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as5680 · 02-22-2022, 01:52 AM

TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1875 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Pitching was largely dominant in this year’s County Championship, the first to be contested by eight teams, as several of the starters put up impressive performances throughout the competition. One such man was Croydon’s Luke Robson, chosen to start for reigning champions Surrey and on form in their quarter-final against Yorkshire. Robson allowed only four hits all afternoon, with the visitors unable to turn any of those into runs. A home run from the Commercial Dock Workers’ Joe Lane in the second inning had scored two to set Surrey on their way, and when Jim White of The Regent’s Park drove in another before scoring himself in the third, the game was effectively over. Poor fielding from Yorkshire allowed Kingston’s William Lewis to come home in the eighth to extend the gap to 5-0, which proved to be the final scoreline.

Surrey advanced to meet the winner of the game between Lancashire and newcomers Warwickshire in the semi-final, and for six innings that game was fiercely contested with two more fine pitching performances. Benjamin Stuckey of Over Darwen did battle with Birmingham’s Arthur Jukes, with only one hit between the two teams in the first three innings. In the fourth, a three-base hit from Miles Platting’s William Elmar set up Reginald Martindale of Chorley to put Lancashire ahead, but that was all they could get until the seventh inning. With two runners on and two men out, Liverpool’s James Chute found the hit to score both and put Lancashire 3-0 ahead, then came home himself on a hit from Eli Taylor of Great Float. There was no way back for Warwickshire, who could find no form against Stuckey’s pitching. They gave up two more runs in the ninth, scoring on two-base hits from Joseph Stanbridge of Miles Platting and another from Taylor. The final scoreline read 6-0, taking Lancashire through to the semi-final for a second successive year.

Middlesex had reached seven successive finals, missing out only in the inaugural year of 1867, and their quest for an eighth appearance in the big game began with a quarter-final in Kent. Their pitcher was to be Sidney Fisher, a new man at Tottenham, and he started superbly but suffered a knee injury when running the bases and had to leave the game when running the bases in the fifth inning of a scoreless game. His replacements performed admirably though, and Middlesex eventually wore down Maidstone’s Isaac Huntley, pitching for Kent. A hit from John Pinhay of the Royal Artillery Barracks with two out in the seventh brought home Kensington’s John Goodwin to give Middlesex the lead, before a barrage of hits in the eighth added a second run and gave Middlesex runners at second and third with two out. Peckham’s Benjamin Porter drove both home to make the score 4-0 and Kent had no reply. The City of London Club’s Simeon Farrell drove home Pinhay in the ninth to extend the gap to 5-0 and that was the score with which Middlesex advanced to the semi-final.

Their opponents would be either Essex or the other newcomers, Staffordshire, whose game was also a close battle of strong pitching and entered the seventh inning with no score on the board. Edgbaston newcomer Frank Miggs, pitching for Staffordshire, was the first to falter as he allowed a home run from Kensington’s Patrick Abbott in the seventh, giving Essex a 1-0 lead. Stephen Young of The Regent’s Park was the pitcher for Essex and he held that advantage into the eighth, but a hit from Aston’s Albert Jackson to start the inning caused him problems. Staffordshire edged the runner round to third with two out, where Edwin Hick of the Old Wulfrunians found the hit which tied the game at 1-1. The battle eventually reached an extra tenth inning, where a two-base hit from Small Heath’s Henry Judson gave Staffordshire a chance to mark their debut with a victory. With two out, Judson’s club teammate Walter Sheen drove him home to take Staffordshire through to the final four.

Ahead of the semi-finals, Surrey and Middlesex were given the right to call the coin tosses for home advantage, as both had reached the final last year. However, both called incorrectly meaning that the games would be hosted by Lancashire and Staffordshire. In Lancashire, it was champions Surrey who struck first in their game as the Regents’ Jim White found a two-base hit with two out in the fourth to bring home John Tucker of Reigate. In the fourth inning however, the champions made a crucial error to allow Chorley’s Reginald Martindale to reach base. He reached third with just one out and then scored on a deep ball hit by Andrew Clarke of Stockport to bring Lancashire level. In the very next inning, the home team took the lead as Eli Taylor of Great Float got on base with one out and then having advanced to second, scored on a hit from Miles Platting man William Elmar. Surrey’s two-year hold on the title was now in danger, but they could do little against pitcher Stuckey. By the eighth inning they had produced no more hits, and when Stockport’s Albert Barnes drove in Elmar to add another run, their reign was coming to an end. One hit in the ninth came to nothing, and Lancashire moved through to their very first final with a 3-1 victory.

