Editing W. G. Grace (section)

==First-class career==
===Gentlemen v Players===
[[File:W. G. Grace 1872.jpg|thumb|upright|Grace as a young man]]
Having scored 5 and 38 for South Wales in his first match at The Oval,{{sfn|Grace|1891|p=15}} Grace was outstanding in the next match, scoring 170 and 56[[not out|*]] against Gentlemen of Sussex at the [[Royal Brunswick Ground]] in [[Hove]]. The innings of 170 was his first-ever [[century (cricket)|century]] in a serious match.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=23}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/108/108380.html |title=Gentlemen of Sussex v South Wales Cricket Club, 1864 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> The third match, against [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] (MCC) was Grace's debut at Lord's, and he was joined there by EM who had just disembarked from his voyage.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=54}} Grace scored 50 in the first innings, only three days after his sixteenth birthday.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=23}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/108/108382.html |title=MCC v South Wales Cricket Club, 1864 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref>

His name now well known in cricketing circles, Grace played for Gentlemen of the South against Players of the South in June 1865,{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=125}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1377.html |title=Gentlemen of the South v Players of the South, 1865 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> when he was still only 16 but already {{cvt|1.88|m|ftin|order=flip}} tall and weighing {{cvt|11|st|kg}}.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |volume=12 |last=Ford |first=William Justice |author-link=William Justice Ford |wstitle=Grace, William Gilbert |pp=308–309}}</ref> This match is recognised as his [[first-class cricket|first-class debut]].{{efn|name=stats|There has been a statistical issue regarding the perceived status of certain matches that Grace played in before 1890. For example, Grace himself regarded the 1864 South Wales matches as first-class. An accord was reached in 2022 when ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' aligned its statistics with those of other sources. Broadly, the term "first-class" came into common use from around 1864, when [[overarm bowling]] was legalised, and was formally defined as a standard by a meeting at [[Lord's]], in May 1894, of [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] (MCC) and the [[county cricket|county clubs]] which were then competing in the [[County Championship]]. The ruling was effective from the beginning of the [[1895 English cricket season|1895 season]], but pre-1895 matches of the same standard have no ''official'' definition of status because the ruling is not retrospective. However, matches of a similar standard since the beginning of the 1864 season are generally considered to have an ''unofficial'' first-class status.{{sfn|ACS|1982|pp=4–5}}}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/43/First-Class_Matches.html |title=First-class matches played by W. G. Grace (870) |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=28 December 2024}}</ref> Gentlemen of the South, batting first, won the match by an innings and 58 runs. Grace was out, [[stumped]], without scoring but he bowled extremely well and had match figures of 13 for 84 to earn his first selection for the [[Gentlemen v Players]] fixture.{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=125}}

During this period, before the start of [[Test cricket]] in 1877, Gentlemen v Players was the most prestigious fixture in which a player could take part. This is apart from [[North v South]], which was technically a fixture of higher quality given that the [[Amateur status in first-class cricket#Distinction between amateurs and professionals|amateur]] [[Gentlemen cricket team|Gentlemen]] were usually (until Grace took a hand) outclassed by the professional [[Players cricket team|Players]].{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=123}} Grace was to represent the Gentlemen in their matches against the Players from 1865 to 1906. It was he who enabled the amateurs to meet the paid professionals on level terms and to defeat them more often than not. His ability to master [[fast bowling]] was the key factor. Before Grace's debut in the fixture, the Gentlemen had lost 19 consecutive games; of the next 39 games, they won 27 and lost only 4. In seven consecutive innings against the Players from 1871 to 1873, Grace scored 217, 77, 112, 117, 163, 158 and 70.{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=123}} In his whole career, he scored a record 15 centuries in the fixture.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=256–257}}

His 1865 debut for the Gentlemen did not turn the tide as the Players won at The Oval by 118 runs. He had been selected as a bowler and took seven wickets in the match. Batting late in the order, he scored 23 and 12*.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=60–61}} In the second 1865 match, this time at Lord's, the Gentlemen finally ended their losing streak and won by 8 wickets, but it was EM who made the difference with 11 wickets in the match. Even so, Grace made his mark by scoring 34 out of 77/2 in the second innings to steer the Gentlemen to victory.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=61}}

==="The Champion"===
Cricket in the 1860s underwent a revolution with the legalisation of [[overarm bowling]] in June 1864, and Grace himself said it was "no exaggeration to say that, between 1860 and 1870, English cricket passed through its most critical period" with the game in transition, and "it was quite a revolutionary period so far as its rules were concerned".{{sfn|Grace|1899|p=19}} He was still 15 when the 1864 season began and had turned 20 when he began his medical career by enrolling at Bristol Medical School on 7 October 1868.{{sfn|Darwin|1934|p=39}} During those five seasons, and especially in 1866, he became widely recognised as the finest cricketer in England. Just after his eighteenth birthday in July 1866, he confirmed his potential with an innings of 224* for [[Non-international England cricket teams|All-England]] against [[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey]] at The Oval.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=60–61}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1453.html |title=Surrey v England, 1866 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> It was his maiden first-class century and, according to [[Harry Altham]], he was "thenceforward the biggest name in cricket and the main spectator attraction with the successes (coming) thick and fast".{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=125}}

