A History of Cricket at King Edward's School, BIrmingham

14 against equivalent teams in the other Foundation schools. Brown had not been able to continue, but Edge proved a useful professional. Joseph Manton played one match for the School in 1885, but was a regular member of the team from 1886 onwards. His long career was to last until 1891, in which year it reached a triumphal climax. Manton is probably the greatest all-round cricketer the School has ever produced, and towers high above all other cricketers of the nineteenth century, in much the same way as WG Grace in first-class cricket. During his School career he scored 1,141 runs at an average of 13.58 and took 365 wickets at an average cost of 5.31. He batted right-handed, and was a very fine right-arm bowler, at first medium-paced, but by 1891 he had become very fast. His chief virtue was consistency, but he also possessed the ability to break through against even the strongest of opposition. The first notice of him in the School Chronicle (in 1886) read ‘Useful bat. Bowls sometimes, Bad field.’ One wonders what the writer felt six years later. Manton later played for Bedfordshire and for Warwickshire Second XI, and in 1898 he made a single appearance for Warwickshire, captaining the side against Surrey in the absence of HW Bainbridge. Rowland Ryder wrote an account of this match in Wisden 1968, under the title ‘Warwickshire the Unpredictable’. Manton was unlucky enough to find himself batting against the redoubtable Tom Richardson, who bowled him for a duck in the first innings and for five in the second. During the 1890s Manton returned to KES as a master, before becoming a clergyman and the first Headmaster of KEGS Aston. Probably more than any other single factor, he was responsible for the success enjoyed in the period 1886-1891. AR Badger’s team won six matches out of 10 in 1886 – a fine achievement. KES played a Warwickshire Club and Ground side twice – the first time KES had met this opposition – but as was perhaps only to be expected, both matches were lost. Each of the school sides were played twice. There were twin victories against Warwick, Tettenhall and Trinity College Stratford. The only other matches lost were the two against Newcastle High School. AT Wallis had a fine all-round season, with the best batting average (10.8) and 36 wickets. T Astbury (who Manton later called the best bowler of his time) also bowled well and took 42 wickets. Badger did not have an outstanding season with the bat but proved a good captain. 1887 showed continued improvement, although the results were not quite so good – four victories, six defeats and four draws. This was attributed to loss of luck (three of the draws were in the School’s favour) and bad fielding. Batting was better, and a three-figure total was a more regular event; and there was a distinct improvement towards the end of the season, when three matches were well won. Against Warwick a total of 216 was made, to which the captain, MA Wood, contributed 80, a new record individual score, surpassing Mason’s 78 not out made only two years earlier. In the other match against Warwick, Warwick were dismissed for a paltry four runs, the lowest score ever made by an opposing side. Apparently this occurred just after a thunderstorm, and batting conditions were not ideal. The Chronicle recorded the respective individual contributions: ‘H Arton played capital cricket for three; and Hewitt played magnificently for a single.” AH Blewitt took five wickets for one run, and Manton four wickets for three.