by A. W. Pullin
"My best ball was one which pitched between the legs and the wicket, and broke back high enough to hit the off-bail. 'W. G.' has done me the honour of saying that such a ball has often beaten him, and that he has left the wicket after being so bowled, believing that the ball would beat himself or any other batsman whenever delivered. I used also at times to make the ball 'go with the arm,' but that was quite unintentional, and I did not know how it was done or when I was doing it. Most frequently it would be done with a new ball."
A story is often told at Tom Emmett's expense about his being bowled by a ball from Mr Frank Townsend which he never attempted to play, and making some ornate observation afterwards to the effect, "Don't call me Tom Emmett; call
me a fool." It may now be given in Tom's own
words:—
"It was the most laughable thing out. We were playing England v. Gloucester in 1878. I felt in form, so much so that I thought I had 18s. 6d. of the talent-money in my pocket, when Mr Frank Townsend was put on to try his lobs. Now I thought nobody could play lobs like me: I was A 1 in my own idea as a lob-smiter. I took my guard and he bowled a ball, a good-length one, which got me quite in a knot. First I would jump out to it; then I would play forward; no, I would play back. All that passed through my mind like a flash. Finally, I didn't play it at all, but held my bat up for it to go by. Whether or no it pitched on something I have never been able to satisfy myself to this day, but to my astonishment it bowled me out. And I such a lob-hitter, too! had such a character for hitting lob-bowling!
"Well, I was regularly nonplussed. I felt foolish, and I daresay looked it. I didn't know how to walk away from the wicket. Just to put a face on matters, and to regain my countenance, I put the bails on again, took guard again to Mr Townsend, and said, 'Here, Mr Townsend, just let me have that one over again, will you, please?' Of course they all burst out laughing, and I walked away. The incident of my standing up again to Mr Townsend probably caused some uncertainty among the crowd, and I walked back to the pavilion, doubtless looking as disgusted as I felt. One gentleman in the crowd said, 'Tom, how was it?' 'Don't Tom me,' I replied, savagely perhaps. 'Well, Mr Emmett, how was it?' 'Don't Mr Emmett me,' I again replied. Then what shall I call you?' he asked. 'Call me a fool,' I remarked, as I
hurried out of sight. I have thought many a time since that I should have liked to come across that gentleman to apologise to him, for I am afraid he would think me very rude, whereas I did not mean to be so: I was cross with myself, not with him.
"I must tell you of a remarkable match we had at Sheffield, Yorkshire v. Gloucester, on July 28, 29, and 30, 1879, when I lost a fancy bet of 50s. to 1s. Gloucester made 253 runs in the first innings against our 128 and 195, and on going in a second time they only wanted 71 runs to win. At lunch-time they had scored 34 for 2 wickets, so that with 8 wickets to go down they only needed 27 runs. Those 8 wickets, moreover, included W. G., G. F., and E. M. Grace. Going to luncheon with W. Bates, I made a remark about it being Windsor Castle to a guinea on Gloucester winning. 'What odds will you lay, Tom ?' asked Bates. 'Fifty to one on,' was my rash reply. Bates handed me a shilling and took the odds. An hour and a half or so afterwards I had to pay. Yorkshire won the match by 7 runs,
"It never struck me until afterwards, but the finishing stroke of that extraordinary victory might have proved awkward for me had I made a mistake with it. I was fielding middle-wicket off to Peate's bowling, standing well back to him, as Fred. Grace used to hit hard in that direction. When that batsman left, the last man in was Miles, a slow leftarm bowler. I knew his play to a nicety, and I thought to myself, Peate will pitch him one up, and he will play forward to it. So I stealthily walked in close to the batsman. The move came off trumps immediately; for the ball was spooned back, and I caught it with my right hand. Had I missed it, the mistake might have been serious for me, for I had altered my position entirely on my own judgment, and Peate said, - 'Why, I could have caught and bowled him, Tom.' Had the catch been missed, and the fact that I had laid a bet of 50 to 1 against Yorkshire been known, the Committee or others would certainly have made remarks. But, as a matter of fact, I never had the bet in my head, we were all so keen at the prospect of winning the match.
