Gerald Bardswell

MR. GERALD R. BARDSWELL died on December 29th at New Orleans. Born on the 7th of December, 1873, he was in his thirty-fourth year. Some months back he underwent a severe operation, but it was believed that he had completely recovered and the news of his death gave a painful shock to his many fiends in Manchester where he was well-known and highly popular. Although he never took a leading position among amateur cricketers, Mr. Bardswell had a fairly long and by no means undistinguished career. He learnt the game at Uppingham, and was about the best bowler in the school eleven for three years in succession, taking 55 wickets for less than ten runs apiece in 1891, 66 wickets for eleven runs each in 1892, and 35 wickets in 1893. He then went up to Oxford, and his bowling-right-hand medium pace with a high delivery-at once gained him his Blue. He helped to win the University match for Oxford in 1894, obtaining eight wickets for 101 runs, and his season"s work for the University showed an excellent result-40 wickets, with an average of 16. After 1894, however, he lost his bowling, and thenceforward he had to depend upon his batting and his exceptionally fine fielding at slip. It is not too much to say that among the short-slips of his day no one surpassed him. A damaged hand kept him out of the University match in 1895, but in the following year he had a share in gaining for Oxford a memorable victory. The match was the one in which such excitement was caused by E. B. Shine-acting under the instructions of his captain, Frank Mitchell-bowling no-balls to prevent Oxford following on. In the end Oxford had to get 330 in the last innings, and they won the game by four wickets, G. O. Smith making 132. Bardswell was in at the finish, scoring 33 not out and getting the winning hit. In 1897 he was captain at Oxford, but this time he was on the losing side at Lord"s, Cambridge-much the stronger eleven of the two-gaining an easy victory by 179 runs. For a little time in 1899 Mr. Bardswell was captain of the Lancashire eleven, but owing to business claims he soon found himself compelled to give up county cricket. At the time of his death he was on the Committee of the Marylebone Club, and also on the Lancashire Committee.