The year 1871 was my most successful year with the bat. I was twenty-two years of age, and had played against every first-class bowler in England. Nearly all nervous feeling at the commencement of an innings had left me; but I guarded against over-confidence, and invariably played the first over or two carefully until I got my eye in. Grounds had improved wonderfully everywhere, and I aimed at placing every ball, however straight and good the length of it; for that was about the only way to score at all rapidly against the crack bowlers of the day, who could bowl over after over every ball on the wicket.
In the middle of May, I scored 181 for M.C.C. v. Surrey; and I kept up my form right to the end of the season, exceeding the century ten times, all of them in first-class matches. The weather was rather unfavourable, and occasionally the ground caused the ball to kick badly; but I never lost patience, and in one or two matches in particular I very much desired to score largely, Willsher, H. H. Stephenson and John Lillywhite had benefit matches that year, and I was anxious to do well for them; for they had done excellent work for the game for many years, and were highly respected by all classes of cricketers. Willsher was unfortunate in the matter of weather in the match Single v. Married, played at Lord's on the 10th, 11th and 12th July, on his behalf; but I scored 189 not out for him, and got up another match in September, which helped considerably to increase the fund. In the second match, W. G. Grace's XI. v. Kent, I scored 81 not out first, and 42 not out second; and W. Yardley played a magnificent innings of 126 not out in the second innings of Kent.
North v. South, at the Oval on 31st July, 1st and 2nd August, was the match played on behalf of Stephenson; and I shall not readily forget his disappointment when I was given out l.b.w. to J. C. Shaw the first ball