Two years later, Grace scored two centuries in a match, only the second time in cricket history that this is known to have been done, following [[William Lambert (cricketer, born 1779)|William Lambert]] in 1817.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=77}} Summarising the 1868 season, Simon Rae wrote that Grace was:{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=78}} 

<blockquote>Now indisputably the cricketer of the age, the Champion.</blockquote>

Grace had numerous nicknames during his career including "The Doctor", after he achieved his medical qualification, and "The Old Man", as he reached the veteran stage. "The Champion" was the most auspicious—in the poem ''[[Cricket poetry|At Lord's]]'' by [[Francis Thompson]], he was hailed as "The Champion of the Centuries".{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=122}} Grace was first acclaimed as the "Champion Cricketer" by ''Lillywhite's Companion'' in recognition of his exploits in 1871.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=34}}

===MCC membership===
Grace became a member of MCC in 1869 after being proposed by the treasurer, Thomas Burgoyne, and seconded by the secretary, [[Robert Allan Fitzgerald]].{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=78–79}} Given an ongoing rift in the sport during the 1860s between the northern professionals and Surrey, MCC feared the loss of its authority should Grace "throw in his lot with the professionals" so it was considered vital for them and their interests to get him onside. As it happens, the dispute was nearly over but it has been said that "MCC regained its authority over the game by hanging onto WG's shirt-tails".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=79}} Grace wore MCC colours for the rest of his career, playing for them on an irregular basis until 1904, and their red and yellow hooped cap became as synonymous with him as his large black beard.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}} He played for MCC on an expenses only basis, but any hopes the club had of keeping him firmly within the amateur ranks would soon be disappointed for his services were much in demand.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}}

Grace scored four centuries in July 1869, including an innings of 180 at The Oval. That was achieved as part of the highest wicket partnership involving Grace in his entire career: he shared 283 runs for the first wicket with [[Bransby Cooper]].{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=80}} Later in the month, Grace scored 122 out of 173 in difficult batting conditions during a North v South match at [[Bramall Lane]], prompting the laconic [[Tom Emmett]] to call him a "nonsuch" (without equal), and declare: "He ought to be made to play with a littler bat".{{sfn|Darwin|1934|p=40}}

===Gloucestershire===
It is generally understood that [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club]] was formally constituted in 1870, having developed from Dr Henry Grace's West Gloucestershire club.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=104}} Gloucestershire acquired first-class status when its team played against Surrey at Durdham Down on 2, 3 and 4 June 1870.{{sfn|Grace|1891|p=15}} With Grace and his brothers EM and Fred playing, Gloucestershire won by 51 runs.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=89–90}} The club soon had one of the best teams in England and was unanimously rated [[Champion County]] in 1876 and 1877, as well as sharing the unofficial title in 1873 and staking a claim for it in 1874.{{sfn|Webber|1958|pp=14–20}} Surrey and Gloucestershire played a return match at The Oval in July 1870, and Gloucestershire won it by an innings and 129 runs. Grace scored 143, sharing a second wicket partnership of 234 with [[Frank Townsend (cricketer, born 1847)|Frank Townsend]], who scored 89.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=94}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1655.html |title=Surrey v Gloucestershire, 1870 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> The Grace family "ran the show" at Gloucestershire and EM was chosen as secretary which, as [[Derek Birley]] pointed out, "put him in charge of expenses, a source of scandal that was to surface before the end of the decade".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}} WG, though aged only 21, was from the start the team captain and Birley put that down to his "commercial drawing power".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}}

Grace, a medical student at the time, was first on the scene in June 1870, when [[George Summers (cricketer)|George Summers]] received the blow on the head that caused his death four days later. This was in the MCC v [[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire]] match at Lord's. Grace was fielding nearby when Summers was struck, and took his pulse. Summers recovered consciousness and Grace advised him to leave the field. Summers did not go to hospital, but it transpired later that his skull had been fractured.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=91–92}} The Lord's pitch had a poor reputation for being rough, uneven, and unpredictable all through the 19th century and many players including Grace considered it dangerous.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=114}}