"No, I never had much to grumble at with regard to the umpires when I was bowling, though they did debit me with a few wides now and again. I remember one funny incident at Lord's in M.C.C. v. Yorkshire, when Jimmy Grundy was umpiring. I was bowling at the wicket to Mr C. E. Green, the popular patron of the Essex Club, and a grand bat at that time. I gave him nearly a half volley on his leg-stump, and he put his left leg clean in front of it. I appealed to Grundy 'How's that 1' and he said nothing. I then appealed again, and he replied, 'Go on with you.' 'That's not good enough; how is it 1' I retorted. He then exploded with the remark, 'Go on, you wild Irishman.' And that's all the answer I could get from Jim Grundy."
Emmett's last match with Yorkshire was in 1887. "I had been often asked," he said, "why I did not retire and make way for younger blood, and was perhaps not as keen on county cricket as usual in consequence. But when I did finish a remark was made by some one in authority, whom I shall not name, which hurt me very much. I asked if I should be wanted, and the reply was, 'No, we don't want to see you any more.' It may have been meant as a joke, but it was not well put; indeed, after my long service to the county it seemed to be in bad taste, and I felt it."
Emmett's cricketing experiences include three trips to Australia. He was one of five Yorkshiremen who formed part of James Lillywhite's team in 1876-77; George Ulyett and he were included in the team captained by Lord Harris that went out in 1878-79; and W. Bates, E. Peate, G. Ulyett, and Tom were members of the 1881-82 team, organised by Shaw, Shrewsbury, and Lillywhite. The last-named combination travelled vid San Francisco, after playing a series of five matches in America.
Tom confesses he was a very bad sailor. In the 'Frisco trip they were fourteen days getting from Queenstown to New York. "For the first seven days," says Tom, "we had some sport in the shape of the vessel doing everything but turning over. It would be on the second day out that every one but Barlow and myself could go down and get their heads in the manger, or, in other words, go down to tiffin. So Dick and myself were the only passengers left on deck. By way of consoling one another we sat down in the smoke-room, which we dared not have done had any one been in. Whilst sitting there the vessel gave an extra roll, and by so doing gave Barlow the impression that she was going a little too far, so to stop her from going clean over Barlow seized hold of one of the smoke-room tables, planted his feet, and pulled for all he was worth, remarking at the same time, 'Save us.' Seeing Barlow such a good trier and so earnest, I burst out laughing, at the same time remarking that he must excuse me laughing, as I was as much frightened as he was, but I was certain that he had saved the vessel from going over. When our boys swaggered up from tiffin I told them that Barlow had saved them from a watery grave by pulling the ship straight!
"While I used to be so ill, Ted Peate was a splendid sailor. He would walk the deck as if ship and ocean were his private property. I was quite envious of him, for he would breakfast, tiffin, dinner, ditto-repeato, and generally have a full time, all the while I was providing the fishes with a liberal supply of provender. I have thought since that, after my liberal contributions, I should have my fish supplied free."
Emmett's best cricketing success in Australia was under Lord Harris's captaincy. He averaged 18-3 with the bat in the eleven-a-side matches, while his bowling record was 482-5 overs, 255 maidens, 521 runs, 45 wickets—average, 11-5. The average reads wonderfully well when compared, say, with recent Anglo-Australian records.
There was a dispute in one match which caused a great sensation at the time, and Emmett's version of it will be read with much interest now :—
"It was the return game with New South Wales at Sydney, which commenced on February 7, 1879. We had a fresh wicket after every innings at that time, which may seem strange to modern cricketers. We ba
tted first. Messrs Hornby and Lucas scored 125 for the first wicket; the score at one time was 234 for 3 wickets, but the remaining 7 wickets collapsed for 33 more runs, making the total of the innings 267. New South Wales scored 177. Mr Murdoch played through the innings for 82 not out. This scoring was on the Friday and Saturday, and the home men had to follow on 90 runs behind after lunch-time on Saturday.
