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"RANJI," JESSOP, AND STEEL 1 79
" Ranji.'' but saw once a superb piece of defence on the
part of F. S. Jackson against Richardson. It should be
mentioned that there was hardly a batsman in the
seventies who did not succumb to the break-back, such
as Alfred Shaw, Bates, and many others had at command
when the pitch was sticky.
Many a discussion took place on the subject ; and in
1876 at Cambridge W. G. was asked, after several present
had uttered divers opinions, how did he think the problem
was to be solved. The great man, whose mind was not
of the analytical sort, said: "Well, I say you ought to
put the bat against the ball." Nor did it generally seem
difficult for him to do so, though A. Shaw beat him in the
first innings of Gents "· Players in 1875, but wisely withdrew
from the fray in the next innings, and consequently
W. G. gave a most tremendous display of dominance over
the other bowlers, scoring 150. Though the wicket was
fast, this was the finest innings I ever saw. Jessop I
never saw in form. That must have been a cheering
spectacle if C. H. Allcock...,.an accurate mao-is right in
testifying to the following: The first ball that Jessop
received in the 'Varsity match was of a good length just
outside the off stump, He smote it just over mid-off,
and it continued rising till it impinged on the· umpire's
box to the J:ight side of the pavilion and bounded back
with such force as to land on the turf over all the benches
and then rolled on to the middle of the ground. If that
ever occurred, as stated, it ought not to be forgotten.
For sheer genius at the game all round A. G. Steel stands
very high indeed. He knew all about it as a. boy, never
require!l any practice, and, though an ugly style of batsman,
was just as likely to score against the best bowling as against
;inferior stuff. He was a. pioneer in bowling, and deadly,
till we found out how to play him : which was to run out
to his leg-break, always a slow ball, and catch it on the
full pitch before it could break I Critics of the game. in
newspapers at any rate, used to decry this method of defence
because it looked like rashness. But often it would mean