Young Mrs. Caudle's Comments..

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 169, 26 September 1903, Page 24

Young Mrs. Caudle's Comments..

M and which is Surrey 9 " asked **"*" men w ith the bats is Middlesex young Mrs. Caudle of her husband, who had taken her to see the cricket match ; "they haven't got any colours on." "Good heavens! You don't think one side plays at one wicket, and the other at the other, do you ?" "I don't think anything— l dont know. I thought you were going to explain." • All the men m the field— that is the eleven men standing about — are Middlesex, and the two men batting are Surrey." ' That's very unfair, eleven men agamst two, isn't it?" 'There are only two in now , but tLeie are nine others to come." 'Nine? And will all the nine la/bats 8 " "Of course. They couldn t play cricket without bats." 'But the men dawdling about ravo> no bats. Why haven't they c " ' Because they are not 'm' , they art fielding — trying to stop the ball. ' ' But that man who is dancing abont, and jumping in the aar — he isn't bryr.g to stop the ball. He's throwing ie as hard as he can at the poor man with the bat." . „ "He's bowling. He's trying 10 hit the wicket. If he hits the wicka, the batsman is out. If the batsman kts the ball, he runs— that is, if he gets a chaaice before the ball is thrown m. "Why does he run— so that the bail shan't hit him." "No. The game is won by runs, liie side that makes the most runs is the winner." "But look, the two men are running. They haven't both hit the ball, have they ?" „ .. "Both hit the ball," groaned Caudle. "Of course not. But watch, and you'll soon pick it up." "Who are those two men with long white coats on, and black trousers ° They don't seem to do much." "They axe the umpires. They are there to be appealed to in case of disputes." "Oh, do they quarrel over cricket, then ?" "Well, of course doubtful points arise sometimes, and there must be someone to give a decision." * * * "Oh, but look! Why are all the cricketers orossing about like that ? " "Because it's an over." "What, already? I thought you said a match lasted three days 9 " "I mean the bowling at one wickrfc is oved. Now the bowling is at the other. I'm trying to put it plainly to you so that you can understand." "I see. But which wicket is it that must be hit for the man with the bat to be out?" "Eh — don't talk for a minute. I want to watch the game." "Who is that man with white leggings on and big gloves, who keeps bobbing up and down behind the wickets?" "That's the wicket-keeper." "Does he keep the wickets, then 3 What a funny think. Are they afraid to leave them lying about?" "No the wicket-keeper is there to — to — . Let me look at the cricket, there's* a dear girl." "But I thought you were going to explain things to me?" "I want to — but — By Jove, he's out!" "Who, the bowler?" "No, the batsman." "Wh • was he out? I didn't see his wicket knocked down." "He was out leg-before." "Out before. Then why did he stop in?" "Out leg-before. His leg was in front of the wicket " "Ought it to have been behind the wicket ? Oh look , the man with the bat's angry. He's walking off the field." '^Because he's out. When you're out you go off the field." And, 100k — the others are all lying down on the grass. How funny." "They are resting till another man comes in." "Fancy a lot of grown-up men lying on the grass, and calling it a game It's like 'Ring a ring of roses, and all fall down.'" "They are tired with running about after the ball. They rest while there is a change of batsmen " » * * "What, are people paid to play cricket? I thought it was a game 9 " "It is the national game. All Englishmen lo\e cricket." "But if they love it why do they want to bo paid for playing it 0 " "You cannot expect poor men to give all their time to the game for nothing. How could the" live 9 " "Then, why don't they only let the people play who can afford to 9 Then you wouldn't have to pay anybody. Does it come out of the taxes?"

By Q. R- Sims.

' Eli ?" 'Who pays the cricketers to play s " Tlie club they belong to." ' Wheie does the club get the money from — the members?" "No, the gate." 'The what?" '"People pay to see a match, that money goes to the club, and out of it the players are paid." "Then you and I are paving the men to play cricket p " "Yes." "And all the people sitting about here are paying the cricketers too ? " "Yes, m a sense." 'It isn't sense. Fancy people paying hundreds and hundreds of pounds for men to hit a ball and run about, wlule there are thousands of hajrdwor king men starving for the want of work. But perhaps, they engage some of the unemployed. Do they ? " ' No, tlie unemployed are not professional cricketers ; if they were, they wouldn't be unemployed." "Oh, look ; there's a little telegraph boy running out on to the field. Is he going to play?" "No , he has a telegram for one of the players. They always have telegrams. Perhaps, it is for the captain." "Captain ' Are they military men playing then?" '"No", each eleven has its captain. That's the Middlesex oaptam — the wic-ket-keeper." "And where's the Surrey cap-din, then?" ' He's in the pavilion." "But that's not; fair. If one capta'n beeps one wicket the other ought to keep the other. — "Men and Women."