PETERSFIELD.
CRICKET SEASON COMMENCED.—The opening match of the season, between eleven members of the club and twenty-four members of the Rifle Volunteers, is fixed for Monday next, a dinner at the close taking place at the Dolphin Hotel.
Chichester Express & West Sussex Journal — 2-Jun-1868
CRICKET.—The opening match of the season took place on the heath on Monday, aided by a brilliant sun, and the ground being in excellent order, with the financial status of the club good, left nothing to be desired for the furtherance of a successful campaign. The match, unequal in numbers, being 11 of the club against 22 of the Rifle Volunteers, yet it must be borne in mind that the opening was more for the purpose of mustering for the season of leather-hunting—upon the principle of cub-hunting the young hounds—than for scientific play. We therefore append only the score of each innings played out, with the names of those who obtained double figures, viz.:—
Club, first innings; total, 91 runs, Underdown 29, Chase 13.
Volunteers, first innings; total, 41 runs.
Club, second innings; total 90 runs; Underdown 20, Eager 10, and Chalcraft 16.
Volunteers, second innings; Four wickets went down for 18 runs, when time was called to draw stumps, and closed an agreeably spent day upon the turf.
An adjournment then took place to the Dolphin Hotel, in the Assembly Room of which the annual excellent dinner was as usual provided by Mr. Crafts, to whose ample arrangement and providence it is needless to say more than that the "Members of the Willow," with their friends to the number of 50, sat down to and did satisfactory justice. R. S. Cross, Esq., vice-president of the club, filled the chair, and Mr. John Underdown, the secretary, the vice-chair, under whose able superintendence some agreeable hours were passed, when the usual toasts were given and responded to, and harmony and conviviality were in the ascendant till the closing hours of the night told them to depart in peace.