Cricket 1883

56 CRICKET; A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. APRIL 26 1883. CARTERS’ PERMANENT AND BEAUTIFUL LAWNS. Carters’ Meta LawnSeeds. n Sealed Packets, 1/- 1/6 and 2/6; per bushel, r[30/-. The 1/6 packet will sow 1rod of ground. CARTERS’ GRASS SEEDS FORTENNIS & CRICKET GROUNDS. (As used exclusively at Lord’s and Wimbledon). Per lb. 1 /-; per bushel 2 0 /- ; all carriago free. IMPORTANT FACTS! THE ONLY GOLD MEDAL for Grass Seeds at the Paris Exhibition WAS WON WITH CARTERS’ Grass Seeds. AT THE PARIS EXHIRITION Carters’ Grass Seeds BEAT 13 OTHER ENGLISH and Foreign Competitors. THE ONLY OTHER AWARDS for ENG- LISH GRASS SEEDS at the Paris Exhibition WERE A SILVER AND A BRONZE MEDAL. THE ONLY GOLD MEDAL awarded for ENGLISH GRASS SEED at the SYDNEY EXHIBITION was WON WITH CARTERS’ GRASS SEEDS. THE GOLD MEDAL MELBOURNE EXHI­ BITION! was AWARDED TO CARTERS’ GRASS SEEDS. ^ LAWN— SEE CARTERS ’ PAM P H L E T Gratis and Post Free on application The QUEEN’S SEEDSMEN. By Royal Command to H-R-H, the PRINCE OP WALES. 237 & 238, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON. C R I C K E T 1 L A W N T E N N I S I ! F O O T B A L L ! ! ! F irst P rize M edal at M elbourne E xhibition , 1880. JAMES L I L L YW H I T E , F R O W D * Co. Manufacturers of all articles used in the above and other Athletic Sports. Specialite for the highest class Goods. Bats specially seasoned for hot climates. Price lists and all particulars may be had post free. Shippers supplied at wholesale prices. J. L., F. and Co. are the sole manufacturers of Frowd’s new patent “ Special Driver” Bat, which drives better, ars less, and averages 1J ounces lighter than any other B at; universally allowed to be the greatest improvement made in Bats since cane handles were introduced. Pub­ lishers of JAMES LILLY WHITE’S CRICKETERS’ ANNUAL. Manufactory and Warehouse:— 4 and 6, Newington Causeway, and 78 and 74, London Road, London. UPON APPLYING AT W A R D ’ S ATHLETICWAREHOUSE, Heckmondwike, Yorkshire, The Laws of Rugby and Association Football, Cricket, Lawn Tennis, &c., &c ., will be sent gratis and post free to any address. WARD’ S WAREHOUSE IS THE BEST FOR Footballs, etc,, etc. Send for Samples. NOTICES. C R I C K E T IS PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE, 17, PATERNOSTER SQUARE. LONDON, E.C. It will appear every Thursday morning until September 22nd, aud Monthly from October until April next. C ricket can be had at W . H. Smith and Son’s Book Stalls, and of all Newsagents. The issue of last Thursday (No. 24) was exhausted the same day. No. 26, next Thursday, will canttfin POR­ TRAIT and BIOGRAPHY of Mr. A. G. S t e e l , of Hon. Ivo. Bligh’s Australian Eleven; aud first Portion of HINTS ON CRICKET by Mr. R. A. H. Mitchell. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. C ricket will beforwarded byfirstpost on Thursday moining to any address in Great Britain , on receipt of a Postal Order (not Stamps ) for the amount of the subscription (4«. 8 d. for 21 numbers , up to September 22nd, or up to April next, including six Winter Numbers for 5s. 8 d., with present issue). Post Office Orders and Cheques can be made payable to W . R. W rioht , at the head office, and crossed "London and County, Holborn.” C ricket is registered for transmission abroad and can be sent, postfree, at the regular newspaper rates ofpostage to any part of the world. A few copies of Vol. I. are to be had bound, price Is. 6 d. It contains Portraits and Biographies of all the members of the Australian Team of 1882, “ Cricketers of my Time,’’ by J ohn N yren , and a number o f interest­ ing articles by the best writers on the Game. TO ADVERTISERS. C ricket presents an unequalled medium for announce­ ments in connection with the game, as the circulation is alieady in advance of any newspaper of the kind. The scores of most of the principal Clubs will appear exclusively in its columns, and there is already a large number of sub­ scribers, including most of the leading players of the day. C ricket will be filed, too, for reference in the pavilions of all the principal Clubs, and it will thus appeal directly to every class of cricketer. It is also filed in most of the public libraries of Australia, and numbers among its sub­ scribers cricketers and dealers in cricket materials all over the globe. A limited number of high-class Advertisements will be taken on terms to be obtained of the Manager. For ordinary Advertisements, the charge will be 3/- per inch narrow column. ( E r t d t c t : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1883 SPORTS ON OPEN SPACES. A r e c e n t edict of the Metropolitan Board of Works has caused a considerable amount of perturbation among a ceitain class which uses Blackheath for cricket purposes. For several years some of the principal clubs have been used to mow, roll, and water certain portions of tlie Heath for the purposes of cricket. It is with these rights that the Board has recently expressed its intention to interfere. It has, indeed, through its Parks and Open Spaces Committee, decided to pro­ hibit the preparation of the ground, as is usual in cricket, and it has been stated that it has gone to the extent of threaten­ ing proceedings against persons so preparing the ground. Were such a course of action strictly carried out, it would practically jeopardise the existence of many clubs, who can almost claim a certain vested right on the score of usage. Legally, no doubt, any inter­ ference with the soil is altogether outside the powers of private individuals, or of clubs, and from a strictly legal point of view, the appellants against the decision of the Board of Works have no case. It may fairly be urged, though, that in many open spaces under the control of tlie Government similar privileges have been for years, and are still, granted to cricket clubs, without detriment to the general well-being of those who take advantage of the few open spots now left within easy reach of London for the purposes of recreation. The Board is, it may be con­ ceded, acting well within its powers in refusing to admit the principle of a pre­ scriptive right of any body or individual to what is really the property of the public. At the same time, as for years some particular clubs have been allowed to use certain portions of most of the open spaces round London, without let or hindrance, it is difficult to under­ stand the reason for this new system of remedial legislation. As a matter of strict right the clubs which have been so favoured, have, it must be granted, had no real claim on the pitches they had been allowed to occupy. On the other hand no objection has been lodged against their occupation, on the con­ trary their position has to some degree been admitted by their undisturbed possession. Considerable expense has been necessitated to keep the grounds in order by mowing, watering, and rolling, and much time and labour expended in order to make them as suitable as possible for cricket purposes. In the abstract the objection of the Board of Works to allow the rights of the public to be usurped by any particular section is indefensible, but usage has shown that there is no serious or general complaint to the allotment of a few small portions of London’s open spaces to clubs able and willing to keep them in proper order. As long as the ancient privileges are fairly used, we can hardly see ^he necessity of any prohibitive legislation. The subject is, as we have already stated, one of considerable importance to a large number of cricketers in the neighbour­ hood of London. As was only to be expected, the procedure of the Board has met with considerable opposition in the districts most affected by the recent prohi