Recovered from his injury, pitcher Sidney Fisher was back to try to lead Middlesex through to an eighth successive final in their game at Staffordshire and the Tottenham man was in fine form again, but so was Edgbaston’s Frank Miggs for the home team and there was no scoring from either team until the fifth inning. There, Edward Grant of the City of London Club began the inning with a hit and with one out, Edmonton’s Frank Page found a three-base hit to bring Grant home. On the very next pitch, Fisher himself added another hit to bring Page home and Middlesex led 2-0. They seemed to be on their way to another final, as Fisher got through the next four innings without allowing Staffordshire a hit, but the tournament newcomers gave themselves hope when Edgbaston’s Fred Lewington began the ninth with a hit. Fisher got the next man out but then Walsall’s Lionel Lynch, picked to play for England last year, produced a dramatic home run to score two and tie the game. The score remained 2-2 until the twelfth, when Birmingham’s Arthur Allen found a two-out two-base hit to give Staffordshire a chance of a famous victory. Walter Sheen of Small Heath duly produced the winning hit, earning a 3-2 victory and a place in the final at the first attempt, while eliminating Middlesex at the semi-final stage for the first time in eight years.

With Lancashire and Staffordshire reaching the final, there was sure to be a new name on the trophy and the crown was destined to go outside of the south-east of England for the first time. With Lancashire winning the coin toss, the game would be played in Manchester and it proved to be yet another battle of superb pitching. Benjamin Stuckey had allowed just one run in two games for Lancashire and Frank Miggs only three for Staffordshire, and in the final both were in magnificent form. In the regulation nine innings, only six hits were recorded. The better scoring chances came to Lancashire, who had two hits in the third inning but could not take advantage and left a runner at third base in the seventh. In extra innings – remarkably for the third time in three games for Staffordshire – Stuckey and Miggs battled on through six more scoreless innings with both allowing just two more hits, before the game took a dramatic turn in the sixteenth as they began to tire.

Walsall’s Lionel Lynch opened up with a hit for Staffordshire, then with one out Roland Eccles of the Old Wulfrunians added a two-base hit. The visitors had runners at second and third for catcher Daniel Daly of Small Heath, and he was the man who finally produced a run when his hit brought home Lynch. Bolton’s Cecil Maddaford came on to replace the exhausted Stuckey, but the damage had already been done. Learning from those events, Staffordshire brought in Miggs’ Edgbaston teammate Joseph Stevens to try to complete the victory, rather than relying on their tiring starter. He made a bad start when Irwell’s Aaron Evans began the inning with a hit, but Stevens settled and retired the next three hitters to complete a remarkable 1-0 victory for Staffordshire. In their first season in the championship, they had played three extra-inning games and won them all to take the title. Lancashire took both of the tournament awards with Joseph Stanbridge of Miles Platting winning best player, and Stuckey winning Best Pitcher, but it was little consolation as their first final appearance ended in defeat.

