WG Grace’s war of words with a cricket gossip columnist in 1882

The war of words between the press and cricketers have been a long, long one, having its roots in the pristine playing fields of the Victorian era. Arunabha Sengupta looks back at the altercation between a columnist of the first ever weekly cricket magazine and the great WG Grace himself.

The battle between the pen and the willow is one of the most enduring traits of the game, albeit not among the most endearing ones.

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Airing cricketing views  of the offensive kind, sometimes tinged with comments beyond the game, is not really a modern day phenomenon. Journalists and cricketers have had a love hate relationship since time immemorial, even in the Victorian and Edwardian days of supposed pristine innocence.

Cricket : A Weekly Record of the Game was the very first periodical on the game that went beyond mere scores and accounts. Established in 1882 with the redoubtable Charles Alcock as the editor, it was distinctly different from annuals like Lillywhite’s. Apart from scores and reports, it included book extracts, contemporary accounts on the game, player sketches and even gossip. It continued to run for 949 issues till  production was halted at the beginning of the First World War. In 1914, it produced 23 issues as World of Cricket but the Greater Game took precedence and the periodical was stopped altogether. In 1921, it resumed under the name of The Cricketer.

A thoroughly respectable publication, nevertheless from its very inception it carried a column with the frivolous and strikingly modern day title Pavilion Gossip. The column generally began with the subtext — “They are the abstracts and brief chronicles of our times — Hamlet”.

The Shakespearean connection was not limited to just this quote. In its light-hearted view of the world of cricket, often the bard’s lines were used to describe cricketers. You see, ‘light hearted’ varies from era to era. In fact, that particular season of 1882 was the famous summer of the birth of the Ashes. The touring Australians were described with verve and vigour using Shakespearean mottos.

For example George Bonnor and Alec Bannerman batting together was described as: “This is the long and short of it” — Merry Wives of Windsor.

However, the purpose of the column was rather more — to be precise, rather less — than literary.  It provided ample amount of juicy tidbits to do justice to its name.

It informed readers that Australian skipper Billy Murdoch was referred to as The Vampire Batsman in the antipodes, that Charles Bannerman would be joining the touring side after a few days by another ship, that Billy Midwinter was rumoured to be making preparations to leave for Australia for good and that WG Grace was laid up with mumps. In short, it was much like the current day. READ: WG Grace, greatest cricketer ever?

And by indulging in frivolities, the publication earned the wrath of the great WG himself,  in the very second month of its publication.

We did lose but we were not loose

Towards the end of June, having recovered from mumps and a rather a pale and thin shadow of himself, WG led the United Eleven against the Australians at the Chichester Priory Park. However, the Australians won the toss on a beautiful batting strip and piled up a huge total. Tom Horan got 112, Alec Bannerman 88, Hugh Massie 60 and the lowest dismissed score of the innings was 26. As a result, the total amounted to a staggering 501.

The Doctor toiled hard, sending down 53 overs himself, taking 3 for 118. However, when he batted, his nemesis Fred Spofforth dismissed him for 4 and 11. Only an excellent 90 by Maurice Read of Surrey allowed United to score over 100 in the first innings, and they fell well short in the second. The Australians won by an innings and 263 runs. READ: Fred Spofforth’s rage against WG Grace

Grace suffered from other problems too. One of the hired professionals, Charlie Howard of Sussex, called up as a late replacement, took WG’s cousin Walter Gilbert to court over his fee for the game. Although Howard made 0 and 5 and took no wickets, the five pounds Grace paid him was deemed insufficient by the magistrates. Howard demanded £10, but the verdict was £6, the same he had been paid when playing the tourists in 1880.

In the aftermath of this disastrous match, Grace was obviously not pleased when in that week’s Cricket, the following account was produced under the Pavilion Gossip column:

“A correspondent who saw Mr WG Grace’s eleven in the field at Chichester suggests that the Untied would be a better title than the United. He foresees the necessity of an explanation, by the suggestion that what he noticed of their fielding was very loose.” WG Grace: 30 immortal anecdotes

The great man fumed. In the very next issue of Cricket a letter from the Champion was published in Pavilion Gossip.

The columnist began by writing, “It is with the deepest pain that I have to make the admission, but I have, though unwittingly, incurred the displeasure of Mr. WG Grace. Though some portions of that gentleman’s remarks are a little personal, I prefer to give his letter in full. This is what the Champion of all the Champions says:—”

WG’s letter was reproduced after this.

To the Editor of ‘Cricket’
Sir, — Your correspondent under ‘Pavilion Gossip’ has, I should say, a very small knowledge of cricket, for the fielding of the United Eleven at Chichester was exceptionally good, and not as he styles ‘loose’. You have made the same mistake as other papers in calling the eleven Mr WG Grace’s. I did not get up the team and had nothing to do with it as far as the arrangements went.
Yours Truly
WG Grace.

Having reproduced the letter, the columnist continued:

“I have the very greatest respect for Mr Grace in every condition of life, but I cannot help thinking that he wants a little spirit of humour. If he had read my remarks a little more carefully he would have seen that I myself never expressed any opinion of any kind on the fielding at Chichester.
Personally, from actual observation, I could say nothing of the match, nor indeed, I suppose, could the facetious gentleman who perpetrated the joke at the expense of the United Eleven. It was a poor little attempt at fun, and I am sorry that Mr Grace should have taken it for a moment in any other light.
At the same time, I really think that his grievance lies with the management of the Chichester ground, which did actually advertise the match with the high sounding title of ‘Australians v England, selected by Mr WG Grace.’ Mr Grace, by the way, adds that he is going himself to get up the United Eleven to oppose the Australians at Tunbridge Wells on August 31 and following days. If so, Murdoch may expect to have it rather warm.”

The columnist, however, was not done with this response. The following issue of Cricket the column again contained a paragraph referring to the communication. It ran:

“I had hoped that Mr WG Grace’s letter, which I published last week about the match between United Elev — I mean ten — at Chichester, would have demonstrated so clearly my want of knowledge of the game that I should be spared any further reference to what appears to be rather a sore subject. But unfortunately I have some good-natured friends who will not allow me to be even figuratively sat upon.
One of these, who signs himself ‘Fairplay’ in a lengthy communication which I have not the space to insert in full, is a little troubled by Mr Grace’s remark, ‘The fielding of the United Eleven was exceptionally good.’
This is how he relieves his mind. ‘The only exceptional thing about the fielding, as far as I saw, was the appearance of a fieldsman in black trousers and a felt hat.’ ‘Fairplay’ is something of a wag, and I forgive him this once.”

These pressmen… really…

Brief Scores:

Australians 501 (Alec Bannerman 88, Hugh Massie 60, Tom Horan 112) beat United Eleven 166 (Maurice Read 90, Fred Spofforth 4 for 51) and 72 (Fred Spofforth 4 for 31, Joey Palmer 4 for 36) by an innings and 253 runs.

(Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/senantix)