"We had brought a player from Melbourne named Coulthardt to umpire. There was then, and is now, great rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney: if it were a game of marbles they would fight over it almost to the death. Well, when New South Wales went in a second time, Mr Murdoch and A. C. Bannerman opened the innings, and had made nearly 20 when Mr Murdoch was given run out by our umpire. On hearing the decision he walked away like a man, and I always admired him for it. For what followed he was not to blame. On going into the pavilion D. Gregory said, 'Go back; you were not out.' The crowd, seeing that something unusual had happened, jumped the rails and swarmed over the ground. There would be 13,000 or 14,000 persons present. A thousand or two crowded around us, and we had a lively time. The centre of attraction appeared to be Lord Harris. Some one must have struck at him with a stick, for I saw his Lordship let go with his fist. I don't know whether he hit the man or not, but I saw Mr Hornby take him by the collar and march him off to the pavilion. His name was there taken, and he was brought before the magistrates and fined.
"The pavilion was like Babel. 'Why had we brought a Melbourne man to umpire in Sydney 1' That was the burden of the crowd's cry. Of course we engaged the man because he was good enough, and he did his duty fairly. If we would not change the umpire the game should not proceed—so they said. Mr Hornby came to me and said, 'Tom, they won't start unless we change the umpire. We shall not do that?' 'Not likely,' I replied. 'We ought to go straight home if
H
we did and never play another match.' Finally, play was abandoned for the day, for, though the Australians had agreed to take the field again, the police could not get the ground clear.
"While they were waiting to restart I was changing my socks, and Lord Harris asked where I was. Of course 'Happy Jack' (George Ulyett) must have his joke, for he gravely assured our captain that the crowd had given me such a fright that I was last seen running like a madman towards Sydney, and that they had sent a cab after me!
"But for the row I think we should have lost the match. Had the home men gone on batting they would probably have given us a good few runs to make in the second innings. It rained throughout the Sunday and Sunday night, but on Monday morning the sun came out hot enough to make nails. Wasn't it a glorious wicket! Talk about the ball being a linguist,—it talked all sorts of languages. Some reports of the match give Ulyett as taking 3 wickets, but he took 4 wickets in four balls, 2 with the last two balls of one over, and 2 with the next two balls of the succeeding over; and whereas New South Wales had made 17 or 19 for 1 wicket on Saturday, on the Monday they were all out for 49, and we won by an innings and 41 runs. Had we been sent in to get 80 runs, eleven Graces could not have got them on that wicket. Thus you see the crowd did us a good service by stopping the play on Saturday. It was another instance of an unruly mob doing harm to the side whose success they desired.
"Our fielding in the match was splendid. One catch made by Mr Hornby I shall never forget. I gave C. Bannerman one a little too far up just outside the off-stump. He did not forget to hit it, and it was never far from the ground, but Mr Hornby had a go for it, and had the satisfaction of landing it in his left hand. It was splendid work both by batsman and fielder, but a little rough on the batsman.
"I have already spoken of a curious bet at Sheffield. There was another which is worth mentioning. George Ulyett and I were bearded into a bet on this match at Sydney. Spofforth had not been able to play in the first match, and we were beaten by 5 wickets—a match, by the way, in which ^140 was collected for C. Bannerman because he made 60 not out against us! There's extravagant enthusiasm for you! Well, Spofforth was to play in the return match. George Ulyett was somewhere one night where the match prospects were being discussed; I was not with him. 'Happy Jack' was told the Englishmen could not play cricket, and would be easily beaten—and so on. The man who said this clenched his opinions by offering to lay 2 to 1 on the Australians. 'I'll take you two ^10 notes to one,' was George's reply, and the bet was made. George told me the circumstances afterwards, and asked me if I would stand halves with him. I said, 'Certainly; dash it all, we are not going to be bullied this way. Two to one on a cricket-match is a good price.' The crowd's bad manners, you see, did us a good turn, too, for we won the bet. That and the Sheffield 50-to-1 incident were about the only speculations I had on a cricket-match."