It was in 1870 that, as Birley put it, Grace "scorned the puny modern fashion of moustaches" and grew the enormous black beard that made him so recognisable.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}} In addition, his "ample girth" had developed for he weighed 15&nbsp;stone (95&nbsp;kg) in his early twenties.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=31}} Grace was a non-smoker but he enjoyed good food and wine; many years later, when discussing the overheads incurred during [[Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield|Lord Sheffield]]'s profitless tour of Australia in 1891–92, [[Arthur Shrewsbury]] commented: "I told you what wine would be drunk by the amateurs; Grace himself would drink enough to swim a ship".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=148}}

===''Annus mirabilis''===
[[File:W. G. Grace and Harry Jupp, 1874.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Grace with [[Harry Jupp]] of Surrey]]
According to Harry Altham, 1871 was Grace's ''[[annus mirabilis]]''.{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=126}} In all first-class matches in 1871, a total of seventeen centuries were scored and Grace accounted for ten of them, including the first in a first-class match at [[Trent Bridge]].{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=99}} He averaged 78.25 runs per [[innings]], and the next best average by a batsman playing more than a single innings was 39.57, barely more than half his figure. His aggregate for the season was 2,739 runs—the first time anyone had scored 2,000 first-class runs in a season—and the next highest was [[Harry Jupp]] with 1,068.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/Seasonal_Averages/ENG/1871_f_Batting_by_Average.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in England for 1871 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref>

Grace produced two outstanding batting performances in the season. Playing for the Single against the Married at Lord's, Grace [[carry the bat|carried his bat]] to score 189*. He and his brother Fred shared a third wicket partnership of 108. The innings was played on a "[[sticky wicket]]" after rain, and many people considered it the finest of Grace's career, though Grace himself disagreed.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=96–97}} He began cautiously and took fifteen minutes to score his first run but then, as Rae put it, he "scored at a cracking pace".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=96}} MCC Secretary [[Harry Perkins]] had no doubts and insisted that it was Grace's greatest-ever performance with rain frequently stopping play and making the wicket at times "unplayable".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=96}} Later, when he represented the South against the North at The Oval, he made his highest career score to date of 268, having been dismissed by [[Jem Shaw]] for nought in the first innings. It was to no avail as the match was drawn, but the occasion produced a memorable and oft-quoted comment by Shaw who ruefully said: "I puts the ball where I likes, and he puts it where he likes".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=97}} 

===The United South and the first overseas tour===
1871 was a great year for Grace on the field, but it was marred by the death of his father in December.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=35}} Grace and his younger brother Fred still lived with their mother, who had been left just enough to retain the family home in Downend.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=102}} As medical students (Fred started his course in the autumn of 1872), the brothers faced considerable outlay in addition to their living expenses, and it became imperative for them to make what they could out of cricket, especially the United South of England Eleven (USEE).{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=102}}

USEE had been formed by [[Ned Willsher]] in 1865 but the [[wikt:heyday|heyday]] of the travelling teams was over and their organisers were desperate to feature new attractions. In 1872, USEE played six matches, including games in [[Edinburgh]] and [[Glasgow]], Grace's first visit to Scotland.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=102–105}} 

The Graces had formally joined the club in 1870, playing for expenses only. As its match organisers, however, they also received wages.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=105}} They had to find gaps in the first-class fixture list and then pull together a team to visit a location where a suitable profit could be made.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=103}} 	It has been estimated that the standard fee paid to the USEE was £100 for a three-day match ({{inflation|UK|300|1872|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) with £5 (£{{inflation|UK|5|1872|r=-2}}) each going to the nine professionals in the team and the other £45 (£{{inflation|UK|45|1872|r=-2}}) to WG and Fred.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=103}} Otherwise, Grace played for expenses but these were loaded as, for example, he is known to have claimed £15 per appearance for Gloucestershire and £20 for representing the Gentlemen.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=103}} To put it in context, a domestic servant earned less than £50 a year.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=104}}

1872 was a wet summer and Grace ended his season in early August so that he could join a tour of North America.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=105}} He made three overseas tours during his career, and this first one was to the United States and Canada with R. A. Fitzgerald's team in August and September 1872.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=45}} All expenses were paid by the Montreal Club who had written to Fitzgerald the previous winter and invited him to form a team. Grace and his all-amateur colleagues made short work of the weak teams they faced.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=122}} The team included two other future England captains in [[A. N. Hornby]], who became a rival of Grace in later years; and the Honourable George Harris, the future [[George Harris, 4th Baron Harris|Lord Harris]], who became a very close friend and a most useful ally. The team met in [[Liverpool]] on 8 August and sailed on the SS ''Sarmatian'', docking at [[Quebec]] on 17 August. Rae recounted that the bond between Grace and Harris was forged by their mutual [[sea-sickness]]. Matches were played in [[Montreal]], [[Ottawa]], [[Toronto]], [[London, Ontario|London]], [[New York City|New York]], [[Philadelphia]], and [[Boston]]. The team sailed back from Quebec on 27 September and arrived at Liverpool on 8 October.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=110–129}} Grace wrote that the tour was "a high point of (his) early years" and he "retained fond memories of it" for the rest of his life, calling it "a prolonged and happy picnic" in his ghost-written ''Reminiscences''.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=110}}

