7. Chapter 4 The Golden Years of John Shuter 1872-1888

The Outstanding Teams of the 1870s/ 1880s:
Improving the Fixture List - Matches against
Emeriti, Incogniti, Surrey C&G and MCC: Skittled out by Spofforth, the Australian Demon Bowler: The Record Score of 402 for 0 wicket, John Shuter scores 304 not out: Two Bexley players in the 1888 England Test Team

By 1872 cricket was flourishing in England, inspired by the success of Dr W G Grace. Within the next few years the County Championship would become consolidated very much on today's lines and the first Test Match would be played against Australia. In Bexley, also, there was an upsurge of interest in cricket and the Club was to enter a period of great success.
The death of Thomas Dann, Jnr, in 1873 and the regular availability of John Shuter after leaving Winchester that year, marked an end of one era in Bexley and the beginning of another.
John Shuter was born in 1855 and showed exceptional cricketing ability at Winchester, where he was captain of the XI in 1873. After playing one match for Kent in 1874, he threw in his lot with Surrey and played regularly for them from 1877 to 1893, making a final appearance in 1909. He captained the County team from 1880 to 1893, during which time they won the County Championship in six successive years, 1887-1892. From 1873 to 1886 he played regularly for Bexley and it is remarkable that during the years 1881-1885 he was captain of both Bexley and Surrey. The County Championship programme was less full than it is today and in this five-year period he was able to play over 60 matches for Bexley. John Shuter's many outstanding exploits for Bexley are described in the rest of this chapter.
John’s brother, Leonard A Shuter, who was three years older than him, was also a very talented cricketer, playing for Surrey from 1876 to 1883. He was an all-rounder; his bowling was something of a curiosity, in that he could bowl fast right arm or slow left arm.
After Thomas Dann's death, the task of running the Club was taken on by the Shuter family. Mr. Leonard Shuter, the father of the cricketing brothers, was Secretary­ Treasurer for ten years and either he or one of his sons was captain every year in that period. One match account for this time notes that Mr. Shuter (Senior) unusually was absent from the ground because of illness, but so great was his interest that he arranged for regular reports to be brought to him at his home. Yale Mascal, throughout the day. The cricketing successes of his sons must have given him much pleasure.

