da pixbet： This column is dedicated, not to W G Grace, whose 150th anniversaryhas been celebrated elsewhere, but to his brothers, who have receivedless than their share of reflected glory
Donald Trelford29-Oct-2008This column is dedicated, not to W G Grace, whose 150th anniversaryhas been celebrated elsewhere, but to his brothers, who have receivedless than their share of reflected glory.There were five Grace boys: Henry, Alfred, Edward Mills (known as EM), and W G and G F (Fred). The three younger brothers all played inthe first Test on English soil, against Australia at the Oval in 1880.It was Henry’s enthusiasm for cricket at school that rekindled theinterest of their father, Dr Henry Mills Grace, to the extent that hemarked out a wicket in the orchard of their house at Downend, nearBristol.Not only that, but finding there was no village cricket club at whichhis boys could play, he invented one. Then, as the boys required awider stage, he created Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, of whichE M became secretary for 39 years.Henry, described by Wisden as “a vigorous bat, a medium pace round-armbowler and an excellent field”, once scored 63 at Lord’s.All five boys followed their father into medicine, but Henry and thesecond son, Alfred, took it more seriously than the others. AlthoughAlfred was the least talented at cricket, he scored several centuriesat club level and, like all the brothers, was a brilliant horseman.E M was the shortest of the Graces and, being eight years younger thanHenry, was obliged to use a bat too big for him. The result was thathe developed an infamous cross-batted swipe, picking up balls off aperfect length and whacking them over the boundary. He was describedby Wisden as “the most dangerous bat in England”.E M was also sublimely unorthodox human being, having four wives andsiring 18 children. He was said to be “overflowing with cricket atevery pore, full of lusty life, cheerily gay, with energyinexhaustible”.Once, when a man came out of the crowd to deliver a breach of promisesuit, E M casually passed the paper to the umpire and went on to scorea fifty. He also had a short temper and assaulted barrackers in thecrowd.If W G had not cast a permanent shadow, he would be better rememberedas an outstanding cricketer of the 19th century. Wisden wrote on hisdeath in 1911: “But for the accident that his own brother proved evengreater than himself, E M Grace would have lived in history as perhapsthe most remarkable figure the game has produced.”At Canterbury Week in 1862, when he was 21, he scored 192 with someferocious hitting, then took all 10 wickets in the second innings.That was for the MCC, of which he wasn’t even a member at the time.He was the local coroner and that became his nickname. He bowled fastround-arm until a hunting accident forced him to turn to lobs instead.He once famously landed a donkey drop on the bails of Henry Jupp, thelegendary stonewaller. He played first-class cricket until he was 55and took 119 wickets for his Thornbury club at the age of 67.But it was for his fielding, so close to the bat at point that he wasasked if he ever got splinters, that he became truly famous. He oncecaught the Surrey batsman, Bobby Abel, at such lightening speed thateveryone looked to the boundary while E M nonchalantly pocketed theball.When Test cricket began in England in 1880, W G was already 32 and E Mapproaching 40. E M played only the one Test, putting on 91 with hisbrother for the first wicket. W G went on to inspire an Englandvictory with 152.The youngest brother, Fred, the most handsome of the Graces, managed a’king pair’. But he redeemed himself with a memorable catch, holding asteepling hit under the gasometer from the Australian giant, GeorgeBonnor, that is said to have travelled 115 yards.It was also Fred’s only Test, for he died two weeks later at the ageof 29 from a cold that developed into congestion of the lungs -despite having a father and four brothers as doctors and being amedical student himself.By all means let us celebrate W G, arguably the greatest Britishsportsman of all time, but let us not forget the remarkable brotherswho lived and died in his shadow.