Arthur Appleby

MR. ARTHUR APPLEBY, the once-famous Lancashire bowler, died at his residence, Clayton le Moors, on October 24th. His illness-cancer on the liver-ran a very rapid course, as even during the past summer he was seen in the cricket field, Born on July 22, 1843, Mr. Appleby first appeared in the Lancashire eleven in August, 1866, playing against Surrey at Liverpool. He made his mark at once, taking six wickets in Surrey's first innings at a cost of only 30 runs, and thenceforward he held his place for about twelve years as one of the greatest amateur bowlers of his day. Left-handed, with a very easy action, he was decidedly fast without approaching the tremendous speed of another left-handed bowler of the last generation-the late Mr. W. N. Powys. When Mr. Appleby came to the front the Lancashire County Club had been in existence less than two years, and while he was at his best county cricket made nothing like its present appeal to the Manchester public.

In Gentlemen v. Players matches Mr. Appleby appeared a dozen times, taking fifty-nine wickets for just over 171 runs each. He first played for the Gentlemen at Lord's in 1867, and, bowling unchanged through both innings, took six wickets for 33 runs and two for 32. The match was one of very small scores, and the Gentlemen won it by eight wickets. Mr. Appleby played for the Gentlemen pretty regularly at Lord's down to 1878, and made a final appearance in 1887, the M.C.C. committee, owing to lack of younger bowlers, sending him a special invitation.

By this time, however, he was rather too old for a match of such importance, and no success rewarded him. He was essentially a natural bowler, depending on straightness, pace, and accuracy of pitch. He said of himself that though, having strong fingers, he supposed he had some spin, he never with intention made the ball break one way or the other. He was a member of the amateur team taken to Canada in 1872 by the late Mr. R. A. Fitzgerald and divided the bowling honours of the tour with the well known lob-bowler of those days, Mr. W. M. Rose. Mr. Appleby was twice invited to go to Australia-first by Mr. W. G. Grace, in 1873, and afterwards by Lord Harris in 1878-but, owing to pressure of business, he was reluctantly compelled to decline both invitations. Modest to a degree about his own great merits as a cricketer, he was, wherever he went, one of the most popular of players. He was inclined to think that the competitive spirit in cricket had been carried a little too far in recent years and he once said that for that reason the game did not afford him so much pleasure as when he was a young man. His interest in cricket, however, remained keen to the last.