decided upon. 2 The annual general meeting of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club was held at Sheffield yesterday, Major Shepherd (Bradford) presiding. The report showed that the past season had brought to the club an addition of £1,566 to the credit balance, which now stood at £4,243. The county team were to be congratulated on having again attained the chief honour of the season, and although the play had not always been consistent, it had been characterized on frequent occasions by extremely good scoring, and chiefly by the record innings against Warwickshire. The chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and accounts, said it was a great pleasure to find that Yorkshire occupied such a high position. They owed a great deal to their professionals for the manner in which they fought for the championship, and also to Lord Hawke, the captain of the team. The other amateurs had also served the county well, especially Mr Jackson. They had excellent young cricketers coming forward and could look hopefully to the future. At the instance of Lord Hawke they were now giving a retaining fee to their professionals to keep them together during the winter months. The report and accounts were unanimously adopted. A resolution was submitted by Mr C Stokes, of Sheffield, to substitute 25 per cent for 15 per cent as the allowance to county grounds. The resolution was lost, although strongly supported. 3 Wednesday 24 March, page 13: THE “FOLLOW-ON” AT CRICKET (From a correspondent.) As a result of their meeting at St James’s Palace on Monday, the Committee of the Marylebone Club yesterday, through Mr Perkins, the secretary, issued the official decision on the “follow-on” question. This decision is given is a resolution, thus:- “The result of the references to the counties and Australia as to the desirability of an alteration in the ‘follow-on’ rule shows such an even decision of opinion between the merits of (1) total abolition and (2) the option being given to the leading side, that the committee are not prepared at present to recommenced the club to legislate upon the subject.” The opinion of the M.C.C. Committee will be received with considerable disappointment by a large body of cricketers who have the interest of the game at heart and who were much grieved by the unpleasant incidents in some recent Oxford and Cambridge matches. It was thought that the M.C.C. having laid down two propositions for the consideration of the counties would at least adopt one of them, so that any chance of what almost amounted to “roping” would in future be prevented. The option of the leading side or the abolition of the rule were the points left for the decision of the cricket world; and the cricket world is so divided that the M.C.C. Committee refuse to interfere with the law at all. The Marylebone Club Committee erred at the start in taking the opinion of county committees. On a majority of these committees is found a number of gentlemen very worthy in themselves, but not of sufficient standing to discuss the vital interest of the great game itself. And this fact is shown by the instance of Yorkshire, where Lord Hawke and Mr F S Jackson took an entirely opposite view to that held by their committee. The M.C.C. might have consulted only the county captains, but a far better course would have been to rely solely on themselves. In addition to the Earl of Pembroke, Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane and Mr Henry Perkins, the officers, the M.C.C. executive consists of Mr V E Walker, Mr W E Denison, Mr C E Farmer, Mr W H Patterson, the Earl of Dartmouth, Captain J St J Frederick, Mr Edward Ritter, Mr John Shuter, the Earl of Jersey, Lord Hawke, Mr E L Bateman, Mr Walter H Long, M.P., Mr G W Ricketts, the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord Harris, Mr H Philipson and Mr A J Webbe.