Not much noteworthy happened in 1879, a season that maintained its
unpleasant record for wetness and chilliness until 1902 relegated
all previous experiences into mere episodes. But 1880 saw the Studds
following the Steels and Lytteltons into the Cambridge eleven. There
was always an element of uncertainty about Mr. G. B. Studd, but he
was often a really brilliant bat and brilliant field at cover-point.
As for Mr. C. T. Studd, he is the greatest amateur between Mr. A. G.
Steel and Mr. S. M. J. Woods. Few men have ever played cricket with
such accuracy. Those who have seen J. T. Hearne pitch ball after ball
with mechanical precision at Lord’s can realise how Mr. C. T. Studd
used to bowl, only slower. His batting was never perhaps so sound as
that of Mr. C. B. Fry, but that is the nearest contemporary type; only
the style of Mr. Studd was one absolutely satisfactory to witness. The
game sustained a national loss when he left it to undertake missionary
labour in Asia. Mr. J. E. K. Studd, who came into the Cambridge
eleven a year later, thus establishing a record of three brothers
all simultaneously playing for their University, was never so good
as either of the others, but he was a hard-working cricketer, and a
difficult bat to dislodge, while his punishing powers were of no mean
order.
In 1881 both teams were powerful, the public opinion that Cambridge
were far the stronger being quite properly reversed. Three innings of
the match were moderate, principally because the Cantabs all drew away
from the fast bowling of Mr. A. H. Evans, who claimed thirteen wickets
for 10 runs apiece. But the grandest feature was the innings of 107
by Mr. W. H. Patterson, who carried his bat clean through the second
Oxford innings, although suffering from a badly-injured hand. It was
one of the greatest innings ever played at Lord’s, and foreshadowed
the fine service he subsequently rendered to Kent. That brilliant
disappointment, Mr. C. F. H. Leslie, whose phenomenal batting at Rugby
evoked anticipations never realised, played a splendid innings of 70,
his partnership with the old Harrovian arresting the succession of
Cantab victories, which were destined to be resumed for the next two
years. A conspicuous Oxonian recruit was Mr. M. C. Kemp, a capital
wicket-keeper, and a most lively, not to say venturesome, bat, and
a wonderful judge of a run. But it was his exciting personality and
wonderful enthusiasm which made him of such moral value to any side.
That attractive Wykehamist bat, Mr. A. H. Trevor, unfortunately elected
to watch rather than to play cricket after he went down from college.
[Illustration:
_From a Water-Colour, attributed to_ _G. Cruickshank._
_THE CORINTHIANS AT LORDS IN 1822._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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