Page:Seventy One Not Out.pdf/43

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J. DEAN—W. HILLYER.
25

medium" bowler, coming quick off the pitch with a slight break from leg.

Jemmy Dean of Sussex was about the finest longstop in England in his day ("would seldom grant a bye," as the poem says of him), and was noted as a fast bowler at first and afterwards as a medium. He was a little man and very stout in his latter days. He had a queer shambling kind of walk, and indeed his appearance altogether was as unlike one's idea of a cricketer as could well be imagined. The picture of him in the All-England Eleven, as represented by Mr Felix, is a good likeness, but makes him appear absurdly small as compared with some of the other players. Jemmy did great things for Sussex, and was engaged, too, for many years at Lord's.

A splendid bowler was the famous Billy Hillyer of the Kent Eleven, being one of the very best of the early round-arm bowlers. He bowled medium pace, and had a big break from the leg. He obtained many wickets in the slips by bowling on, or just outside the off stumps, and making the ball "go away." I used to find him terribly difficult, as his ball went off the pitch so quickly, and one was very often too late for him when trying to cut near the wicket, as I generally used to do. His ball had a decided curl in the air. He could make the ball "get up," too, more than most bowlers of his time. His many feats with the