1898 season
Derbyshire played sixteen games in the County Championship in 1898 and one match against MCC. The captain for the year was Sydney Evershed in his eighth season as captain. William Storer was top scorer with three centuries which he achieved while also bowling to take 28 wickets and being a useful wicket-keeper. George Davidson took most wickets at 65 as well as scoring a century. The season saw many high scores, and against Hampshire in August, four Derbyshire players Levi Wright, William Storer, William Chatterton and George Davidson scored centuries followed by two more from the Hampshire players in the same match. The Derbyshire total of 645 runs was to remain their highest match score until it was surpassed in the 2007 season.[1] Two matches later, Yorkshire set a record score against Derbyshire of 662 runs when Jack Brown scored 300 and John Tunnicliffe 243 in Walter Sugg's benefit match before Brown deliberately knocked down his wicket. It remained a national partnership record until two more Yorkshiremen, Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe, made 555 for the first wicket against Essex at Leyton in 1932.[2]
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The Yorkshire match was Derbyshire's second match at Queen's Park, Chesterfield, the first being earlier in the season against Surrey. The size of the crowd at that game made the experiment well worth while and the ground, described as mre pleasing to the eye than the County Ground, became a regular venue for several matches a season. The game against Surrey was not without incident as superb lob bowling by D. L. A. Jephson, gave him nine Derbyshire wickets for 55 runs in the two innings, Derbyshire supporters were upset by Jephson's lobs, and protested vigorously against them, saying that this was unfair bowling.[2]
The most significant addition to the Derbyshire squad in the season was Billy Bestwick as well known for his antics off the pitch as his demon bowling. William Ellis played the first of several seasons at the club when he played occasional games. Alfred Charlesworth and James Wright also made their debuts and played several matches in the season, although only Wright played in a subsequent season. William Prince, John Bourne and Solomon Hardy each played just one career match for Derbyshire in the season
Matches
| List of matches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | V | Result | Margin | Notes |
| 1 | 16 May 1898 [3] | Nottinghamshire Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
Drawn | W Storer 109 | |
| 2 | 19 May 1898 [4] | Surrey Kennington Oval |
Abandoned | ||
| 3 | 23 May 1898 [5] | Lancashire County Ground, Derby |
Lost | 65 runs | JJ Hulme 6-65; Cuttell 5-30; Briggs 5-34; Mold 5-27 |
| 4 | 30 May 1898 [6] | Hampshire County Ground, Southampton |
Won | 10 wickets | W Storer 104 |
| 5 | 09 Jun 1898 [7] | MCC Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood |
Won | Innings and 1 run | G Davidson 6-30 and 6-53; J Hearne 6-66 |
| 6 | 16 Jun 1898 [8] | Warwickshire Edgbaston, Birmingham |
Drawn | Quaife 109; Lilley 112 | |
| 7 | 20 Jun 1898 [9] | Essex County Ground, Leyton |
Lost | 129 runs | G Davidson 7-42 and 8-74 |
| 8 | 27 Jun 1898 [10] | Leicestershire County Ground, Derby |
Won | Innings and 31 runs | Pougher 5-53; F Davidson 6-36; G Davidson 5-31 |
| 9 | 30 Jun 1898 [11] | Surrey Queen's Park, Chesterfield |
Lost | Innings and 43 runs | Jephson 6-38 |
| 10 | 04 Jul 1898 [12] | Essex County Ground, Derby |
Lost | Innings and 172 runs | Perrin 104 ; McGahey 115; Kortright 5-44; Bull 6-75 |
| 11 | 11 Jul 1898 [13] | Nottinghamshire County Ground, Derby |
Drawn | F Davidson 6-49 | |
| 12 | 25 Jul 1898 [14] | Warwickshire County Ground, Derby |
Drawn | SH Evershed 153; Field 5-107 | |
| 13 | 28 Jul 1898 [15] | Yorkshire St George's Road, Harrogate |
Drawn | H Bagshaw 100; JW Hancock 5-61 | |
| 14 | 01 Aug 1898 [16] | Hampshire County Ground, Derby |
Drawn | LG Wright 134; W Storer 100; W Chatterton 142; G Davidson 108 and 6-42; Poore 121; Quinton 101 and 5-93 | |
| 15 | 15 Aug 1898 [17] | Leicestershire Grace Road, Leicester |
Lost | Innings and 103 runs | Geeson 6-64 and 7-38 |
| 16 | 18 Aug 1898 [18] | Yorkshire Queen's Park, Chesterfield |
Lost | Innings and 387 runs | J Brown 300; J Tunnicliffe 243 |
| 17 | 25 Aug 1898 [19] | Lancashire Old Trafford, Manchester |
Drawn | J Tyldesley 200; Cuttell 5-48 | |