Although John Shuter was only 5 feet 6 inches tall, he was a very powerful hitter of the ball. According to W G Grace he was particularly strong on the off-side. His first known century at Bexley was in 1873, when he made 103 for the Gentlemen against the Players (U21s). This is the first recorded century by a Bexley player. An illuminating feature of the match report is that "one brilliant hit knocked the ball clean out of the ground for five'' showing that at that time there were no sixes on the Bexley ground. (Until 1884 the Laws made no reference to boundaries, although local arrangements had been in force for many years before.)
Early in 1874 Bexley had a very good match on the Bat and Ball ground, at Gravesend, John Shuter enlivening the occasion by scoring 126 in masterly style. A match was also played against Bickley Park that year; the continuing fixtures against these two clubs are thus well over 100 years old.
In July of that year Bexley played the Emeriti, a wandering side, for the first time in what was to become an annual fixture. The match was played over two days and was one of the best games to have been played in the neighbourhood, attracting a large and fashionable crowd. Among the Bexley players were the former colts William B Friend, Walter C Jackson, Fred Horner and Mart. Mart was now the groundsman (or ground man, as he was known in those days) and as a professional did not have his initials on the team lists. His appointment is evidence that the ground was receiving regular attention throughout the season. Mechanical lawn mowers were in common use by this time, although they and most of the other equipment available for ground maintenance were rudimentary by modern standards.
In November 1874 the Vicar of Bexley, the Rev Thomas Harding, died. He had been President of the Club certainly from 1860 and possibly for much longer. The new Vicar was the Rev J M Fuller. At a meeting welcoming him to the village, Thomas Dann, Senior, (who outlived his son by many years), said that he hoped the new Vicar would score 41, a reference to the long incumbency of his predecessor. In reply, Mr Fuller said he hoped to emulate this feat, having scored many a forty in his time. He had in fact been an excellent batsman30, having represented Cambridge in 1855-58. On arrival in Bexley he was elected President of the Cricket Club, but his efforts to emulate the Rev Harding did not quite succeed as he died in 1892, thereby 'scoring' only 18 of the hoped-for 41 years. There is no known record of him turning out for Bexley.
The growing strength of the Club can be gauged from the batting averages for 1874. L A Shuter scored 524 runs at an average of 40, his brother was close behind with an average of 39, and E R Dickson also scored heavily. (Dickson was another former Public Schoolboy, having captained Winchester in 1872. He drowned some years later, trying to rescue a companion.) The cup for the best bowling performance went to W B Friend, the former colt, who was also developing into a very capable batsman.
With the growing reputation of the Club, so the fixture list was being strengthened. In 1875 the list included Blackheath, Beckenham and Mote Park of the present opponents. The Club also added a two-day match against the Incogniti Club to the list. The latter were a very well-connected and prestigious club, who raised teams to play country house cricket in all parts of the country. It is probable that this attractive fixture _was obtained through the Shuters, as both John and LA had played for the Incogs in 1873 and 1874. The fixture became one of the high spots of the season and Mr. Leonard Shuter, Senior, used to entertain the teams at Vale Mascal with the utmost hospitality on the evening of the first day of the match.
In the 1870s the Club membership totaled about 70. Thirty eight playing members appear in the 1875 averages, so clearly the Club was not short of players. Indeed, there may have been some jostling for selection for the team, for the Secretary felt it necessary to write, in the courteous manner of the day, 'Members are requested to assist the Hon Secretary by giving him due notice of their desire to play in any particular match'.
In 1876 a second club, known as Bexley Village Cricket Club, was formed. This appears to have been for the village lads, who were probably not good enough cricketers to get into the old Club and, indeed, may not have been welcome socially. The new club set off with much enthusiasm, under the guidance of the Rev J Alcock, a curate at St Mary's, but it went out of existence in 1880. They did not play their matches on the Bexley Club ground but the exact whereabouts of their pitch is not known.
At the end of the 1876 season the Bexley Club's first Dinner was held in London. Speaking at the function, W B Friend enthused about the very successful season (played 20, won 15, lost 3, drawn 2) and made a presentation to the Secretary, Mr Leonard Shuter, for his services to the Club. The gift consisted of a set of decanters carrying the Shuter family crest, in a wooden case suitably inscribed. In responding, Mr Shuter said it had been a great pleasure to him to undertake the management of the Club and he was pleased to think of the position the Club had attained in the last four years: "envied by many, equalled by few - The Club is now an institution in the county".
It is interesting to note that the Rev J M Fuller, the President, was present on this convivial occasion. He may, however, have been less than euphoric about affairs closer to home, for there was great concern about the dilapidated state of St Mary's Church. The Bishop of Dover described it as "one of the most hopeless churches of the diocese". A parish meeting was called to consider the problem; renovations, including a rearrangement of the seating, were eventually put in hand.
At this time another institution which was to have a long connection with the Club was being established. This was Reffells Brewery31, on Bourne Road. The business was based on a well of very pure water on the site. For nearly a hundred years the products ("Reffells Re-fills") were to assuage the thirst of cricketers. Shortly after the turn of the century Mr p H Waistell joined the firm; he became a leading figure in both the Brewery and the Club for the next forty years and established close ties between the two. (The Brewery was closed down some years ago but still stands largely intact.)
1877 was another very successful year, with the Shuter brother in particularly good form. In a match against Erith, John opened the innings and carried his bat for 196 not out, in a Bexley total of 384. This was the highest score made by a Bexley player up to that time. Four days later he scored another century, 107 not out, in a total of 234 against Tooting. To keep up the good work, his brother scored a century to save the game against the Incogniti in the annual two-day match

