ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 3699, 30 December 1874, Page 3

ENGLISH SPORTING NOTES.

AN EXCITING BICYCLE RACE was that beta ecu •• taut, n and K«-en. From the first it was plain that stamina and not speed would win. The difference of stylo of the two men was very marked. Stanton wjth a big-wheeler, took high, lurching s!rides. whi:e Keen, sitting upright and straight in his saddle, worked his bicycle in the most beautiful manner almost on a bee line, Scanton, notwithstanding his lurching. went at a great pace, and covered 16 miles in the hour, where-s Keen, going more evenly, took Ihr. Sfisec. f .r the same distance. Stanton went 50 miles without stopping, doing that distance in 3hrs. 4min. At 87 miles Keen gave up, but tan ford went on with the task of doing H’6 miles in eight hours, performing the mod extraordinary distance on record of any man, or animal, or machine—lo6 miles in 7hrs. smnin. 544secs.

THE CRICKET SEASON OF 1874. Taken as a wlmle, the season just passed away has been a mod successful one. The games at Lord’s and (he <tval between the Geu'lemen and (’layers were much mme evenly contested than has been the case for many years past; and at last the pvnfeasionals have been able to stem the tide which so long ran against them by winning one of the mat ;hes ; though perhaps on more than one occasion a stronger team of amateurs than was actually the case might have been brought into toe field. Tn the antagonism between North and . v ’outh there has be;n I’d lie to choose actually between the rival elevens; but it is evident the South is stronger in batting, and the forth in bowling. Though Derbyshire is the only county which has not suffered defeat, Gloucester stands for the season at the top of the “ willow ” tree, mainly owing to the prowess of her “Three Graces.” A “good second” to Gloucestershire is Yorkshire, with Lockwood, Rowbotham, ami Thewles as her great bats, and Hill and Krame t for her bowlers. But as this country has placed fifteen matches to tbo six of Gloucestershire, and won a larger proportmn of them, there are many who would give the palm of the season to the i'orthcnei'd. Next in the rank may fairly be consider.-dNottingbamshire, though “he has somewhat retrograded from her former excellence, her hattiug champion, Richard Daft, having been s miewhat “off ” Surrey is not far behind the b st of her couniry ri vals, and it is satisfactory to find that she has made great improvement on many previous years, and has the distinction of being the only county this season which has defeated Gloucestershire. Srsiex, Lancashire, and Middlesex are about fairly matched. Kent still produces but a weak eleven, owing, it is said, partly to “intestine divisions” among ber Gentlemen; but, as an instance of the “illogicality” of cricket.it must bo rtmembered that, she defeated Lancashire by ten wickets within a few days nf the last-named country conquering Yorkshire in a single innings. The highest score in a single innings among tim country raa’ches was urnd-i by Glou estershire in the return match w th Sussex, when she marked 412, and tho lowest by Kent in her first match against D rby-.-»bire, when she scored only 25 runs. Turning to individual players, it is by no mea s difficult to name the best ‘ ‘ all round ” cricketer of the past and some previ'-us season. Mr W. G. Grace is facVe princeps. On his return from Australia he seemed to bav« lost some of his previous ‘form,” but he soon recover id it, and has made a most brilliant exhibition of cricketing prowess In 33 innings, played in what are called first-class matches, he has scored 1.773 runs, which gives an average of ovi-.r 53 in each inniugc ; and his sco e on eight occasions lias exceeded 100 run?, his highest being 179. Hi- best performance may be taken as that in the f Canterbury week, when, against “Ail England,” he scored 94 and 121 without giving the semblance of a “ chance.” in his seven innings played for ! his county his average was over 84 runs, : thus leaving all other county players i behind lontfo intertiallo, Mr Gilbert Grace’s ! yowger brotfcsr, Q, F, Grac6, has also

greatly distinguished hinaself, his average in the county matches beitm over 45. while Dr. B. M. Grace, who firat made the family name famous for cricket, has averaged over 2(5 in the matches he has played for his county, showing that he has not forgotten his cunning MrA. N. Horub> may also c'aim a place among the very best batsmen of the day. Of the youu« hands, Webb, of Harrow, and the Lyt eltous, c t Eton, have shown tbemselvis the most pro raising genthnien bus. Among professionals, Jnpp decidedly hj dds the first place this season. In first-class matches he has scored 1,275 runs in 35 completed innings In the match of Sussex against Yorkshire at the Oval he performed the feat of carrying out his bat in both innings, in the first of which he scored 35, and in the second 109 For his county he played in ten matches, making an average of over 40 per innings.