CURIOSITIES OF CRICKET.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1764, 25 October 1883, Page 3

CURIOSITIES OF CRICKET.

Cbickkt itself is a curiosity to most foreigner, French, Spanish, and Portuguese Writers, besides those of other countries, have described it with bewildering vagueness and misleading exaggerations. A Spaniard, who desired to make his fellow-countrymen familiar with the game, said: — "Two posts are placed at a great distance fiom one another. The player close to one of these posts throws a largo ball to the other party, who awaits the ball, to send it far with a small stick witii which he is aimed ; the other playeis then run to look for the ball, and while the search is going on, the party who struck it luns incessantly from post to post." Tins is only part of the description ; but the icbt is much like it. If we did uot know that cricket was the subject of the sketch, we should think the writer was explainii q some game with which we arc not familiar in this country. But cricket bus its curiosities, and scarcely a season passes without something happening which adds to the list of novelties. The ftoutispiecc to Parry's ''Second Voyage in Seal eh of a North-wedt Passage " represents a, ci icket match being played on the ice between ,the crews ot the Hecla and Fury. This was in March, 1823. a month when it is not customary to play cricket in England. Cricket has also been played where grass would not grow, and wheie hand or gravel has been a substitute for the green turf which the cricketer loves. It must have beeu very hot in Hong Kong in October, 1874, when, dining a match, the middle stump was bowled out, but the t\\ o bails remained in their original position. The varnish had glued the bails together. This has happened even in milder latitudes. Matches between women arc not very common, but a nnniof them have been played. '1 hoy have generally been either for sums ot money or on behalf ot public chanties. In 18213 - a match was played in Noiiolk between eleven mariied women and eleven single •ones. The stakes were a pair of gloves each ; the married ones won Among peculiar sides the family ele\ ens may bo mentioned. .Some iamilies aie \ery famous for their cricketing abilities, but it does not otten happen that eleven of their membeis aie picpaied to take the h'uld against opponents In 1867 eleven ot Loid Lyttel ton's family played the Bromsgrovc Giammar School. The lamily was victorious by ton wickets. The Ciusars, tho Lubbooks, and others with well-known names, have played family matches. At one time the iumous B. Ele\ en wei cable to meet the best ot England. These playeis all had names which began with B. Fiom 1805 to 18,37 twelve matches wcie played by the Bs. Players came and players went, but the pie-eminence of the celebiated initial continued. Such names as Beaucleik. Budd, 8.-ldham, Beaglcy, and Bioadbridge, will suggest the strength of the side. When matches weie played for money, bingic w icket was far more com lion that H is now. .Sometimes a celebrated player would have two or three opponents, and occasionally one nia;\ would play an Eleven. Tins happened in 18136 at Nottingham, when .S. iledgate met and defeated eleven of the Club. Redgatc made t\\ entyin his two innings ; but the other side made only ten. riuue have been many expedients) tucd for the puipose of equalising the ehantes of two sides, when one set ot playeis were known to be superior to the others. Matches against odds are well known. At one time the All England Eleven were constantly meeting eighteens and twenty-twos. This custom is fast passing away. County cricket is taking it-, place. In the year IS.'?4, a no\el cvpuhent was tucd at Nottingham. Elo\ en of that town met thuteen ot Bmgham. Nottingham was to have the oidiiiuiy two innings, and Bmgham was to lu\e four. Nottingham won by eight wickets. It is said that this and the i etui n match weie the only ones e\er placed in which the oddi weie four innings to two. Some jeais ago tilde wi'it two wandeiiiig Elevens consisting of one ,u med and one-lcgL'ed nun. The ia at match between cncketcib ot this kind took place in 181 1. It was foi 1000 guui'ii!:, and all the men weie puiMoneis ot (iiccnwiih Hospital. The one aim side won. ll\e opponents weie continually hi diking oi losing their wooden suppoits. Sometimes the matches tor money weie genuine ; but fieipu'iitly the money was only pictcndcd to be staked, in oidi-r to incicasc the interest in the public mind. Old advertisements ot ci icket matches often state that a gieat deal of money depends upon the game. It was thought that plajers would be more likely to ilo their best if they were playing for money. This, however, was agi eat mistake. Matches ate new contested as keenly as possible, when nothing but honour is played for. At the piesent time Left aim would have a poor chance against the best Right-arm Eleven which could be put in the field. The Left-aim would do \eiy well for bowling, but the batting would be weak. But the match has been played, and the full strength of the countiy has been divided between the two Elevens. Another distinction between sides is Mariied and Single. The beginning ot the alphabet has been pitted against the hitter part — Ato X against Lto Z. Dm ing the last few yeais a good match wat made bet'veen Over thuty and Under thiity. In 1810 a similar match was played, but it was between Over thirty-eight and Under thirty-eight. Single counties hay c played the lest of England ; just as in the eaily days of cricket a single club would hold its own against eveiybody else. Hambledon against England, with Hambledon victorious, is recorded in the early annals of cricket. The time has gone when any single county is strong enough to contend against all the others. Some wonderful scores have been made at cricket ; but in ISB2 the Oilcans Club beat all previous iccoids. Against Rick ling Giecn they scored 920 in one innings. There ate many cases known in winch nothing has been scored in an innings ; so that it is a record which cannot be beaten. One of the highest individual innings ever played is that of Mr W. N. Roe, 41.1, for Emmanuel Long Vacation Club against Caius Long Vacation Club, on July 12th, 1881. There are peculiar ways in which a man can be "oaf at cricket. In a match between England and .Sussex, J. Broadbridge threw his bat at an off-ball ; he hit the ball, and was caught. This is uaid to have lost the match for Sussex. Several times it has happened that batsmen have played the ball into their own pockets. Batsmen have been out because their hats or caps fell upon the Wic^eJi 'and knocked the bails off. But jiatetiiWi'have been in as wonderfully as they have, been out. The ball has been -seen to (go between the stumps without removing the bails, and yet when the ball hosueen placed between them it has seemed impossible for this to happen. Bails have been known to be knocked off, and to have fallen back upon the wickets. But this is an event which very seldom happens. A long list of extras does not look well in a oncket score. Some years ago, in a match at Chatham between the Royal Engineers and The Establishment, there were 101 extras. In 1842 the Gentlemen of Kent played the Gentlemen of England at Canterbury, and there were 159 extras in the match. In Australia it is common to adjourn matches over Sunday, and play them out during the following week. This has seldom been done in England. In country matches there is sometimes an adjournment from Saturday to Saturday. But perhaps the longest adjournment over known was at Stoke Down, in Hampshire. A match was commenced on July 23rd, and adjournd after three days' playing to June 28th of the fallowing year,' This was in the last century. One of the most remarkable matches ever played took place at Shillinglee Park in 1843;- On one side were the Earl of WJuterton's Eleven, and thirty-aeven labourers on the other. The Eleven won >y five' wickets. But this match was 'uWoije three years after, when tho same

Eleven contended against fifty • six labourers. This time, however, the match was not finished. — Chamber's Journal.