WISDEN, John (1826-1884). Cricketers' Almanack for 1876. London: John Wisden, 1876.

Thirteenth edition, bound in original wrappers. Perhaps the most remarkable century in the 1875 season was G.F. Grace's 180 not out for Gloucestershire against Surrey. He 'thereby not only scored more runs than did the whole Surrey Eleven with the bat in either of their innings, but he made the largest Gloucestershire score of the season and the second highest "County" innings'. He also far outscored his two brothers, W.G. and E.M., who made 21 and 28 in the same innings.

Meanwhile, the record of the 88th Anniversary Meeting of the M.C.C. (pp.18-22) shows that the club was having trouble fielding teams, despite membership rising, due to fixtures clashing with county matches. The counties were drafting in M.C.C. ground staff to play as professionals, thus reducing the pool of players that the M.C.C. could draw on, and the gentlemen were often failing to turn up to play. This episode shows the increasingly professional nature of the game and the expanding financial power of the counties. For despite the M.C.C. committee protesting that it had set aside enough money to pay the ground staff, this was obviously not enough for the ground staff to turn down lucrative offers to represent their counties.

Another side of the M.C.C. is revealed in their rejection of an application by one Dr Gaye for Lord's to stage a charity match to benefit hospitals: 'The Secretary ... stated that though at some not far distant day he hoped to see the gates of Lord's Ground open for the benefit of our hospitals or other bodies, it was at present impossible to do so, and that in the case of Dr Gaye's application, [the Secretary] was really serious in considering that the Clown Cricketers were a burlesque upon cricket that could not be tolerated at Lord's Ground' (p.21).

Octavo (164 x 104pp). 224pp. (A clean copy, perhaps trimmed a little short at bottom edge, sometimes close to a few singatures such as D2.) Original printed pale-pink wrappers (rebacked and restitched, fold crease to front wrapper that lightly affects the textblock, lightly soiled, lower corners of both covers a little worn, small spot on front cover, staining on back cover also affecting text on verso, spine chipped but retaining centre portion).

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