W. G. Grace's cricket career (1872 to 1873)

Following his father's death in December 1871, W. G. Grace increased his involvement with the United South of England Eleven (USEE) in order to provide more income for his mother, with whom he and his younger brother Fred were still living. Grace continued to play regularly for Gloucestershire and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and, when required, by the Gentlemen. In the late summer of 1872, he toured North America with a team of players who all had amateur status. In the 1873 season, he performed his first season "double" of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.

Following the death of their father, Grace and his brother Fred still lived with their mother at Downend. Their father had left just enough to maintain the family home but the onus was now on the brothers to increase their earnings from cricket to pay for their medical studies (Fred started his in the autumn of 1872). They achieved this through their involvement as match organisers of the United South of England Eleven (USEE) which played six matches in the 1872 season including games in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Grace's first visit to Scotland.

1872 was a wet summer and Grace ended his season in early August so that he could join the tour of North America. He made 22 first-class appearances, scoring 1,561 runs at 53.82 including 6 centuries with a highest score of 170 not out and taking 27 catches. He took 62 wickets at 11.87 including 9 instances of 5 wickets in an innings, with a best analysis of 8–33, and 3 instances of 10 wickets in a match. He topped the batting averages ahead of John Selby, E.M. Grace, Richard Daft, William Yardley and A.N. Hornby. His nearest challengers among runscorers were Richard Humphrey, Jupp and Lockwood. Grace's 62 wickets placed him 5th in that list, once again well behind the leader Southerton who took 169. James Lillywhite and the two Shaws were also ahead of Grace and just behind him were Emmett and Street. The best average was William McIntyre's 5.65.

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