The scores were

Incogniti 175 and 282
Bexley 121 and 213-9 (L A Shuter 102)

During the season the Shuters played on a number of occasions for Surrey, but despite their absence Bexley continued to do well. In a remarkable bowling spell against Streatham, M E Fennessy had the analysis of

Another bowler who was beginning to show his skill was the 20 year old C E Horner, whose elder brothers appear on the Colts photographs of 1866. His best performance in 1877 was 3-18 and 7-44 in a two-innings match against Beckenham. The scores were

Beckenham 148 and 41-1
Bexley 83 and 101

Some idea of the atmosphere of the time can be gained from a match report33 which stated that "there was a large company upon the ground including many carriage visitors from Beckenham, and a good attendance of ladies, as on previous occasions this season".
The run of success continued in 1878, with only two defeats in the season. John Shuter scored over 700 runs at an average of 43. His brother was second in the averages and the Rev F D Hodgson, a curate at St Mary's also did well, his runs including a century. The bowling was also very strong, with Horner, Fennessy, W B Friend and L A Shuter making up a formidable attack.
The 1879 season began with a bang. In the first match John Shuter scored 156 not out, hitting his first ball for six. (It may be remembered that in his century in 1873 a hit which went clean out of the ground counted only five so it is clear that in the intervening years the regulations concerning boundaries were changed.)
A surprising feature of the fixtures at this time is the distance travelled to away matches. There were, for example, matches at Henley-on-Thames, Esher, Maidstone, and Reigate; the journeys must have been difficult, whether undertaken by train or by horse-drawn carriage. All the matches at this time were scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Sometimes the journeys were done in style. For example, on one occasion the visitors, Streatham, all arrived in a drag and four i.e. a large coach drawn by four horses. They must have made a fine spectacle as they clattered into sight through the railway arch.
At this time there was a great deal of criticism of the condition of the roads in the Bexley area and no doubt the cricketers had difficulty in travelling to away matches. There were frequent complaints about the inactivity of the Dartford Highways Board, which was responsible for road improvement in the area. Thomas Dann, Senior, as the Bexley representative (waywarden) on the Board for over 30 years came in for criticism. It may be of interest here to digress and refer to Thomas Dann. Born in 1811 the son of John Dann, Thomas lived to be 77 and in the course of his life was involved in practically all the village activities. Apart from the Highways Board, he was for thirty years a churchwarden at St Mary's, on the Board of Guardians, chairman of the Dispensary etc. By profession he was an auctioneer, and on his death left £29,000, a very substantial sum in 1888. As we have seen, Thomas Dann played cricket for Bexley in the 1830s but seems not to have been actively involved in the Club after the death of his son. So great were his interests in the village that he was known as 'The Lord Mayor of Bexley' and 'the father of the village'. He had a stately way of walking and this was especially noticeable as he walked with measured tread to church on Sunday, with his wife on his arm and his two daughters dutifully a pace behind them, to take their places m the churchwarden's pew.
The Club continued to be very successful, particularly when the County players were available. In 1880 there were two interesting additions to the fixture list. The first was the inclusion of home and away fixtures against Surrey Club & Ground, a team made up mainly of the junior professionals of the County club. Bexley won the first match, played at the Oval, but lost the return match. These matches remained on the fixture list for several years and through them a number of players who were to become famous, notably the future England players Bobbie Abel and Walter Read, played at Bexley.
In August 1880 Bexley played a two-day match at Eastbourne, against Devonshire Park. Bexley, with all their star players available, scored an overwhelming victory: Bexley 386-3 (LA Shuter 135, ME Fennessy 93, J Shuter 67, R J H Arbuthnot 49 not out); Devonshire Park 110. Matches around Eastbourne were played for several years, as a holiday 'tour', in August.
1880 brought major success for the Club's leading bowler, C E Horner. Among other achievements he took 8 for 65 against the Emeriti. Horner was picked for Surrey two years later and made an immediate impact. He took 44 wickets in only 8 games for the County that year at an average of 14. He quickly developed into their leading bowler and in 1884 had a magnificent season, taking 110 wickets at an average of 14. In addition he played for the South of England team against the Australians at the end of the season and took 4 for 19; had the match been played earlier he might well have been picked for the Test team.
A contemporary report35 described Horner as "the most consistent bowler of any pace in the South of England. He bowls fastish round arm with a high delivery, is rarely off the wicket and indeed has such command of the ball that he has usually only one man on the on-side". To modern cricketers, skilled at working the ball away on the leg side, the latter comment is quite intriguing. Also it is interesting to note that round arm bowling was still in fashion; the Laws had been changed to allow over arm bowling m 1864.
Mention was made earlier that up to the middle of the nineteenth century club matches were rarely played on Saturdays. Gradually a preference or Saturdays developed, but this was by no means the only match day. For example, m 1881 matches were played as follows:-