===Towards a county championship===
1873 was the year that some semblance of organisation was brought into county cricket with the introduction of a residence qualification. This was aimed principally at England's outstanding bowler [[James Southerton]] who had been playing for both Surrey and [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex]], having been born in one county and living in the other. Southerton chose to play for his county of residence, Surrey, from then on but remained the country's top bowler. The counties agreed on residence but not on a means of deciding a [[County Championship]] and so the title, known as "Champion County", remained an unofficial award by newspapers until 1890. Grace's Gloucestershire had a very strong claim to this unofficial title in 1873 but consensus was that they shared it with Nottinghamshire. These two did not play each other and both were unbeaten in six matches, though Nottinghamshire won five and Gloucestershire won four.{{sfn|Webber|1958|pp=12–18}}

Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire were due to meet at the end of July, only for a row to erupt after Nottinghamshire requested a change of date. The Gloucestershire committee agreed to the new date, but Grace objected because he had promised to play in a benefit match at Sheffield for Yorkshire's [[Joseph Rowbotham]].{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=130}} The clubs insisted on the change, so the Graces closed ranks and refused to play, and the match was cancelled.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=130–131}} That caused uproar among the Gloucestershire committee, where EM as club secretary found himself defending the family against multiple complaints of "high-handedness". It changed nothing except that the entire committee boycotted the next meeting, so EM recorded himself as sole attendee in the minutes.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=131}}

Grace had another outstanding season on the field in 1873, when he became the first player ever to complete the "[[Double (cricket)|double]]" of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season.{{sfn|Bowen|1970|p=284}} He went on to do the double eight times in all from 1873 to 1886.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=181–182}}

===English cricket dishonoured===
On 9 October 1873, Grace was married to Agnes Nicholls Day (1853–1930), who was the daughter of his first cousin William Day. Two weeks later, they began their honeymoon by taking ship to Australia for [[English cricket team in Australia in 1873–74|Grace's 1873–74 tour]].{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=39–40}} They returned from the tour in May 1874 with Agnes six months pregnant. Their eldest son [[W. G. Grace junior|William Gilbert junior]] (1874–1905) was born on 6 July.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=54}} Grace had to catch up with his studies at Bristol Medical School, and he and his wife and son lived at Downend until February 1875 with his mother, brother Fred and sister Fanny.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=51}}

The English team in Australia was called W. G. Grace's XI. On the morning of their departure from Southampton, Grace responded to well-wishers by saying that his team "had a duty to perform to maintain the honour of English cricket, and to uphold the high character of English cricketers".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=149}} But both his and the team's performances fell well short of this goal. The tour was not a success and the only positive outcome was the fact of it having taken place, ten years after the previous one, as it "gave Australian cricket a much needed fillip".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=188}} Most of the problems lay with Grace himself and his "overbearing personality", which quickly exhausted all personal goodwill towards him. There was also bad feeling within the team itself because Grace, who normally got on well with professional players, enforced the class divide throughout the tour.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=189–190}}

===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}}

===Like a wolf on the fold===
There was speculation that Grace intended to retire before the 1878 season to concentrate on his medical career, but he decided to continue playing cricket and may have been influenced by the arrival of the [[Australian cricket team in England and North America in 1878|first Australian team]] to tour England in May. At Lord's on 27 May, the [[MCC v Australians at Lord's, 27 May 1878|Australians defeated a strong MCC team]], including Grace, by nine wickets in a single day's play.{{sfn|Altham|1962|pp=134–135}}{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=219–222}} According to Chris Harte, news of the match "spread like wildfire and created a sensation in London and throughout England".{{sfn|Harte|1993|p=102}} The satirical magazine ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' responded to it by publishing a parody of [[George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron|Byron's]] poem ''[[The Destruction of Sennacherib]]'', including a wry commentary on Grace's contribution:{{sfn|Altham|1962|p=135}}

{{poemquote|The Australians came down like a wolf on the fold,
The Mary'bone Cracks for a trifle were bowled;
Our Grace before dinner was very soon done,
And Grace after dinner did not get a run.}}

