New men coming into the teams about this time were not less excellent
than their predecessors. Cambridge in 1893, in his third year, tried
K. S. Ranjitsinhji, who was third in the averages, his chief scores
being 40, 55, 38, 58, and 40. Mr. J. Douglas, a capital bat, with
a delightful way of scoring neatly off all bowling alike, used in
those days to bowl slows which obtained a fair number of wickets.
Mr. A. O. Jones, carefully coached by Arthur Shrewsbury, of course
showed barely a glimpse of the great powers he subsequently displayed
for Notts. Mr. L. H. Gay was a wicket-keeper altogether above the
average, who had singular ill-luck in finding so many of his terms at
Cambridge tally with those of Mr. MacGregor. He was a lively hitter,
whose wicket was uncommonly hard to obtain. One graceful bat remains
to be mentioned, Mr. P. H. Latham, who, good as he was, ought to have
been still better, and would have been if he could have resisted the
temptation to lash out at an insidious slow. Treading on the heels of
these came another remarkable group of bats. The brilliancy of Mr. N.
F. Druce has hardly been excelled. His batting was once described as
“the champagne of cricket,” and certainly the epithet is deserved.
Practically his connection with the game ceased after his residence
at Trinity Hall, except for one tour in Australia; so it is the more
necessary to emphasise how very fine, as well as captivating, was his
method of run-getting. It may be added that he has the highest average
of any Cantab, namely, 52.47 for an aggregate of 2414, and _v._ Mr.
C. I. Thornton’s eleven amassed 227 not out, the highest score ever
made at Cambridge, the opposing bowlers including Mr. F. S. Jackson,
Hirst, Woodcock, and Hearne. Mr. W. G. Druce never attained the same
standard as his more famous brother, but he was a valuable run-getter
and also a most useful wicket-keeper. Mr. F. Mitchell, despite a
remarkable start, did not in his University cricket display the form
which culminated in his great batting of 1901. Mr. T. N. Perkins was
a notably punishing bat, but the great Cambridge weakness lay in
the miserable quality of the attack. Oxford in this respect was not
much stronger, though Mr. G. F. H. Berkeley in his day was above the
average. At this period, which coincides with that when one of the
present writers heartily enjoyed his own University career, there were
some distinguished bats to be added to those noticed above. Prominent,
of course, was Mr. C. B. Fry, in those days a much slower run-getter
than when he amassed those six consecutive centuries for Sussex. Mr.
R. C. N. Palairet was often a formidable scorer, and when he and his
brother went in first for Oxford _v._ Cambridge in 1893, it was for
the first time since 1878 that two brothers had done so for the senior
University; it had then been the two Webbes. Cambridge furnishes only
one such incident, the case of Messrs. G. B. and J. E. K. Studd in
1882. Mr. G. J.
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