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WHEN ETON CHALLENGED ALL
ENGLAND.
ROMANCE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL
I CRICKET.
li the question were asked, "Where
was school cricket first played in Eng-
land?" probably nine men out of ter
would answer with confidence, "At Eton,
Westminster or Harrow." Their specu-
lation would probably be wrong, how-
ever, for the earliest lecord of school-
boy cricket tells us that the game was
being enthusiastically played by the
scholars of the Free School, near Guild-
ford, in Surrey, as far back as the reign
of Queen Bess, considerably more than h
century before ive read of cricket at
Eton.
Horace Walpole, who >vas sent to the
great school on the Thames in 1726, re-
cords that "playing at cricket was com-
mon at that time." He himself,.how-
ever, seems to have found little attrac-
tion in the game, for he confesses:-"I
never was quite a schoolboy; a match
at cricket may be a pretty thing to re-
collect, but I can remember things that
are very near as pretty."
Westminster School was also one ol
the early nurseries of cricket; and many
an exciting game the boys had in the
elghtoenth .centuiy. On July 28, 1789,
the "Morning Herald" informs us: "An
excellent game of cricket was played in
Tothill fields between the King's Schol-
ars and the Town Boys of Westminster
School, which ended in favour of the
King's Scholars, who had three wickets
to go down;" and about the same time
we read of the Harrow schoolboys wield-
ing the bat on the bowling green.
Before the century closed the era of
schoolboy matches had begun. On July
22, 1791, "A grand match at cricket was
played at Eton between tho young gen-
tlemen of that school and the Maiden-
head Club, which was won by the former
with four wickets to go down"-bo says
the "Daily Chronicle" of the time. The
two principal scores, it is interesting to
note, were Finch's 56 for Maidenhead
and Lloyd's 38 for the School. "Way,"
we are told in the quaint phraseology of
the time, "nipped himself out," or, in the
language of to-day, "hit wicket."
In the following year, 1792, we find
tha Eton boys flying at higher game with
substantial stakes depending on their
prowess with bat and-ball; for on April
30, "Seven gentlemen of, Eton played
against seven gentlemen of the M.C.C.,
with four men to field on each side, ut
Lord's, for 500 guineas. M.C.C. won."
A little later the Eton scholars pitted
themselves against the Old Field Club,
and won by the margin of 21 runs. lIn
179G there is a record of a purely inter
school match for money; for, according
to the "St. James's Chronicle" for July
2(5, "Yesterday^ a cricket match was
played on Hounslow Heath between the
Westminster Scholars and those of Eton
for 100 guineas a side, which was -won
by the Westminster Scholars."
A match between Eton and Harrow in
the year of Trafalgar is of special in-
terest, for among the players was Lord
Byron, then a youth of seventeen, and
a keen cricketer in spite of his lame-
ness. Eton won the match by an in-
nings and 2 runs; and the young poet's
record runs thus:-First innings, caught
Barrard, 7 runs; second innings, b Cart-
er, 2 runs. By a curious coincidence
the Harrow eleven included A. Shake-
speare as well as Byron. In this year,
1805, Eton and Winchester met for the
i first time on the "tented field." I
A few venvs later wo find the Etonians
ploying »gainst an All Englnud leam for
ltc.iv\ .stokes. "A grand match, says
the' '"Morning "Herald" fur August 2,
1814, "will bo- played at Lord's new
grouud. St: Johns Wood, Mnrylebone, ou
Thursday, August 3, and following days,
'Mwenn eight Etonians, with Lord F.
Bnouclerlc, E. H. Budd, Esq., 'and J.
Slingsbv, ' Esq., against ten gentlemen
'ol all england, 'with' Howard.'for 1.000
guineas a side. Wickels to bo pitched
at 11 o'clock. Admission, Gd. Good
stabling ¡in the ground."
The public schoolboy" was never icluc
1 si ii t to ei oss bats with t-trong teams, and
in; the old day.- tought many a game
buttle with the M.C.C. 'I'llus wo lead
in the records of 1815: "Friduy, .lune 6,
nt Eimi-the M.C.C. against the Pre-
sent Etonians"; and. "Ttmrsdu'y, Juno
20, at Lord's-the M.C.C. ' ngainst tho
Gentlemen of Rugby School." That a
schoolboy need not fear rivalry with the
best of adult cricketers was piovcd, as
on othor occasions, in 1819. when we aro
told:-"Mr. Vernon was tho cnplain of
the Hal row School oleen tint, season,
and U a most excellent. batsman; his
avornge beats everyone during the year."
Of the long series of mutches between
Eton and Ilarrow no fewer than 19
have boen drawn; while of the 75»de-
cisive struggles the "school on the hill"
has won S3 to Eton's 40. -
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