Lord Harris captained the Smokers, and called the toss wrong; the captain of the Non-Smokers, W. G. Grace, opted for his side to bat first. The Smokers team amused the crowd by walking out to field smoking cigarettes. The first three wickets fell for the addition of 38 runs; Grace scored 10, Murdoch got 4 and Bannerman had 22, bringing together Bonnor and Dick Barlow. The pair added 152 runs together, with the Lancashire professional Barlow playing a supporting role to the Australian Bonnor. The latter scored 124 runs, and according to "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack", he batted against Spofforth "with such astonishing freedom." Bonnor hit a six and 16 fours during his innings, which was the only score over 50 in the match. Barlow continued to bat carefully, but was eventually dismissed for 39 by the left-arm spinner Edmund Peate, who claimed six of the final seven wickets to finish with figures of six for 30, and end the Non-Smokers innings on 250.