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W. YARDLEY-VERNON ROYLE liS
an instance of the decay of greatness, that I only saw W.
Yardley bat twice. The first time was on that Monday in
1872 when he murdered the Oxford bowling most cruelly,
especially the "lobs " of "Jammy" Ridley, whacking
them as he pleased to every corner of the field. The second
occasion was in the Canterbury week, just ten years later.
The same redoubtable batsman, facing the same lobbowler,
after an over or two succumbed to 'an easy ball.
On being asked how it happened, " Don't tell anyone,» he
said, " but as I was bringing down my bat to stop the ball
my elbow stuck in my stomach I " It may be remarked
that W. G., great in every way, successfully met that
particular problem in his latter days, though it certainly
waxed more and more difficult every summer.
One word more about bowling. The best boy bowler
I can remember was Tommy Wakefield (Eton, 1875):
very fast with a powerful break-back. He could throw
115 yards, and on the excellent Maidenhead ground sent
down shooters galore. •
A bowler of original genius for one year only was Bayly
(Eton, 1874.), the only one who made A. J. Webbe reflect
for a moment, and who gained lustre by bowling " Mike "
clean in Upper Club. But the following year he was
perfectly useless and had to be bowed off.
There is an interesting point or two about fielding over
which some misapprehension exists. It is sometimes said
that the schoolboy is at the best age for fielding. This is
not so unless he is precociously grown and of the thick-set
type so that he reaches full command of his nether limbs
before nineteen. But this is not common. Lanky boys
may become fine fields at twenty-five, but not till then.
The m_ajority combine suppleness with compactness best
at from twenty to twenty-five.
. The most-talked-of cover-point in 1874 was Vemon
Royle, and deservedly. The beauty of his action in running
and brilliancy cowed the batsman and prevented many a
run being thought of, the players being uneasily conscious
of something uncanny on the off side. But to my mind he