Among the regular players for Bexley in the 1880s was WW Mann. Apart from being a useful all-round cricketer, he was a very prosperous businessman specializing in anthracite coal. On his death in 1915 he left £237,000, and bequests to his coachman,gamekeeper, cook and housemaid indicate something of the lifestyle of the prosperous merchant. The family residence was Ravenswood, Hurst Road, Bexley, now demolished.
Another player to come into prominence at this time was R J H Arbuthnot, the former colt. He was a right handed batsman/wicket keeper. His mother laid the foundation stone for St John's Church, Parkhill Road, Bexley in 1881. (Although other members of the Arbuthnot family attended the stone-laying ceremony, Reginald showed his priorities by playing cricket for Bexley that afternoon!)
The social side of the Club was not being neglected and in the 1870s and 80s the annual Club Ball was a very grand occasion, attended by all the local gentry. It was held in the Bexleyheath Public Hall, with dancing to the band of the Royal Artillery. After a sumptuous meal the revellers danced the night (and early hours) away to the strains of the lancers, waltzes, polkas and other dances of the period. It was the custom to decorate the hall with flowering plants and drapery in the Club colours for these occasions.
Reference has been made to the large number of brothers playing for Bexley in Victorian times. This is not surprising as large families were a feature of these years. But the family ties did not end there. In 1882 John Shuter married Charles Horner's sister and W B Friend married a sister of the Shuters’.
But to return to cricket. About this time Bexley had a regular fixture against the
London-based Orleans Club. In the 1882 match Orleans included three members of the touring Australian Test team36, W L Murdoch (Capt.), H H Massie and T W Garrett. Bexley (61 and 67) were defeated by Orleans (122 and 9 for 0 wicket), but Horner had the satisfaction of bowling the three Australian stars for 0, 2 and l respectively.
Despite the calls on their services by Surrey, both John Shuter (19 innings) and Charles Horner (59 wickets) played in most of Bexley's matches in 1882. With these and other very good players the Club was building a formidable reputation and the following year a match was arranged against the MCC. This match attracted a large gathering of spectators, the ladies' tent being crowded. The MCC brought four professionals. Sherwin (Notts. wicket keeper), Woof (Glos. bowler), Mycroft (Derbyshire bowler) and Hay and a strong array of amateurs.

Scores: M.C.C. 55 and 139

Bexley 95 and 14-5
(W B Friend 30)

