Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/374

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
352
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY CRICKET.

for 40 wickets was only 322. The three highest scores from the bat were 29 and 27 for Cambridge, and 25 for Oxford; yet the Dark-blues presented their rivals with 32 extras in the first innings and 29 in the second, as opposed to an aggregate of 21 from Cambridge. "Extras" may be said to have decided the match.

Another win followed next year, but by a narrow majority of 8 runs, the Universities tieing in the first innings with 103 apiece. Again "extras" decided the battle, Oxford giving away 56 to the 31 of Cambridge; but in the latter eleven was E. S. Hartopp, a long-stop of great renown, who only let 10 byes in all. The number of wides in these early days, when the arm had to be kept below the shoulder, is really surprising. The year 1842 saw Cambridge victorious by 162 runs, her surplus in "extras" being 53; indeed extras made tlft top-score (42 and 39) in either innings of Cambridge, second score (12) in Oxford's first innings, and top-score (16) in her second. T. A. Anson (41 and 24) made the highest score from the bat in each of Cambridge's innings. In 1843, though Cambridge gave away 65 extras towards a grand total of 181, she won by 54 runs, the highest score being 44 (not out) by W B Trevelyan. A draw was the result of the 1844 match, Oxford having a trifle the best of the deal; but Cambridge won again in 1845, notwithstanding the fact that Oxford had a superb bowler in G. E. Yonge.

The next year, 1846, saw Oxford victorious, but Cambridge had a very easy win, practically by an innings, in 1847; and in 1849 she won again, but only by 3 wickets, thanks mainly to R. T. King, who scored 43 and 49 not out, the largest aggregate made in a 'Varsity match up to this time—indeed only four scores of over 50 had ever as yet been made by an individual batsman. Cambridge scored again in 1851, largely aided by extras, her total score of 266 exceeding those of Oxford's two innings by 4 runs.

Several successes now fell to Oxford's lot, and at the end of the first twenty matches either University had won nine, and in 1856 they were once more level, Cambridge winning in that year by only 3 wickets in a small-scoring match. J. Makinson (Cambridge) was the hero of the game, as he not only bowled exceedingly well, but by scoring 31 and 64 made the highest recorded aggregate for the match.

The next Light-blue victory came in 1859, the majority in a match of fairly high scores being only 28. The win of next year was equally close—3 wickets: but this time 76 was the