But there was one gorgeous piece of cricket performed by the greatest
of recent undergraduates. Mr. R. E. Foster, the one batsman since Mr.
Norman Druce equally perfect to watch, played in 1900 a score of 171,
a new record in the match, the previous best contribution having been
Mr. Key’s 143 in 1886. An eye-witness wrote in that cricketer’s Bible,
_Wisden_: “The innings was not only a great one in a numerical sense,
but was in every way a magnificent display of batting. He only took
three hours and ten minutes to get his runs, and, so far as anyone
noticed, he did not give a single chance. Apart from the fact that he
once failed to bring off a more than usually daring pull, and that just
before he was out he made a dangerous stroke beyond mid-off, we did
not see any fault in his play. As a matter of record, it may be added
that he hit twenty-four fours, three threes, and thirteen twos. Hitting
more superb than his can scarcely have been seen since Yardley played
his great innings of 130 in 1872. He was equally strong all round the
wicket, driving magnificently on the off side, pulling with the utmost
certainty, and making any number of late cuts that were as safe as they
were effective.” It will be remembered that ten days later he followed
this up by scoring two separate hundreds for Gentlemen _v._ Players at
Lord’s, a feat never performed in this match by any other cricketer
appearing for either denomination. His average for Oxford was 77 for an
aggregate of 930, and he led his team through a victorious season, as
five matches were won, none lost, and four drawn.
Of other undergraduates, Mr. B. J. T. Bosanquet worked hard, getting
a good many wickets and scoring with reliable consistency. A superb
wicket-keeper was produced in Mr. H. Martyn, for with a style that was
a model of neatness, he was particularly strong on the leg side, as
well as a forcing bat. Not nearly enough credit was given to Mr. C. H.
B. Marsham for his exceptionally meritorious century on fourth hands,
and in disadvantageous circumstances, in the University match of 1901.
It was not until a year later that he came to be generally recognised
as a batsman of judicious temperament, possessing a very pretty knack
of placing the ball hard on the off side. On contemporary Oxford it
would be unfair to pass judgment, but it is at least permissible to
express the belief that Mr. W. H. B. Evans (nephew of the once-renowned
bowler) will fulfil our high expectation, and that Mr. W. Findlay is
one of the best custodians of the sticks to be found in current cricket.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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