There was bad feeling between Grace and some of the 1878 Australians, especially their manager [[John Conway (cricketer)|John Conway]]; this came to a head on 20 June in a row over the services of Grace's friend [[Billy Midwinter]], an Australian who had played for Gloucestershire in 1877. Midwinter was already in England before the main Australian party arrived and had joined them for their first match in May. On 20 June, Midwinter was at Lord's where he was due to play for the Australians against [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]]. On the same day, the Gloucestershire team was at The Oval to play Surrey but arrived a man short. As a result, a group of Gloucestershire players led by WG and EM went to Lord's and persuaded Midwinter to accompany them back to The Oval and make up their numbers. Possibly, Midwinter was still under contractual obligation to Gloucestershire—the Australian press had reported this before the team embarked.{{sfn|Bowen|1970|p=130}} They were pursued by three of the Australians who caught them at The Oval gates where a furious altercation ensued in front of bystanders. At one point, Grace called the Australians "a damned lot of sneaks" (he later apologised). In the end, Grace got his way and Midwinter stayed with Gloucestershire for the rest of the season.{{sfn|Birley|1999|pp=111–112}} Afterwards, the row was patched up and Gloucestershire invited the Australians to play the county team at [[Clifton College]]—Midwinter, however, did not take part.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=70–72}} The Australians took a measure of revenge and won easily by 10 wickets, with [[Fred Spofforth]] taking 12 wickets and making the top score. It was Gloucestershire's first-ever home defeat.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=72}}

Gloucestershire made their first visit to [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground]] in July 1878 to play [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire]], and this was the match immortalised by Francis Thompson in his idyllic poem ''At Lord's''.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=73}}
	
Despite his troubles in 1878, it was another good season for Grace on the field as he completed a sixth successive double.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=495–496}} But the events at The Oval had a postscript during the following winter when he and EM were called to account by the Gloucestershire membership because of the expenses they had claimed from Surrey for that match, and which Surrey had refused to authorise.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}}

===So-called gentlemen===
[[File:W G Grace and Bobby Abel.png|thumb|upright|''[[Entr'acte (newspaper)|Entr'acte]]'' cartoon: [[Bobby Abel]] to W. G. Grace: "Look here, we players intend to be sufficiently paid, as well as the so-called gentlemen!"]]
At the enquiry in January 1879, WG and EM were forced to answer charges that they had claimed "exorbitant expenses", one of the few times that their money-making activity was seriously challenged.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}} The Graces managed to survive "a protracted and stormy meeting" with EM retaining his key post as club secretary, although he was forced to liaise in future with a new finance committee and abide by stricter rules.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}}

The incident highlighted an ongoing issue about the nominal amateur status of the Grace brothers. The amateur was, by definition, not paid, and the dictum of the amateur-dominated MCC was that "a gentleman ought not to make any profit from playing cricket".{{sfn|Bowen|1970|p=112}} Like all amateur players, they claimed expenses for travel and accommodation to and from cricket matches, but there is plenty of evidence that the Graces made more money from playing than reimbursement of actual expenses, and WG in particular "made more than any professional".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=108}} In his later years he had to pay for a ''[[Locum|locum tenens]]'' to run his medical practice while he was playing cricket; paradoxically, he had a reputation for treating his poorer patients without charging a fee.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=112}} He was paid salaries for his management roles with both the USEE and the [[London County Cricket Club|London County]] club.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=162}} He was the recipient of two national testimonials. The first was presented to him by Lord Fitzhardinge at Lord's on 22 July 1879 in the form of a marble clock, two bronze ornaments and a cheque for [[Pound sterling|£]]1,458  ({{inflation|UK|1458|1879|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}).{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=127}} The second, collected by MCC, the county of Gloucestershire, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' and ''The Sportsman'', amounted to £9,703 ({{inflation|UK|9703|1896|fmt=eq|cursign=£|r=-2}}) and was presented to him in 1896 in appreciation of his "Indian Summer" season of 1895.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=159}}

Whatever criticisms may be made of Grace for making money for himself out of cricket, he was "punctilious in his aid when (professional players) were the beneficiaries".{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=73–74}} For example, he altered the date of a Gloucestershire match so that he could travel to Sheffield and take part in a Yorkshire player's benefit match, knowing full well the impact that his appearance would have on the gate.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=74}} [[John Arlott]] recorded, "it was no uncommon sight to see outside a cricket ground":{{sfn|Arlott|1984|p=6}}

<blockquote>''CRICKET MATCH<br />Admission 6d<br />If W. G. Grace plays<br />Admission 1/–''</blockquote>

On another occasion, when [[Alfred Shaw]]'s benefit match in 1879 was ruined by rain, Grace insisted on donating to Shaw the proceeds of another match that had been arranged to support Grace's own testimonial fund.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=73–74}} 1879 was a wet summer and, after the same thing happened to Ned Willsher's benefit match, Grace took a select team to play Kent a few days later, the proceeds all going to Willsher.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=74}}
	
==="The Doctor"===
Following the 1878 season, Grace was assigned to [[Westminster Hospital Medical School]] for the final practical of his medical qualification, so the family moved back to London and lived at Acton.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=73}} The upheaval was worthwhile because, in November 1879, Grace finally received his diploma from the [[University of Edinburgh]], having qualified as a Licentiate of the [[Royal College of Physicians]] (LRCP) and became a Member of the [[Royal College of Surgeons of England|Royal College of Surgeons]] (MRCS).{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=75}}
	
