y-seven, falls off to a pitiful
seven-and-twenty,
And BARLOW and BRIGGS have it all their own way; three "ducks" in one
innings--of Notts men--seems plenty.
Look at poor Yorkshire again! MARTIN HAWKE did his best to choose right,
but caked wickets _plus_ LOHMANN,
Are far too long odds e'en for ULYETT and HALL; and who can foresee
English weather? Why, no man.
Wants a cool sticker like SCOTTON to stand it. Eh? Gives the poor
bowlers a look in? Oh, granted,
Good trundling's a part of the game to be sure, but you see at this
crisis it's _scoring_ that's wanted,
Dashes the 'gazers, this downing the wickets like nine-pins in swamp
with muck-moisture afloat all,
And then ninety-two for a tall-scoring team like our Notts, you must
own's a contemptible total,
Middlesex plays in and out; lots of scorers like WEBBE, STODDART, LUCAS,
O'BRIEN, and VERNON.
But ROBERTSON, BURTON, and WEST want assistance as bowlers, and
bowling's a thing wins will turn on.
Gloucester's slap out of it. Pity poor GRACE with a team he can seldom
bring up to the scratch, Sir,
So that, in spite of his own startling scores, the, at one time,
"Invincibles" scarce win a match, Sir,
Sussex,--well, QUAIFE is a promising bat, and you always may look for
some notches from NEWHAM,
Whilst J. and A. HIDE are a host in themselves; but good fortune this
season has failed to pursue 'em.
Kent, with Lord HARRIS, the family of HEARNES, and RASHLEIGH, with
credit should carry field matters on,
But this year they'll not be at top of the tree, 'spite the bowling of
WOOTON, the smiting of PATTERSON.
Leicester has got a good trundler in POUGHER, but one bowler won't
make a good (Cricket) summer,
Whilst Derbyshire's CHATTERTON, CROPPER, and RATCLIFF don't make her,
at present, the new (Cricket) comer.
As for game Essex,--well, evergreen GREEN, who has done in his day
some redoubtable cricket,
Will own he will not have a look in _this_ year, e'en with BUXTON,
and BISHOP, and BRYAN, and PICKETT.
No, we must still look to one of the four; and oh, what a lot hope that
one will be Surrey,
Fancy the spirits of GRIFFITH and SOUTHERTON--(chums of that "barn-door"
whom no one could flurry,
Stout little JUPP)--must just now haunt the Oval, or hold ghostly
confabulations at Mitcham,
Discussing the way in which SHUTER'S lot cut 'em and drive 'e