Cricket 1893

84 CRICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME. APRIL 27, 1893 A NOVEL CB ICKET MATCH. July 18th was a memorable day for the inhabitants of the little village of K ------ •, in co. Mayo, when a team of cricketers (save the mark I) came over from the neighbouring village of D ------ to contest with them for the honours o f cricket. None o f those who were present on that occasion could easily forget i t ; and some, indeed, bear evidence of its having been forcibly, not to say painfully, impressed on the tablets of their memories. For five or six weeks previous to the day in question the rival teams had been assid- ously coached by the interested “ quality ” of the neighbourhood, the village of D ------- being trained under the eye of the rector of the district, aided by the doctor and three young undergraduates of Alma Mater Cantabrigiensis, who happened to be staying at the I)-------Hotel for the purpose of fishing on the local loughs. The champions of K -------were licked into as good cricketing shape as was obtain­ able with such painfully raw materials by a county magistrate, a schoolmaster, and the parish priest—just such a one as Mr. Santley’s famous Father O’Flynn, “ the kindliest c ratur in all Donegal.” In this benighted neighbourhood, which is forty miles from the nearest railway station, cricket was a sport totally un­ known to the peasantry; but the afore­ mentioned noble pioneers o f civilisation had now undertaken to teach the manly game to the simple and unsophisticated peasant of the w est; and it was with the estimable object of bringing the people of the various neighbouring districts into closer relationship wrth each other by introducing the friendly rivalry of cricket among them that our benevolent philan­ thropists undertook the arduous task of teaching the raw idea how to play cricket. W e may judge of the almost hopelessness o f the task, for when the stumps and bats arrived, which had been provided through the beneficence o f the patrons, one of the intelligent denizens of Iv-------remarked to another equally sharp Paddy, on taking up a bat, •*Well, here’s a mighty ‘ quare ’ spade entirely! ” “ Arrah ! not at all, ye fule ! Sure it’s a battening block, it is, anyhow I” While another remarked that it might, perhaps, be as well to let the old crones have an innings! However, notwithstanding numerous absurdities, which arose on each Saturday, the day set apart for practice, the 18th of July came round with our re­ spective teams well wrought up to high pressure o f excitement, but with a scant and hazy notion of the game as it ought to be played. The ground lay about two miles east of K-——, and four west from D -------. The rival teams were on the spot by noonday. The schoolmaster of K------- went down to keep the “ score,” while the rector, the priest, the doctor and ihe university mashers were to be driven down in a waggonette by the magistrate about three o’clock, ’ after partaking of luncheon at the house of the latter. K-------won the toss, and two of their doughtiest ones were sent in. The umpire selected was a large-mouthed, helpless- looking lout, who looked about him in a bewildered sort of way. He had doffed an old rag of a sealskin cap he usually wore, and in its place were a couple of respect­ able-looking “ billy-cocks ’’ belonging to the batsmen who were having their inn­ ings, while on his arms hung their coats. “ Pal-ay,” cried he ; and the game com ­ menced. After a while the batsman contrived to strike the ball as it was passing about a yard and a half to the right o f the wicket. “ That’s you, Tim ! ” shouted the umpire with delight, “ more power to you 1” “ Shut your mouth you omadhawn ! " requested the bowler politely; while amid a hubbub o f voices and clapping of hands a run was scored. Soon a wicket went down. The next man came on the scene smiling, in a way that would imply business. The first ball came, and in his excitement he swung his bat round, striking the wickets and sending the bails on a dual flight in the air. “ O ut! ” was the cry, aud our batsman returned crestfallen to his compeers, who greeted him with ribald jeers and inquiries after the amount of his score. Now sharp remarks began to be passed between the rival teams, which soon became of a personal character. Mean­ while the game proceeded. After each ball that the batsman missed the rival team would jeer, anc. when the ball was successfully struck, and a run resulted, the K -------faction would greet their opponents with derisive yells. Things were beginning to look serious. From a friendly meeting, such as it appeared to be in the commencement, it was rapidly becoming a