Editing W. G. Grace (section)

===Gloucestershire the Champion County===
Having toured Australia in the winter of 1873–74, Grace arrived in England on 18 May 1874 and was quickly back into domestic cricket. The [[1874 English cricket season|1874 season]] was very successful for him as he completed a second successive double. Gloucestershire again had a strong claim to the Champion County title although some sources have awarded it to [[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire]], and Grace himself said that it should have gone to [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire]].{{sfn|Webber|1958|p=18}}

Another good season followed in 1875 when he again completed the double with 1,498 runs and 191 wickets, his most successful season as a bowler.{{sfn|Webber|1951|p=133}} The family moved to London in February 1875—after Grace was assigned to [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]]—and lived at [[Earl's Court]], about five miles from the [[City of London|City]].{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=54}} Their second son, [[Henry Grace (Royal Navy officer)|Henry Edgar]], was born there in July 1876.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=59}}

One of the most outstanding phases of Grace's career occurred in the [[1876 English cricket season|1876 season]], beginning with his career highest score of 344 for MCC against [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent]] at the [[St Lawrence Ground]], [[Canterbury]], in August.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=207–208}} Two days after his innings at Canterbury, he made 177 for Gloucestershire against Nottinghamshire, and two days after that 318* for Gloucestershire v Yorkshire, these two innings against counties with exceptionally strong bowling attacks.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=208–209}} Thus, in three consecutive innings, Grace scored 839 runs and was only out twice. His innings of 344 was the first triple century scored in first-class cricket and broke the record for the highest individual score in all classes of cricket, previously held by [[William Ward (cricketer, born 1787)|William Ward]], who had scored 278 in 1820. Ward's record had stood for 56 years and, within a week, Grace bettered it twice.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=40–41}} His 318* against Yorkshire was the record score in county cricket.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=209}}

Gloucestershire were recognised as champions for the third and final time in 1877, largely thanks to another outstanding season by Grace who scored 1,474 runs and took 179 wickets.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=495}} In the autumn of that year, the family moved back to Gloucestershire, where they lived with Grace's elder brother Henry, who was a general practitioner. Grace's studies had reached a crucial point with a theoretical backlog to catch up followed by his final practical session. Agnes became pregnant again at this time and their third child Bessie was born in May 1878.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=67}}