SOME CURIOSITIES OF CRICKET.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Issue 2538, 2 March 1887, Page 2

SOME CURIOSITIES OF CRICKET.

A writer in the Daily News calls attention to the position of umpirea in . cricket matches. Putting asidmiht county, M.C.C., and other ,impoßant matches in which the umpire commands' the respect due to " a concientibus individual with a thorough knowledge of a vory intricate game," the umpire is often in a very peculiar and' delicate position, His authority'is not always unquestioned, and other considerations than that of unhesitatingly doing his duty have sometimes to be reckoned with. |jj^ The writer gives instances of not? daring to be impartial. The following story is told about a match played at'' Weybridgein 1876 or, 1877:- '

The opposing teams represented Weybridge and a London club, and one of tho prominent members of that' year's Oxford Eleven played for ;the former, He was caught at the wiokots,. first ball, and, without waiting to hear the umpire's—their own—deoision started to walkaway from the wicket, To the intense surpriso of every man on the field, and to none more so than the strikor, the umpiro oallod "not out," The fortunate batsman scored ~ 45 afcerthat and Weybridge : won by'-' 14 runs. Over a confidential glass after the match the Weybridge umpire paid ho "couldn't nowhow haveafforded: to have given he out afore he scored." It is possible to be out in more jteys ; than one at once, sR In 1882, in a match at Mertotya batman skied the ball, which was' *n easy catch for, the wicket' keepeV. -v Seeing this the batsman struck v fieldsman in order to' provent him*reaching the ball; then struckiho ball ' again, it again and? started' to runjthe wicket keo'per,: .succeeded in Patching the ball, and seeing the striker Mt of his ground," put'down'ihe wicket, whilst a. general shout went upof'How's thatl" The gave him out, first ".Obstructing tb-, field," then" Hit the ball'twicefnext " Caught," and last, « Stumped." Here is an account of an> incident which occurred, at the 0,va,1 ia tha course ot th,o year U pp wicket for Surrey. .. •' . Gracewaa'batting >%■ playing a ball forward it got'np; 9 nd' lodged M?. Grace and hkpartner (his cousin r Mr Gilbert) at once':., commenced running' and mighifire

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