Cricket 1901

32 CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. F eb . 28, 1901. if otherwise offered, either umpire t>hall call n >-biU aad it shall not be counted in the over.” In the matter of l.b. w. the proposal of a Cricket correspondent, last October, met with considerable favour. It m ight be amplified to the follow ing extent. Between the popping and bow ling creases, and at right angles to both, tw o “ guard creases ” m ight be marked, commencing respectively at the off and leg stumps. Then, a batsman having either foot planted between the guard creases, and in that position intercepting the ball with his person should be out l.b.w , irrespective of the line of the ball’s flight. But if hit, whilst standing clear on the leg side of the creases, a leg-bye should be awarded without running. These creases would certainly not be prejudicial to the bowler, they would obviate the giving of guard, and they would afford the umpire an unfailing index in giving his decision; for, if the batsman shifted his position after an appeal for leg before, he could not com ­ plain of any inference that m ight be drawn. The new law, too, while penal­ izing the bowler who, inadvertently or otherwise, occasionally drops one on the body of his opponent, would assist the man who bowls at the wicket by giving him a fair sight of his mark. This alteration should go a long way to­ wards restoring that equilibrium between attack and defence, which a veteran from the School on the H ill so strenuously contends for. Personally, I think he has right on his side. I am not enamoured of lon g scoring. Anything over 300 is a good total, and I cannot concede that a side which puts on 700 runs in one inniogs is the superior of that which scores 600 in two, and has evidently the capability of reversing the positions. I should certainly like to see the length of scores (not necessarily the rate of scoring) diminish, and if the near future proves that im ­ proved pitches, and not extraordinary conditions of climate, have been the occasion of their growth I should be inclined to favour a narrowing of the bat t ) counteract them. For, after all, a stroke from the edgs of the bat is not what the striker intends, and, therefore, when it comes off takes something of an inequitable advantage of the bowler. Another reform, that slow play and drawn games m ight hereafter render advisable, would be to put a maximum limit to the number of overs in an innings. Thus, a side which was not disposed of inside (say) 100 overs would have its innings compulsorily closed. This would ensure the brightest batsmen going in early, and the stickers doing some­ thing more than merely trying to play out time. It would also abolish that subservience to the clock which strikes one as being, nowadays, a bit overdone. Captains would know, at every stage of a game, the outside number of balls that would, or could, be necessary to complete it and, in case of interruption by the weather, would be able to “ cut their cloth ” accordingly, arranging for early starts or late adjournments, in order to bring about a definite decision, without any real extension of the play-time originally settled upon. Wasting tactics would thereby be discounted, and, on the last day, only the winning stroke, the final over, or the umpire’s decision against the light would close the match. Some of these ideas are, avowedly, un­ ripe for legislation just yet, and perhaps will never be needed, but all of them seem worthy of consideration, and I should like to see the County Captains sitting in quest upon them all. Laws which served “ in and about 1850” are not necessarily the best adapted to re­ gulate a game whose conditions have altered to the heart harrowing extent which “ an old p o e t” so eloquently de­ plores. And, therefore, though I am no change-lover for the sake of novelty— in fact, in the matter of the Champion­ ship, which does call nrgently for re­ organisation, I am so crusted a tory as to advocate reversion to an older method of scoring,—I should like to see a com ­ petent authority set thoroughly about bringing the Laws into line with the altered conditions. Though still the finest game in the world, it would be idle to suppose that there is no room for im ­ provement in cricket. Let those who best know its weakness, then, set about repairing them, and so revise the Laws that tin necessity for further tinkering may cease to distract us. Politics, in any sport, are an abomination, “ The play’s the thing.” If I might without offence, paraphrase the strains of a gentleman whose opinions I have several times referred to, I would conclude by singing, Touch not the Laws for many a day, But, first, make sure they’re fit to stay. Artists in Water Color and Oil. Artists in Crayon and Miniature Painters. PHOTOGRAPHERS ROYAL. E . H AW K IN S & COMPANY , 32 & 33, Preston St., Brighton (Under entirely New Management), Still hold their reputation as Cricket Specialists, and with their increased staff of first-class assistants, clients may rely on every attention, while their esteemed orders will be executed in the shortest possible time. NATIVE GU-MO. O E 3T and CHEAPEST MANURE for LAWNS, D CRICKET and TENNIS GROUNDS and all Vegetables, Fruits and Flowers. 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