On this day: WG Grace declares on 93 for this special reason
In the 1898 County Championship season, Sussex toured Bristol to face the hosts Gloucestershire. The home team elected to bat first in the 3-day match that began on August 1st. Their skipper WC Grace was dismissed early but the team managed to post 244 following an 81-run partnership for the 10th wicket.
In reply, Sussex ended the day at 101/0 as their openers Charles Fry and Billy Murdoch scored fifties. Fry and Murdoch scored 93 and 60 runs respectively while Francis Marlow struck 77 to take the team total to 364 runs.
Sussex fancied their chances after taking a 120-run first-innings lead. However, Gloucestershire mounted a solid defence with a start of 189/3. However, they collapsed to 248/8 and now the match headed towards a Sussex win. The Gloucestershire captain WG Grace, who demoted himself to No.6, was still at the crease. He and the No.10 batsman Stanley Brown (26*) rescued the team with a big partnership.
Grace’s love for 93!
Their stand ensured the home team avoided the defeat and the game looked all set to end in a draw. Grace stunned one and all when he declared the innings on 341/8 with him batting on 93. There was more than enough time for Grace to complete a hundred before the game officially called off. This sudden declaration set a target of 222 in front of Sussex. The chase lasted 10 overs with the visitors scoring 20 runs without losing a wicket before the match ended in a draw.
It was later revealed that Grace declared when on 93 as it was the only score he had never achieved between 0 and 100 in first-class cricket. By doing so, Grace became the first player in FC cricket to achieve every score between 0 and 100. Interestingly, the 9th wicket partnership between Grace and Brown was also 93 runs. Grace registered the score of 93 once again in 1902 while playing for London County in a university FC match against Cambridge University.
