'Close of Play'

Charles Burgess Fry. Oxford University, Sussex, Hampshire, Europeans & England 1892-1922. Original undated handwritten manuscript by Fry comprising nineteen numbered pages plus covering letter and postscript, both or which are signed by Fry. In the manuscript, Fry discusses batting styles using a referencing system of ‘A’ as the method of performing batsmanship and ‘E’ as the effect it causes. He acknowledges L.C.H. Palairet, stating ‘To call LCHP a supreme stylist means “being what I am, knowing what I know, the way LCHP plays produces the effect it does, giving me a maximum satisfaction; and I have seen no other batsman who gives me this maximum”’, continuing by stating that Palairet was ‘essentially an off-driver- what other strokes had he? In the standard cricket of his time 9 balls out of 10 were on or just outside the off stump- the off drive was the most necessary and valuable of scoring strokes’. He continues by rating other off-drivers, ‘the 3 best off drivers I’ve seen are LCHP, Trumper and Kippax. W. Gunn a close rival, with Hammond. Hammond and Trumper were much better at “forcing” back strokes than the other 3- who had not the stroke’, and makes further references to W.G. Grace, Ranjitsinhji and Bradman. The covering letter is addressed to ‘Dear Alfred’, possibly Alfred Cochrane (Derbyshire & Oxford University 1884-1888), author of cricket verse and compiler of the book, ‘Told in the Pavilion’. A previous owner has inscribed in red ink to the covering letter ‘Miscellaneous cricket m.s. Tie up & mark “Fry & Trumper”’. Some rust marks to the covering letter and postscript, light creasing, otherwise in good condition.