After qualifying, he worked in his own practice at Thrissle Lodge, 61 Stapleton Road in [[Easton, Bristol|Easton]], a largely poor district of Bristol, employing two [[locum]]s during the cricket season. He was the local Public Vaccinator and had additional duties as the Medical Officer to the Barton Regis Union, which involved tending patients in the [[workhouse]].{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=238}} There are many testimonies from his patients that he was a good doctor, for example: "Poor families knew that they did not need to worry about calling him in, as the bills would never arrive".{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=112}} The family lived at four different addresses close to the practice over the next twenty years, during which their fourth and last child [[Charles Grace|Charles Butler]] was born.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=77}}

With his commitments at Westminster Hospital, Grace missed a large part of the 1879 season and, for the first time since 1869, he did not complete 1,000 runs, though he did take 105 wickets.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=495}} Having qualified, his new practice took priority for the next five years, with the result that his cricket sometimes had to be set aside. For example, he made only thirteen first-class appearances in 1881. He had other troubles including a serious bout of [[mumps]] in 1882. He never topped the seasonal batting averages in the 1880s, and he did not complete 1,000 runs in any of the 1879 to 1882 seasons.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=79}}

[[File:Gloucester cricketclub 1880.jpg|thumb|[[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club]] in 1880 shortly before [[Fred Grace]]'s untimely death. WG is seated front left centre. Fred (hooped cap) is third left in rear group. [[Billy Midwinter]] is fourth left in rear (directly behind WG). [[E. M. Grace]] (bearded) is sixth left in rear.]]
Although the early matches were recognised retrospectively, Test cricket began in 1877 when Grace was already 28. He played for [[England national cricket team|England]] in 22 Tests through the 1880s and 1890s, all of them against [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]]. He was an automatic selection at home, but his only Test-playing tour was to Australia in 1891–92.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=504–505}} Grace made his debut in 1880, scoring England's first-ever Test century with an innings of 154 at The Oval in what is retrospectively recognised as the inaugural Test match in England. His brothers, EM and Fred, were also playing in that match, but Fred died soon afterwards from pneumonia.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=86}}

Grace was badly upset by the early death of Fred, to whom he had been especially close despite their different characters.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=86}} Fred's demise has been seen as a major factor in the subsequent decline of the Gloucestershire team, there being a view that "the county was never quite the same without him".{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=132}} Apart from WG himself, the only players of Fred's calibre at the time were the leading professionals. Unlike the northern and south-eastern counties, Gloucestershire had neither the large home gates nor the necessary funds that could have secured the services of good quality professionals, a new generation of whom was emerging in the likes of [[William Gunn (cricketer)|Billy Gunn]], [[Maurice Read]], and Arthur Shrewsbury. As a result, Gloucestershire fell away in county competition and were no longer a match for Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, or Yorkshire.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=79}}

Grace was one of the England team that lost the "[[The Ashes|Ashes Match]]" at The Oval on 28 and 29 August 1882.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=269–280}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/2/2642.html |title=England v Australia, 1882 |work=CricketArchive |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref> Thanks to Spofforth, who took 14 wickets in the match, Australia won by 7 runs and the legend of ''The Ashes'' was born immediately afterwards. Grace, who scored 4 and 32, has been held responsible for "firing up" Spofforth. This came about through a typical piece of gamesmanship when Grace effected an unsporting, albeit legal, [[run out]] of [[Sammy Jones]].{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=137}}

===Injury problems===
Grace's medical career took priority his cricket career in 1883, and caused him to miss a Gentlemen v Players match for the first time since 1867. Recurring injury problems restricted his appearances in 1884, and it was in July of that year when Lancashire captain A. N. Hornby stopped play in a match at Old Trafford so that EM and WG could return home on receipt of a cable reporting the death of Mrs Martha Grace at the age of 72.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=86}} 

Grace achieved his career-best [[bowling analysis]] of 10/49 when playing for MCC against Oxford University at [[The Parks]] in 1886; and he scored 104 in his only innings to complete a rare "match double". This was the last season in which he took 100 wickets.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=495}}

[[File:W. G. Grace, cricketer, by Herbert Rose Barraud.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Grace by [[Herbert Rose Barraud]], c. late 1880s]]
Playing for Gloucestershire against Yorkshire at Clifton in August 1888, Grace scored two centuries (148 and 153) in the match and, although it ended in a draw, he labelled it "my champion match".{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=89}} He had reduced his bowling somewhat after 1886, and he became an occasional bowler only from 1889. More injury problems, particularly a bad knee, took their toll in the early 1890s and Grace had his worst season in 1891 when he scored no centuries and could only average 19.76.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=495}}