hostilely-inclined mob. The players lost all interest in the game, regarded as a game, but it became a bitter cause for contention, each party cheering on their own men, and jeering at their opponents with personal and offensive remarks. The climax was reached when Mike Dogherty and Patsy O'Brien occupied the wickets. They had been in for some little time, and neither had scored a single run, the erratic bowling giving them promise that if they did go out it would be a pure accident. Stung by the taunts and jeers of their opponents, they tried hard to make a run. At length Mike tipped the ball and began to run. Patsy was staring vacantly about him, not expecting any running, and waiting for the next “ over.” “ Run, you omadhawn,” roared Mike. “ Bun, ye fule,” yelled the onlookers. Pat woke from his reverie and rushed blindly for the opposite wicket, but almost instantly came into violent collision with Mike. “ H oly turf 1 out o’ the road, you ruffian!” yelled poor Mike. Alas ! too late, the ball was thrown in, and Mike was run o u t; then the ball was thrown to the other end, and Pat also was “ bailed.” Then the row begun. Were they both out or not—was Mike out and not Patsy, or both, or n o t; or what ? The umpire was deferentially appealed to amidst the uproar. “ Faith, how should /k n o w ? ” replied he, with a tremendous grin, “ one of thim ’s out, surety !” “ I t’s not me, any way,” declared Mike, “ it’s that omadhawn there—he stopped me running.” “ Arrah, now, bad 'cess to ye,” returns P a t; “ sure I would not be run­ ning, only for you ; I am not going out, anyway.” The uproar was tremendous. Mike defiantly wielded his bat, and offered to lay out Pat with it. The stumps were draw n; the onlookers, an­ ticipating some “ divarshun,” rushed to the scene with their sticks, and soon a “ shindy ” was in full swing. It was useless to attempt to stay the riot, and at the risk of one’s own precious pate. But suddenly shouts were heard from the adjacent road, and the waggonette waa seen rapidly approachiug, containing the patrons of the sport. The belligerents gradually ceased their fighting, out of sheer shame. The patrons of the game quickly proceeded to the spot, and soon smoothed over the differences o f the players. The priest made an eloquent and amusing speech, as did]also the magis­ trate. The better natures of the peasantry were appealed to, and this, with a true- hearted son of Erin, is seldom in vain. The natural generosity o f the Irish character forbids continued animosity, their passions lie on the surface, and are unsheltered from irritation, and those who are well acquainted with the Irish character never credit it with malignity. Those incon­ sistencies and errors lately brought before our notice so prominently are due not so much to [the passions of that warm­ hearted peasantry as to the wiles and duplicity o f those who are to them in appearance their friends, but who are inwardly their worst enemies. “ A ll’s well that end’s well,” and with cheers and hand-shaking our cricketing friends separated, each to their own village bent, and the swarthy bog-trotters lately bo bellicose and threatening, parted from one another with many expressions o f regard. I fear it will be long befoie cricket will be again ventured on in this neighbour­ hood of combustible temperaments. But when it is, may you and I be there to see! E . W. LETHERHEAD CLUB. May 1—St. John’s Ground, v. St. John’s School May 6—Letherhead, v. St. John’s School May 13—Lsherhsad, v. Preston H3use May 20—W im bledon, v. W imbledon May 22—Epsom, v . Epscm June 3—Reigate, v. Reigate Hill June 10—Letherhead, v. Sutton June 2 —Ockley, v. Ockley June 24—Ewell, v. Ewell July 5—Letherhead, v. Dorking July 15—Letheihead, v. Ne’er-do-W eels July 19—Letherhead,v. Epsom July 22—Sutton, v. Sutton August 1—Leiherhead, v. Gentlemen o f Surrey August 2—Letheihead, v. Reigate Hill August 3—Letherhead, v. Broadwater August 4—Letherhead, v. Old W estminsters August 5—Letherhead, v. M.C.C. August 7—Letherhead. v. W imbledon August 16—Letheihead, v. Ockley August 22—Dorking, v. Dorking S econd E leven M atches . May 22—Letherhead, v. Letherhead Inst. (XV .) June 3—Letherhead. v. Epsom June 17—Letherhead, v. W im bledon July 1—Sutton, v. Sutton July 8—Letherhead, v. Red, W hite and Blue Club July 15—Epsom, v. Epsom July 22—Letherhead, v. Sutton August 19—Letherhead, v. Letherhead Inst (XV.) In a match between the Junior Army and Navy Stores and the Bridging Batt. Royal Engineers, last Saturday, at Aldershot, E . E . Gallagher took all the wickets of the Engi­ neers which fell to the bowlers. His analysis showed 1G overs for 39 runs and 9 wickets. The tenth batsman was run out.