5'o THE STRAND MAGAZINE. team, and in 1895 scored the highest individual innings yet made in first-class cricket. Playing against Somerset, at Taunton, in July, he compiled 434 runs, thus beating the 344 standing to the credit of Mr. W. G, GIrace by a no uncertain margin. Prior to this, how- ever, Mr. MacLaren had toured through Australia as one of Mr. A. E. Stoddart's eleven. He was a success, for he secured the second place upon the batting averages : 47.4 for twenty inn- ings in eleven a-side matches, and 40.9 for thirty-three innings, all matches played being considered. More than that, he was also busy amongst the " centurions "—if I may be pardoned for the use of the word. Against Victoria, on November 16th, he placed 228 his highest total for the tour — against his name, this being fol- lowed by 106 V. Queensland and New South Wales on lFebruary 15th, and 120 against Australia, at Melbourne, on March 1st. Mr. Maclaren's performances for his county need no comment from me, but i may just touch briefly upon his last Australian tour. He wooed and won his bride " down under," and he never played better cricket in his life than when last at the Antipodes. We were fairly and squarely beaten in the test matches, I am ready to admit that ; but Mr. MacLaren can look back upon the visit with feelings of unalloyed satisfaction. In the five test matches he was at the head of the batting averages with 54"22 runs for ten innings, 124 being his highest contribution. In the eleven a-side matches his average was 54.57 for twenty innings, and in all matches 54.34 for twenty-eight innings. These figures sjieak for themselves, but I may add Mr. MacLaren was also responsible for exactly half-a-dozen centuries during the tour: 181 V. Thirteen of Queensland and New South Wales ; 142 v. New South Wales ; 140 V. New South Wales (the return match) ; 124 V. Australia, at Adelaide; 109 v. Australia, at Sydney ; and 100 v. New South "Wales, also at Sydney. Returning home, the Lancashire captain could only take part in six of the county fixtures. In these he secured an average of 33.30, with 76 as his highest contribution. But he was as dashing as of old while at the wicket, and even smarter in the field. At slip or at cover- slij) he appears to judge the flight of the ball unerringly, while boundary after boundary is saved by the manner in which he picks up the (iistest cut, snick, or drive with either hand. I was ruminating over these things as the South-Western express whirled me away over the gleaming metals to Wokingham, where, in a delightful old
countryside mansion, Mr. MacLaren has
established himself in the heart of as delightful scenery as may well be met with within a hundred miles of London. There, in his study, he sat and chatted over cricket matters. The Lancashire eleven, the great scene at the Oval after the finish of the last test match there— these and kindred pictures reflected the ruddy fireglow from the walls. Outside, the sun was throwing its rays athwart the gravelled drive ; there was the indefinite hum inseparable from the country, the mistle thrushes and the blackbirds disported themselves among the trees, just budding into life; while, stranger still, the red coat and bushy tail of a squirrel could be seen just at the edge of the copse that ran down to the lawn. But this is not cricket. I must drag myself away. The memory of the Harrow v. Eton match I have already referred to was crossing my mind. I lost no time, but, plunging directly into my subject, wondered what the Lancashire captain thought of public school cricket of these days. Did it compare favourably with days that are past
