Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/381

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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY CRICKET.
359

for 65 runs, and A. C. Croome was fairly successful, but the other bowlers were unmercifully flogged. In 1890 Oxford went in first on a dreadful wicket, and could not make more than 42 against S. M. J. Woods (four for 25) and E. C. Streatfield (5 for 14): of these E. Smith claimed 22, and he played a fine forcing game, the only chance of getting runs on such a morass. Cambridge only made 97, but a lead of 55 was most valuable under the circumstances, and to F. S. Jackson and C. P. Foley that lead was mainly due. Oxford did better next innings by making 108—M. R. Jardine 24, G. L. Wilson 20, and H. C. Bradley 21—and at least there was not a string of five consecutive "ducks," as in the first attempt. Woods, with 5 for 31, was again a dreadful thorn in the side of Oxford, and probably no bowler has ever done better service for his 'Varsity. In the end Cambridge won by its favourite majority of 7 wickets, but anything might have happened on so curious a wicket and in such threatening weather; hence Cambridge men were delighted to see R. N. Douglas and F. G. J. Ford slash away rapidly, the latter carrying his bat for 32 out of the necessary 54. F. J. N. Thesiger in the first innings sent back three Cantabs. for only 6 runs in all. The 1891 match caused the partisans of Cambridge some very anxious moments. The I.ight-blue side was exceedingly strong, with G. MacGregor to keep wicket, C. M. Wells, S. M. J. Woods, F. S. Jackson, and E. C. Streatfield to bowl, while the strength of the batting may be estimated by the fact that the last three on the list were Wells, Woods, and D. L. Jephson. Yet this strong side only snatched a narrow victory by 2 wickets, and there was quite a sigh of relief when Woods, the captain, smacked a 4 off the first and only ball he received in the second innings. Cambridge opened proceedings with 210, but fared badly at the outset, till A. J. L. Hill hit up a lucky 62, and found some support forthcoming from MacGregor and Streatfield. Woods, however, bowled so finely that he sent back seven Oxonians for 60 runs, and as the whole venture only totalled 108, the Dark-blues had to follow on, 102 in arrears. W. D. Llewelyn had played well for 38, and followed this up with 24; E. Smith got 32, and G. L. Wilson S3, a capital piece of hitting, yet 191 was all the side could amass, and Cambridge had only to get 90 to win. As 210 had been considered disappointing, a 9 or 10 wickets' win was the least that was expected. However, G. F. H. Berkeley proved quite irresistible. Going on when 2 wickets had fallen for 47, he got the Cambridge men out with great rapidity, and had not C. P. Foley kept his head clear and his bat straight, anything