==="A bad loser"===
Despite all these issues, patron Lord Sheffield had no doubts about Grace leading his England team on its 1891–92 [[English cricket team in Australia in 1891–92|1891–92 tour of Australia]]. Grace negotiated a considerable fee of £3,000 for himself, which included travel and accommodation for his wife and their youngest children. This overhead became a financial burden that terminated any chance of the tour returning a profit. In addition, several leading players declined to take part, largely because the offer to each of them was £300—a mere 10% of Grace's fee—"exclusive of alcohol and tobacco".{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=341–342}} The final team was something of a mixed bag and included at least three players who were not Test match standard.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=342}}

Grace's attitude and behaviour on the tour caused bad feeling. He was initially welcomed by the Australian press and public, but he ruined their goodwill by making controversial remarks and failing to control his temper. Australia, led by [[Jack Blackham]], won the first Test at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] by 54 runs. Grace was enraged by the Australian batting tactics as [[Alec Bannerman]] in particular had resorted to "stonewalling" when conditions favoured the bowlers. This worked for Australia as they were able to extend play into a fifth day and were then able to bowl England out.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=351–353}}

In the second Test at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], Grace infuriated the Australians by refusing to allow a [[substitute (cricket)|substitute]] fielder for the injured [[Harry Moses]], who also had to bat without a [[runner (cricket)|runner]]. In addition, Grace angered his own team by some dubious captaincy decisions which eventually cost England both the match and the series. Having been 163 runs behind on first innings, Australia won the match by 72 runs. [[George Lohmann]], who had bowled England into a strong position by taking 8/58 in Australia's first innings, shouted that he would never play under Grace again.{{sfn|Rae|1998||pp=354–359}}

Besides the incidents in the Test matches, Grace disputed a decision by umpire E. J. Briscoe when the tourists played New South Wales. This led to an enquiry which could not be resolved because Grace denied calling Briscoe a cheat.{{sfn|Rae|1998||pp=359–361}} Before the final Test, Grace objected to the appointment of umpire [[Tom Flynn (umpire)|Tom Flynn]], who was widely respected in Australian cricket. Grace was acting out of pique and the result was that two inexperienced umpires stood in the match.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=362}} 

Having won the first two Tests, Australia had taken the series and regained the Ashes. England had a consolation victory in the final Test, thanks to the bowling of [[Johnny Briggs (cricketer)|Johnny Briggs]] who took 6/49 and 6/87. Grace was delighted with that result but the tour had been disastrous, and he would not accept any blame for it.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=363}} Former Australian Test captain [[Tom Horan]], writing as "Felix", summarised the tour by saying:{{sfn|Rae|1998||pp=363–364}}

<blockquote>Grace is a bad loser, and when he lost his temper too (after losing the first two Tests), he kept on losing it right to the finish.</blockquote>

Simon Rae pointed out that Grace at 43 had behaved just as badly as Grace at 25 on his first tour of Australia. He had not learned from his mistakes and "simply repeated them", blithely assuming that he had nothing to apologise for.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=364}}

===An Indian Summer===
Having eventually recovered from his injuries, Grace rallied somewhat to score 1,000 runs each season from 1892 to 1894. Even so, it was against all expectation that he produced in 1895 a season that has been called his "Indian Summer".{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=123}} He completed what was then calculated to be his hundredth century, playing for Gloucestershire against [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset]] in May. [[Charlie Townsend|Charles Townsend]], his batting partner when he reached the milestone, said that as he approached his hundred: "This was the one and only time I ever saw him flustered". Eventually, [[Sammy Woods]] bowled a full toss which Grace drove for four to reach his century.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=384}}

He then went on to score [[1,000 first-class runs before the end of May|1,000 runs in the month]], the first time this had ever been done, with scores of 13, 103, 18, 25, 288, 52, 257, 73*, 18 and 169 totalling 1,016 runs between 9 and 30 May.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=100–101}} His aggregate for the whole season was 2,346 at an average of 51.00 with nine centuries.{{sfn|Webber|1951|p=90}} Grace was aged forty-six at the start of the season. He was the sole recipient of the [[Wisden Cricketers of the Year]] award for 1896, the first of only three times that ''Wisden'' has restricted the award to a single player—there are normally five recipients.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/151670.html |title=Cricketer of the Year – W. G. Grace |work=Wisden Cricketers' Almanack |year=1896 |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref>

Patrick Morrah began his study of cricket's perceived "[[Golden age of cricket|Golden Age]]" with Grace's "Indian Summer" in 1895. Morrah praised Grace's exploits as the "central episode" of what was, in any case, an important season—it began with the elevation of first-class cricket from a popular concept to an official standard.{{efn|name=stats}}{{sfn|Morrah|1967|p=17}}

