Cricket 1895

S e pt . 1 9 , 1 8 9 5 . CR ICKET: A W E E K L Y RECORD OP THE GAME. 4 21 THE EVOLUT ION OF CR ICKET. Of the making of books there is no end, so we are told on the best of authorities. The supply of cricket histories would appear to be equally interminable, one would have thought that the evolution of cricket had been thoroughly done, in fact, overdone long before this. Still, on the principle of the comic song, which points out that it is not what he says, but the nasty way he says it, the old theme is capable of new expression. And in the article with the title, ‘ ‘ The Evolution of Cricket,” in the Strand Magazine for this month, Mr. Alfred Story tells the old—this not meant as a joke—old story in a pleasant and agreeable style. But—there is generally a reservation—it is a pity that the value of an interesting sketch is to some extent spoiled by blunders which might easily, with a little care, have been prevented. The picture supposed to represent the Oval in 1820 invites the remark that at the time the Oval was a market garden. It was not, indeed, till twenty-five years later that it was converted into a cricket ground. On the same page is another engraving, purporting to be a representation of Lord’s in 1820. Here, again, it only requires a hasty glance to recall that the sketch is a reproduction of the memorable picture by H. W . H. Mason, of the Kent v. Sussex match at Brighton, a picture familiar to cricketers all over the world. The article itself, as we have already said, is very interesting. The following extract will give the result of Mr. Story’s researches on the origin and early days of cricket. ‘ ‘ Much has been written as to the origin of cricket, but, like the games of chess and of cards, its infancy is lost in obscurity. There are many theories as to its origin, some persons being of opinion that it arose out of the ancient game called ‘ stool-ball ’ ; others that it developed from ‘ club-ball,’ a pastime similar to rounders; while a third party regards a northern form of ‘ tip-cat,’ called ‘ cat-and-dog,’ as the undoubted original of the game. There is much to be said in favour of each theory, and perhaps the truth is that in its general evolution cricket took something from each of the above-named pastimes. “ Strutt, in his ‘ Sports and Pastimes ’ (1810), says, ‘ I have been informed that a pastime called *stool-ball ’ is practised to this day in the northern parts of England, which consists simply in setting a stool upon the ground, and one of the players takes his place before it, while his antagonist, standing at a distance, tosses a ball with the intention of striking the stool, and this it is the business of the former to prevent by beating it away with his hand, reckoning one to the game for every stroke of the ball. If, on the contrary, it should be missed by the hand and strike the stool, the players change places.’ In a note, Strutt adds that he believes the player might be caught out. ‘ 4That such a game was played in the north, that is, in the East Riding of York­ shire, so recently as the early fifties, I myself can testify, as I have played it as a child. The game was played, however, not as in our illustration of ‘ stool-ball’ (No. 3), taken from ‘ A Pretty Little Pocket Book ’ (1770) for children, but with the stool lying on its side, so that the ball was bowled at the seat of the stool. It would usually be played in a garden path with a parti-coloured leather ball stuffed with sawdust, which was purchased at the sweet-stuff shop for a half-penny. I do not recollect what the game was called ; but I know the little wooden stools that were used were called ‘ crickets’ (No. 1). They were very different— these crickets—from the more finished and ornamental stools, and were formed of a thick piece of wood, round or square, which constituted the seat, and three or four legs, as the case might be. They may be seen in the houses of the poor, almost any­ where in the north, and are rough, tough, and very durable pieces of furniture, admirably suited for children to play with and knock about. It may be worth while to note, too, that I once saw a nurse-girl improvise a game of ‘ stool-ball’ in a very peculiar way to amuse a little boy. She placed a small foot­ stool, or cricket, upside down, laid a comb across from one leg to another like a wicket- bail, rolled up a rag ball, and gave it to the boy to bowl with, while she defended her odd wicket with a hair-brush. She held the bat until the little bowler knocked down the comb, when she took the ball, and the youngster handled the hair-brush bat. “ Strutt refers to a number of ancient Eoglish games in which a ball was used, as, for instance, goff (or golf), club-ball, trap- ball, and others. Cambuca was the same as goff, the Latin name being applied to it, says Strutt, in the reign cf Edward III., deriving the denomination, no doubt, from the crooked club or bat with which it was played. The bat was also called a ‘ bandy,’ from its being bent, and hence the game in England is fre­ quently called ‘ bandy-ball.’ Strutt gives a drawing of two persons playing at ‘ bandy- ball,’ and the form of the bandy, as used early in the fourteenth century, from an MS. book of prayers, beautifully illuminated and written about that time. “ ‘ Club-ball,’ says Strutt, ‘ was a pastime similar to goff, but clearly distinguished therefrom in an edict of Edward I I I .’ The difference appears to have consisted in the one being played with a curved bat, and the other with a straight one. Strutt gives two en- engravings representing persons playing at club-ball. The first (No. 2), from an MS. in in the Bodleian Library, dated 1344, exhibits a female figure in the action of throwing the ball to a man who elevates his bat to strike it. Behind the woman in the original de­ lineation appear several other figures of both sexes, waiting attentively to catch or stop the ball when returned by the batsman. Strutt’ s other specimen of ‘ club-ball,’ taken from a drawing more ancient than the former, a genealogical roll of the Kings of England of the time of Henry III., in the Royal Library, presents two players only. It does not appear how the game was determined. ‘ ‘ The third game to which cricket is held to have some analogies, and from which it is thought by some to have been derived, was called ‘ cat-and-dog,’ and was formerly played much in the north It is referred to in th6 Badminton ‘ Cricket.’ Two holes were cut at a distance of thirteen yards. At eacn hole stood a player with a club called a ‘ dog.’ A piece of wood, called a ‘ cat,’ 4 in. long by 1 in. in circumference, was tossed to one of the dogmen. His object was to keep the ‘ cat ’ out of the hole. “ There are those who hold that we get single wicket from ‘ club-ball, ’ and double wicket from ‘ tip-cat,’ under its old name of ‘ dog-and-cat,’ and there is much to be said for that view. “ One of the earliest mentions we have of the game of cricket is in Florio’ s ‘ Italian. Dictionary,’ published in 1595, in which we find sgrittare defined as ‘ to make a noise as a cricket; to play cricket-a-wicket and be merry.’ ‘ Cricket-a-wicket ” means cricket at the wicket, Now, Professor Skeat derives the word ‘ cricket’ from the Anglo-Saxon erice , a staff, and et, the diminutive ; hence, a little staff. Can it be that cricket grew originally out of a domestic game, in w'hich children threw a ball at the garden wicket (i.e., gate) while it was defended by a player with a crooked stick or club, a sort of club- ball or rounders ? The question is undoubtedly an interesting one. “ Curiously enough, one of our illustrations (No. 13) is from a small German almanac of 1802, in which the game is designated ‘ Thor- ball.’ The first syllable, ‘ Thor,’ signifies ‘ gate ’ (i e., ‘ wicket ’ ) ; so that the game appears to have made its first appearance in the Fatherland, not as ‘ cricket,’ but as ‘ wicket-ball.’ Note, too, that the earliest wicket was 2ft. in width. “ See the illustration (No. 5) of a boys’ game of cricket from ‘ A Pretty Little Pocket B ook” (1770), though this does not give a fair idea of what the bat had become by this time in politer cricket, as, for instance, in the hands of Royalty, as represented by Prince Adolphus Frederick (No. 6). “ But whether such be the origin of the game or not, it certainly seems to owe some­ thing to ‘ tip-cat.’ In agreement with this view, we have it on the authority of anti­ quaries of the game that the ball was origin­ ally adopted because the cat would not go far enough. The cat was cut down sharper and sharper, until it was at last reduced to a badly-shaped ball, and the first cricket-ball was consequently a wooden one. Another link with ‘ tip-cat ’ is to be found in the fact that, in the game of cricket as originally played, there was a round hole between the stumps, into which the ball had to be placed to put a man out.” H O R N S E Y v . W I L L E S D E N .-P la y e d a t H orn sey on S eptem ber 7. W illesd en . E . B endle, c N ich olls, b B a cm e is te r............. Q-. S h ort, b B acm eister H . Sm ail, b B ryer ... A . O . B reeds, ru n ou t J. B rydone, b B ryer... T . P . B u ll, b B ryer ... A . G . T hom as, b B ryer R . F , B u ll, run ou t ... F . H ow d en , n ot o u t ... A .S .D o m to n , b B ryer P . D u n k ley, b B ry er... B yes ...................... T otal H orn sey . L . H . B acm eister, c B endle, b Sm ail ... N . P . H arrison, b D o m to n ...................... B . F . F u m iss, b D o m ­ ton ........... . ............. W . H . D avis, b B reeds F . O rton, b D orn ton .. D . N im m o, c Sm ail, b D orn ton ...................... H . C ollin gridge, c H ow d en , b B reeds... J . D em psey, c an d b D o m ton ...................... E . F . K in g , n ot o u t ... C . B ryer, b D orn ton .. T . A .N ich olls, b D o r n - ton ................................ B 18, lb 1...................... T otal .............] W e have received the “ Athletic News Football Annual for 1895.” On the cover is a very good portrait of the new secretary to the Association, Mr. F. W . Wall. Of the contents of this wonderful three pennyworth we can only say that they appear to be quite up to their usual level of excellence. Mr. Arthur Budd is to the fore with a militant article on “ The Future of Rugby Football.” Those clubs who will not recognise the rather peculiar amateurism of the Union Committee are mutineers. But possibly the Northern Union will go its way in peace. “ Jonathan Oldbuck,” “ The Bard,” “ Shamrock,” and “ Philistine” contribute their usual well- written papers. “ The Bard,” of course, thinks that Wales ought to have won the International Championship last year, but “ Shamrock” acknowledges Ireland’s down­ fall was merited. “ Vityrus ” gives a capital review of “ English Association Football in Last Season,” and there are portraits of various worthies playing under both codes. The usual statistics and records are given in their wonted accuracy and fulness.