The two Clubs met in each of the next five seasons, Bexley winning 1, losing 3 and drawing one match37.
In 1884 two of the most remarkable matches in the Club's history took place and in. many ways 1884 can be claimed to be the high point of the golden era. The first match3 of the season was against Orleans (away). As in 1882, members of the Australian Touring Team played for the home side, on this occasion the guests being W L Murdoch again and F R Spofforth. Murdoch at the time was widely regarded as the best batsman in the world after W G Grace and Spofforth the best fast bowler. He wrought havoc wherever he played and to make matters worse, the pitch on this occasion was affected by rain. Bexley led on the first innings (46 to 23) but in the second innings were all out for 7, Spofforth returning the amazing analysis of 7 wickets for 2 runs in 27 balls. Orleans knocked off the runs to win by 8 wickets. For Bexley
W E Roller, a Surrey player, was the most successful bowler, with 6 for 14, but Horner
again had the distinguished scalp of Murdoch in each innings, for 1 and 0. The full score is given in Appendix 1.
A month later, Bexley's batsmen appeared in a very different light. The match24 was the traditional one against Emeriti. The visitors batted first and scored 131 (M E Fennessy 74 not out, L A Shuter hat trick). Bexley began batting at 2.40 and when stumps were drawn at 6.30 the opening pair were still together, with the score on 402. Of this score, John Shuter had made 304 and Tom Ashdown 62. Shuter gave an easy chance when he had scored 25 but afterwards hit brilliantly and did not give another chance. He hit 8 sixes and 18 fours. In a different way Tom Ashdown's innings also is remarkable; he did not score a single boundary and it is highly unlikely that anyone else has ever taken part in a stand of over 400 runs without doing so. The team score is the highest ever made by Bexley and Shuter's is the highest individual score made in a match involving Bexley. Commemorative silk score cards of the match were printed and one has hung in the pavilion for many years. It is reproduced here.
The remarkable opening partnership is recorded in the 1885 Wisden and Lillywhite. Not surprisingly, John Shuter headed the Bexley batting averages for the year (55). CE Horner headed the bowling averages (56 wickets at 11 runs per wicket), as well as taking 110 wickets for Surrey in the season.
Readers may wonder why Bexley batted on for this huge score rather than declare and give Emeriti another innings. The reason is that until 1889 there were no declarations, and before that date teams often batted on long after it might have seemed more sensible to stop. Bexley were to be made to suffer from this tradition in two matches the following year, 1885.
In the first match39, played at Bexley, Bickley Park scored 391 for 7, the visitors batting throughout the day, without giving Bexley a bat. One wonders whether the players on either side enjoyed the game. This is the highest score ever made by a visiting team. No doubt the Bexley captain wished he had had C E Horner's bowling available that day. However, the long drawn out innings seems not to have created any ill-feeling and the fixture was played the following year and indeed it has been played m most years since.
An even worse fate befell Bexley a month later4°. The match was played at Beckenham, and Bexley, batting first, were bowled out for 77. Going in to bat at 2.30 Wilson and Wyld for Beckenham scored 470 by close of play at 6.30, without being separated. Both batsmen scored double centuries. They were probably consciously chasing the Shuter-Ashdown record stand made the previous year: 470 is the highest score ever made against Bexley. John Shuter played in the match but was bowled for a duck. He probably wished he had been playing for Surrey rather than chasing round the field while this mammoth score was made! The detailed scores of these two disastrous matches for the Bexley bowlers’ are given in Appendix I.
In the match against Beckenham the following year. John Shuter scored 163, no doubt mindful of the drubbing received in 1885.
The Club had a very good season in 1886 winning 10 of the fifteen matches. But sadly, John Shuter played very little cricket for Bexley after this being fully occupied with Surrey.

This chapter began in 1873 with the death of Thomas Dann, Jnr, and the arrival on the scene of the young John Shuter. It ends in 1888 with the death of Thomas Dann, Senior and the selection of John Shuter to play for England. This was in August 1888, when he played in the Oval Test against Australia. No doubt there were many friends from Bexley who saw him walk out to open the innings with Dr W G Grace41. He did reasonably well, scoring 28, but it was to be his only appearance for England. (He had been selected for the previous Test, at Lords, but had had to drop out through "lameness".)
The England wicket keeper in the Oval Test was Harry Wood, who is photographed in the 1866 Colts team. Bexley can thus claim an association with two England players in this Test, although as far as is known Wood did not play any cricket for the senior teams at Bexley. The full score card is given in Appendix 1.
But as 1873 had been the start of a golden age for Bexley cricket, 1888 was the end of it. Astonishingly the Club would be in dire straits in the following year and for a few weeks was in danger of going out of existence.