==="A bit too far away"===
[[File:England v Australia 1899.jpg|left|thumb|[[England national cricket team|England]]'s team in Grace's final Test at [[Trent Bridge]] in 1899. Back row: [[Dick Barlow]] (umpire), [[Tom Hayward]], [[George Hirst]], [[William Gunn (cricketer)|Billy Gunn]], [[J. T. Hearne]] (12th man), [[Bill Storer]] (wkt kpr), [[Bill Brockwell]], V. A. Titchmarsh (umpire). Middle row: [[C. B. Fry]], [[K. S. Ranjitsinhji]], W. G. Grace (captain), [[Stanley Jackson (cricketer)|Stanley Jackson]]. Front row: [[Wilfred Rhodes]], [[Johnny Tyldesley]].]]
By the time of his fiftieth birthday in July 1898, Grace had developed a somewhat corpulent figure and had lost his former agility, which meant he was no longer a competent fielder. He remained a very good batsman and at need a useful slow bowler, but he was clearly entering the twilight of his career and was now generally referred to as "The Old Man".{{sfn|Frith|1978|p=1}} As a special occasion, the MCC committee arranged the 1898 Gentlemen v Players match to coincide with his fiftieth birthday and he celebrated the event by scoring 43 and 31*, though handicapped by lameness and an injured hand.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=129}}

During the [[1899 English cricket season|1899 season]], Grace received an invitation from the [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace Company]] in London to help them form London County Cricket Club. He accepted to became the club's secretary, manager, and captain with an annual salary of £600.{{sfn|Birley|1999|p=162}}

Grace captained England in the first Test of the 1899 series against Australia at Trent Bridge, when he was 51. By this time his bulk had made him a liability in the field and, afterwards, realising his limitations all too clearly, he decided to stand down and surrendered both his place and the captaincy to [[Archie MacLaren]].{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=45}} It is evident that Grace "plotted" his own omission from the England team by asking [[C. B. Fry]], another selector who had arrived late for their meeting, if he thought that MacLaren should play in the Second Test. Fry answered: "Yes, I do". "That settles it", said Grace, and he promptly retired from international cricket.{{sfn|Frith|1978|pp=14–15}} Explaining his decision later, Grace ruefully admitted of his diminished fielding skills that "the ground was getting a bit too far away".<ref>{{cite book |title=Barclays World of Cricket, 3rd edition |editor-last=Swanton |editor-first=E. W. |publisher=Willow Books |year=1986 |pages=181–182}}</ref>

==="The Old Man"===
[[File:Gents-v-Players-1899.jpg|thumb|Gentlemen, captained by W. G. Grace, ''versus'' Players, Lords 1899]]
After leaving Gloucestershire, the Graces lived in [[Mottingham]], a south-east London suburb, not far from [[Crystal Palace Park]] where he played for London County, or from Eltham, where he played [[club cricket]] in his sixties. A [[blue plaque]] marks their residence, Fairmount, in Mottingham Lane.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=146}} Grace and his wife suffered two tragic losses in this period. First, the loss of their daughter Bessie in 1899, aged only 20, from [[typhoid]]. She had been Grace's favourite child.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=127}} Then, in February 1905, their eldest son WG junior died of [[appendicitis]] at the age of 30.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=140}}

London County played first-class matches from 1900 to 1904.{{sfn|Gibson|1989|p=57}} Grace's presence initially attracted other leading players into the team, including C. B. Fry, [[K. S. Ranjitsinhji]], and [[Johnny Douglas]], but the increased importance of the County Championship, combined with Grace's inevitable decline in form and the lack of a competitive element in London's matches, led to reduced attendances and consequently the club lost money.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|pp=144–146}} Nevertheless, Grace remained an attraction and could still produce good performances. As late as 1902, though aged 54 by the end of the season, he scored 1,187 runs in first-class cricket, with two centuries, at an average of 37.09.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=495}} London's final first-class matches were played in 1904 and the enterprise folded in 1908.{{sfn|Midwinter|1981|p=146}}

With the demise of London County as a first-class team, the number of Grace's appearances dwindled over the next four seasons until he called it a day in 1908. His final appearance for the Gentlemen versus the Players was in July 1906 at The Oval, the match coinciding with his 58th birthday. When he began his second innings, the Gentlemen were expecting defeat but Grace saved the match, which ended in a draw, by scoring a dogged 74 runs. He was given a standing ovation as he left the field.{{sfn|Rae|1998|pp=469–470}} That was his last "big match", but he continued to make occasional first-class appearances until 20–22 April 1908 when he captained the Gentlemen of England against Surrey at The Oval, where, opening the innings, he scored 15 and 25.{{sfn|Rae|1998|p=472}}