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

21 Warwickshire in 1905), ELB Ravenhill and B Scott all got close to two hundred. All this was a far cry from the dismal performances of a year or two back. The season seems to suggest an atmosphere of solidity and worth not present since the Manton era. GEH Johnson, who had been a good all-rounder in 1900, took over the captaincy in 1901, since Wallis was taking examinations. Four matches were won and three lost, and the cricket maintained the standard of the previous year. Johnson came into his own with 34 wickets. HT Crichton bowled many overs for his 25 wickets, but they came at twice the cost of Johnson’s. (Crichton played two matches for Warwickshire in 1908.) Wallis also bowled well. RSO Lee, Ravenhill, Wallis, Johnson and Scott all exceeded a hundred runs. The brothers Tasker, TJ and HS, made their first appearances. Trinity College Stratford were dismissed for 17 in the first match of the season; KES made 207 for seven declared against Warwickshire Club and Ground (Manton, again assisting the side, making 67); and Warwick were beaten by nine wickets after each side had had two innings. The other performances were generally satisfactory. So another indifferent period ended on a note of hope, as batting standards again began to improve, along with the Eastern Road wicket. One imagines that by this time the grass off the square was mown fairly regularly, and that the ground looked more as it does today. These improvements were no doubt maintained as the twentieth century dawned, despite the death of the horse that used to pull the roller in 1900 – this animal received a long eulogy in the School Chronicle of July 1901. Perhaps, in due course, he was replaced by a motorised equivalent.