Page:Jubilee Book of Cricket (Second edition, 1897).djvu/456

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434
County cricket.

finished before. To be allowed to change three men according to the list sent this morning.

J Cooke, junior.
H. Terril.


At the close of the first day's play Warwick was well ahead, and next day the Birmingham team refused to go in, owing to the fact of a Leamington man having played for their adversaries. The plaintiff, Hodson, as agent for the Birmingham club, gave notice to the defendant to pay over their deposit to him; but the defendant in the action paid it over to the Warwickshire club on receiving their indemnity. Lord Denman non-suited the plaintiff. Judging from the above curious action at the assizes, it is only natural to suppose that cricket had become a regular institution of the shire; but such was not the case. For a long time, however, the game was cultivated at Rugby, and mainly owing to the energies of Mr A. G. Guillemard, the scores of the matches at this famous school have been preserved since 1831. In the year 1841 M.C.C. played Rugby School, the captain of the school at that time being the famous author of 'Tom Brown's School Days.' The basis of the formation of the Warwickshire County Club of the present day was initiated in the early part of 1882. Colonel Jervis, who was then acting as secretary to the old Warwickshire club, which had its headquarters at Warwick, called a meeting at Leamington. This was attended by Mr Ansell, as secretary of the Birmingham Association; Mr David Buchanan, the famous old Rugbeian and left-arm bowler; Mr Morton P. Lucas, who at that time played for Sussex; Colonel Jervis; and the Rev. G. Cuffe, of Coventry. At that meeting Warwickshire cricket was establised on its present basis. It was the first step towards the accomplishment of an important scheme of county cricket. Circulars were sent to the various clubs asking them for assistance, and at a committee meeting held at Coventry in April 1882 Lord Willoughby de Broke was invited to become president. It was further decided that the representation on the committee should be as under: Birmingham and District Cricket Association, four representatives; Warwick Gentlemen's Cricket Club, late the Warwickshire Cricket Club, three; Coventry, two; and Rugby one representative; with the understanding that other districts might be represented as became necessary. It is interesting to record the fact that the first balance-sheet for the year ended November 1883 showed the subscriptions to amount to £14, 3s., the total receipts being £25, 16s. Committee meetings were held, principally at Coventry and Leamington,