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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 260, 30 November 1876, Page 4

The position of the champion batsman of the world certainly has its advantages. Others may succeed or fail, may top the century or make 0, but as long as they can exhibit a decent average at the end of each season, their reputations may usually reßt in quiet security. But with tbe " Champion " it is different. His every innings is jealously watched. Not to astonish is to disappoint, and season after season, hundreds are ready to rise and repeat the eternal cry, " Oh ! Grace ig falling off." In no season has this been more loudly and frequently stated than the present, in none has it received more decisive contradiction by tbe unanswerable logic of facts. A few of these may interest our cricketers. In the Gentlemen v Piayers, Mr Grace scored 90 and 169,. against tbe attacks of Shaw, Hill, Morley, and Emmett. Against Sussex, he put together a rapid and chanceless 104. With 22 in the field at Grimaby, he surpassed himself with a not-out contribution of four hundred. The last mail is replete with his triumphs. First, at Canterbury, he scored 91 with the pick of England's bowling opposed to him, and this is at once followed up by a wonderful 344, made without a chance, at the expense of the Kent Eleven, while the Yorkshire team, one of tbe strongest in England, had shortly afterwards to endure his carrying his bat out for 319 runs, and the representatives of Notte, a county at least as strong, paid for the one life they allowed him by seeing him score 177 off their unrivalled bowlers. But all this must, in the eyes of true cricketers, be cast into the shade by his lust performance in a Nor»h v. South match at Hull where out of a total of 159 made by his side on their first effort, Mr Grace pu; together no less tban 126, or about four-fiftbs of the whole, and this he backed up with 82 in | the second innings. Gloucestershire has . now played all the strong countries of i England. It has not auffared a defeat, nor in all probability it is likely to do; so, as Mr Grace is by no tneana tbe only cricketer of the team. — Exchange. •