An Australian writer (Mr T. Horan, if the author remembers rightly) has narrated the following :—
"Tom Emmett, brisk and eager as he was for stealing runs, would never dream of running when a ball was played towards Vernon Royle. 'Noa! I tell thee I woan't go; it's gone t' plaace.' 'T' plaace' always meant the spot where Vernon Royle was stationed. Tom, as you know, used to punish on the off. Once, when a fieldsman at point was standing rather close, Tom said to him, 'If I were thee, mister, I'd stand a little farther back, because when I hits there, I hits adjectival hard.' The fieldsman, without delay, acted on Tom's advice. I think it was W. H. Cooper who had a narrow shave once at point from a flashlight stroke of Tom's." (It was on the Melbourne ground, Tom says.) "The ball tipped 'W. H.'s' ear, and was at the boundary in no time. Two years later, when Tom came out with another team, the first words he uttered on seeing 'W. H.' were, 'That was a narrow shave you had that time, Mr Cooper.'"
Emmett adds another racy incident of the same character. "Alec Bannerman was a little funny chap, and once when we were playing at Harrogate on a slow tricky wicket, he came close up to where I was batting, taking 'silly point,' in fact. I said, 'Alec, you are rather close in; are you married?' He said, 'No.' 'Oh, then you're all right,' I replied. 'It doesn't matter if I kill you, but if you had been married I should have advised you to get back a bit.' He did have a narrow escape, too, and afterwards went back to a safer distance."
Of the trip to America with Daft's team Emmett has some pleasant recollections. At Niagara George Ulyett played a lark with his socks, and made him think a snake had got into one of them. Eph. Lockwood was not struck with the almightiness of Niagara. "It's grand! This is a sight worth seeing, isn't it, Eph. 1" Geo. Pinder said. "Nay, I make nowt of it; I'd sooner be at Lascelles Hall," was Ephraim's reply. But Tom apologetically adds that " Old Mary " always was a poor traveller. When having to play in London, he was always happiest when he could turn his heels to it and his toes to Lascelles Hall.
Tom was always noted for his good and agile fielding; in fact he was generally the liveliest man in the field even when in his forties. He has a few useful words to say by way of advice to fielders:—
"Fielders ought to learn to be ambidextrous. Now, my right arm used to be like a big girl's. It might as well have been slung in my waistcoat. I thought that was not good enough for all-round cricket, so I used to practise for hours with an indiarubber ball against a wall, catching it and throwing it with either hand. It was wonderful how soon I acquired control over the right hand, and was thus able to bring off catches with it nearly as well as with the left. George Lohmann used the left hand better than any one I ever saw for a man who was not naturally left-handed. I often used to tell Peate that he ought to practise how to use his right hand better than he did.
"Did you ever hear of cricketers being superstitious?' asks Tom. "Some of them are very much so: if they see a thing on the way to a match they think their luck's out or in, as the case may be. There was Tom Darnton of Stockton, who used to play for Yorkshire, and died in 1874. He was very superstitious. A tale is told of him—I don't know whether it is true or not—that he was once going to play in a match at Sheffield. On the road in Stockton he met a woman who squinted. He therefore turned back, and did not go to the match. He
said that it was no use going; he had met a woman who squinted, and that meant bad luck!
"George Pinder once caused a great laugh among his Yorkshire comrades. It was at Cambridge, and he made a good hit to square-leg. The Hon. Ivo Bligh was fielding. That gentleman was a tall thin cricketer with a tremendous long stride, and he came lopping along for this catch at a terrible speed, and caught the ball in wonderful fashion a few inches from the ground. George came into the tent looking disgusted. 'Talk about Bill Buttress saying if I hits 'em I'm out, and if I miss 'em I'm out; why, if I play straight the ball goes crook'd, and if I play crook'd it goes straight.'
"Just another incident concerning Pinder. It was at the Gentlemen v. Players' match at the Oval in June 1877. The Gentlemen had a terrible side up" (" terrible" is a favourite expression with friend Tom), "but the Players made 405. We got Grace out easily, but Mr Hornby made a big score (144), and I'm blessed if the Gentlemen didn't make 427 before they were all got rid of. The Players were older men than the Gentlemen, and the latter could run faster— in fact, could run 3 to a hit which would be 2 to the Players. When they had beaten our first innings, George, who was Iooking on, said, 'Ah, it's not a bit of use; it's like carthorses playing race-horses!' The remark amused me, the more so because it was so true a description of the difference in the teams' running powers."