celebrated match, Lord Frederick warned the Honourable H. Tufton to beware of John; but John Wells found an opportunity of maintaining his character by shying down, from the side, little more than the single stump. Tom Sheridan joined some of our matches, but he was no good but to make people laugh. In our days there were no padded gloves. I have seen Tom Walker rub his bleeding fingers in the dust! David used to say he liked to rind him.
'The matches against twenty-two were not uncommon in the last century. In 1788 the Hambledon Club played two-and-twenty at Cold Ash Hill. "Drawing" between leg and wicket is not a new invention. Old Small (b. 1737, d. 1826) was famous for the draw, and, to increase his facility, he changed the crooked bat of his day for a straight bat. There was some fine cutting before Saunders's day. Harry Walker was the first, I believe, who brought cutting to perfection. The next genuine cutter?—for they were very scarce (I never called mine cutting, not like that of Saunders at least)—was Robinson. Walker and Robinson would wait for the ball till all but past the wicket, and then cut with great force. Others made good off-hits, but did not hit late enough for a good cut. I would never cut with slow bowling. I believe that Walker, Fennex, and myself first opened the old players' eyes to what could be done with the bat; Walker by cutting, and Fennex and I by forward play: but all improvement was owing to David Harris's bowling. His bowling rose almost perpendicular; it was once pronounced a jerk; it was altogether most extraordinary.—For thirteen years I averaged forty-three a match, though frequently I had only one innings; but I never could half play unless runs were really wanted.'
Little is recorded of the Hambledon Club after the year 1786. It broke up when Old Nyren[1] left it, in 1791; though, in this last year, the true old Hambledon Eleven
- ↑ Richard Nyren. E. V. L.