02-22-2022, 01:52 AM	#172
as5680 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Didcot, England Posts: 1,426	TOURNAMENT REVIEW: 1875 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP Pitching was largely dominant in this year’s County Championship, the first to be contested by eight teams, as several of the starters put up impressive performances throughout the competition. One such man was Croydon’s Luke Robson, chosen to start for reigning champions Surrey and on form in their quarter-final against Yorkshire. Robson allowed only four hits all afternoon, with the visitors unable to turn any of those into runs. A home run from the Commercial Dock Workers’ Joe Lane in the second inning had scored two to set Surrey on their way, and when Jim White of The Regent’s Park drove in another before scoring himself in the third, the game was effectively over. Poor fielding from Yorkshire allowed Kingston’s William Lewis to come home in the eighth to extend the gap to 5-0, which proved to be the final scoreline. Surrey advanced to meet the winner of the game between Lancashire and newcomers Warwickshire in the semi-final, and for six innings that game was fiercely contested with two more fine pitching performances. Benjamin Stuckey of Over Darwen did battle with Birmingham’s Arthur Jukes, with only one hit between the two teams in the first three innings. In the fourth, a three-base hit from Miles Platting’s William Elmar set up Reginald Martindale of Chorley to put Lancashire ahead, but that was all they could get until the seventh inning. With two runners on and two men out, Liverpool’s James Chute found the hit to score both and put Lancashire 3-0 ahead, then came home himself on a hit from Eli Taylor of Great Float. There was no way back for Warwickshire, who could find no form against Stuckey’s pitching. They gave up two more runs in the ninth, scoring on two-base hits from Joseph Stanbridge of Miles Platting and another from Taylor. The final scoreline read 6-0, taking Lancashire through to the semi-final for a second successive year. Middlesex had reached seven successive finals, missing out only in the inaugural year of 1867, and their quest for an eighth appearance in the big game began with a quarter-final in Kent. Their pitcher was to be Sidney Fisher, a new man at Tottenham, and he started superbly but suffered a knee injury when running the bases and had to leave the game when running the bases in the fifth inning of a scoreless game. His replacements performed admirably though, and Middlesex eventually wore down Maidstone’s Isaac Huntley, pitching for Kent. A hit from John Pinhay of the Royal Artillery Barracks with two out in the seventh brought home Kensington’s John Goodwin to give Middlesex the lead, before a barrage of hits in the eighth added a second run and gave Middlesex runners at second and third with two out. Peckham’s Benjamin Porter drove both home to make the score 4-0 and Kent had no reply. The City of London Club’s Simeon Farrell drove home Pinhay in the ninth to extend the gap to 5-0 and that was the score with which Middlesex advanced to the semi-final. Their opponents would be either Essex or the other newcomers, Staffordshire, whose game was also a close battle of strong pitching and entered the seventh inning with no score on the board. Edgbaston newcomer Frank Miggs, pitching for Staffordshire, was the first to falter as he allowed a home run from Kensington’s Patrick Abbott in the seventh, giving Essex a 1-0 lead. Stephen Young of The Regent’s Park was the pitcher for Essex and he held that advantage into the eighth, but a hit from Aston’s Albert Jackson to start the inning caused him problems. Staffordshire edged the runner round to third with two out, where Edwin Hick of the Old Wulfrunians found the hit which tied the game at 1-1. The battle eventually reached an extra tenth inning, where a two-base hit from Small Heath’s Henry Judson gave Staffordshire a chance to mark their debut with a victory. With two out, Judson’s club teammate Walter Sheen drove him home to take Staffordshire through to the final four. Ahead of the semi-finals, Surrey and Middlesex were given the right to call the coin tosses for home advantage, as both had reached the final last year. However, both called incorrectly meaning that the games would be hosted by Lancashire and Staffordshire. In Lancashire, it was champions Surrey who struck first in their game as the Regents’ Jim White found a two-base hit with two out in the fourth to bring home John Tucker of Reigate. In the fourth inning however, the champions made a crucial error to allow Chorley’s Reginald Martindale to reach base. He reached third with just one out and then scored on a deep ball hit by Andrew Clarke of Stockport to bring Lancashire level. In the very next inning, the home team took the lead as Eli Taylor of Great Float got on base with one out and then having advanced to second, scored on a hit from Miles Platting man William Elmar. Surrey’s two-year hold on the title was now in danger, but they could do little against pitcher Stuckey. By the eighth inning they had produced no more hits, and when Stockport’s Albert Barnes drove in Elmar to add another run, their reign was coming to an end. One hit in the ninth came to nothing, and Lancashire moved through to their very first final with a 3-1 victory. Recovered from his injury, pitcher Sidney Fisher was back to try to lead Middlesex through to an eighth successive final in their game at Staffordshire and the Tottenham man was in fine form again, but so was Edgbaston’s Frank Miggs for the home team and there was no scoring from either team until the fifth inning. There, Edward Grant of the City of London Club began the inning with a hit and with one out, Edmonton’s Frank Page found a three-base hit to bring Grant home. On the very next pitch, Fisher himself added another hit to bring Page home and Middlesex led 2-0. They seemed to be on their way to another final, as Fisher got through the next four innings without allowing Staffordshire a hit, but the tournament newcomers gave themselves hope when Edgbaston’s Fred Lewington began the ninth with a hit. Fisher got the next man out but then Walsall’s Lionel Lynch, picked to play for England last year, produced a dramatic home run to score two and tie the game. The score remained 2-2 until the twelfth, when Birmingham’s Arthur Allen found a two-out two-base hit to give Staffordshire a chance of a famous victory. Walter Sheen of Small Heath duly produced the winning hit, earning a 3-2 victory and a place in the final at the first attempt, while eliminating Middlesex at the semi-final stage for the first time in eight years. With Lancashire and Staffordshire reaching the final, there was sure to be a new name on the trophy and the crown was destined to go outside of the south-east of England for the first time. With Lancashire winning the coin toss, the game would be played in Manchester and it proved to be yet another battle of superb pitching. Benjamin Stuckey had allowed just one run in two games for Lancashire and Frank Miggs only three for Staffordshire, and in the final both were in magnificent form. In the regulation nine innings, only six hits were recorded. The better scoring chances came to Lancashire, who had two hits in the third inning but could not take advantage and left a runner at third base in the seventh. In extra innings – remarkably for the third time in three games for Staffordshire – Stuckey and Miggs battled on through six more scoreless innings with both allowing just two more hits, before the game took a dramatic turn in the sixteenth as they began to tire. Walsall’s Lionel Lynch opened up with a hit for Staffordshire, then with one out Roland Eccles of the Old Wulfrunians added a two-base hit. The visitors had runners at second and third for catcher Daniel Daly of Small Heath, and he was the man who finally produced a run when his hit brought home Lynch. Bolton’s Cecil Maddaford came on to replace the exhausted Stuckey, but the damage had already been done. Learning from those events, Staffordshire brought in Miggs’ Edgbaston teammate Joseph Stevens to try to complete the victory, rather than relying on their tiring starter. He made a bad start when Irwell’s Aaron Evans began the inning with a hit, but Stevens settled and retired the next three hitters to complete a remarkable 1-0 victory for Staffordshire. In their first season in the championship, they had played three extra-inning games and won them all to take the title. Lancashire took both of the tournament awards with Joseph Stanbridge of Miles Platting winning best player, and Stuckey winning Best Pitcher, but it was little consolation as their first final appearance ended in defeat.