Cricket 1906

A pril 12, 1906. CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 51 RANDEST lYlADfl. ^ ^ T h e G R A N U L O I mAUL . CO M PLETE S P O R T S CATALOGUE ON APPLICATIO N . B U S S E Y ’s chlass GEO. G. BOSSEY & CO, 36 & 38 , QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, L O N D O N . Manufactory—PECKHAM, S.E. .TIMBER MILLS— E 1 I I S W E H , S U P F O I . K . AGENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD AT THE SIGN OF THE W ICKET. B y F. S. A sh lby -C ooper . CRICKET BATS. In the early days of the game, cricket bats were of an entirely different structure from what they are now. Bowling then was generally fast, and all along the ground, and, in order to meet this kind of attack, batsmen used a weapon which, in size and appearance, bore a strong resemblance to amodern hockey stick. The bat was doubtless of the kind best calculated to oppose the sort of bowling then in vogue, as defence in those far-distant days was an unknown art. The mode of attack and form of the bat combined to favour a short but lively innings; hence, the man possessing the stoutest mascles and the surest eye would generally prove the greatest run-getter. A splendid specimen of these early bats is in the possession of the Surrey Club, and, to an antiquary of the game, is particularly interesting as being the oldest- known to exist. It was presented to the club by Mr. F. M. Buckland, and originally belonged to Mr. John Chitty, of Knaphill. It is inscribed “ J .C., 1729,” and weighs 2 lb. 4 oz. Whether Mr. Chitty was a famous player in his day it is impossible, at this distance of time, to state, for, when he flourished, scores were not preserved, and newspapers had not commenced to record the entirely died out is evident from the state­ ment made by an Australian correspondent in recent issue of Cricket to the effect that— “ At the present time in ‘ small ’ cricket other than Grade, cricket) in Sydney many umpires won’t stand unless they are given a bat so as to ‘ have a strike ’ when a wicket falls.” What a barbaric custom ! The earliest-known bat maker of whom we have any record is Pett, of Sevenoaks. In “ The Early Diary of Frances Burney,” the following letter, written by a Mrs. Rishton, and dated “ June ye 6th, 1773*” isreproduced : Mrs. Risliton begs Miss Burney to buy Mr. Rishton two cricket batts made by Pett, of 7 Oaks. You will get them at any of the great toy shops, the maker’s name always stamp’d upon them. Ask for the very best sort, which cost 4s. or 4s. 6d. each. Let them weigh 4oz. and a quarter, or 4oz. and half each. Send them by the Exeter post coach. Mr. Rishton, according to the authority quoted, was a great cricket-player, though his name does not appear in Scores and Biographies. The above letter is of interest, as it tells us what was the price of bats— “ the very best sort ” —a hundred and thirty years ago. It is evident that the writer—a lady—should have written “ lbs.” instead of “ ozs.” , when alluding to the matter of weight. Old John Small, of Hambledon, was also a famous early bat-maker, and he it was who was responsible for the change effected in its' shape. He invented a bat By kind permission of The Tatlei names of the players constituting even the most important teams of the day. It was this style of bat that the Rev. Henry Venn, a few days before he was ordained, in 1747, so dramatically gave away at the conclusion of a match between Surrey and England. Venn’s biographer has described the incident in the following words:—“ When the game terminated in favour of the side on which he played, he threw down his bat, saying, ‘ Whoever wants a bat, which has done me good service, may take that, as I have no further occasion for it.’ His friends inquir­ ing the reason, he replied, ‘ Because I am to be ordained on Sunday, and I will never have it said of me, “ Well struck, Parson ! ” ’ . . . . He could never be persuaded to play any more.” In those times, as in even far later years, it was con­ sidered scarcely becoming for the clergy to indulge in the game publicly, owing to the fact that important matches were generally advertised as being played for large sums. It is of interest to know that, about the time of Venn’s renouncement of the game—and his bat—Alderman Boydell, the etcher and print- seller, had many shops, but that the best was the sign of “ The Cricket Bat,” in Duke’s Court, St. Martin’s Lane. According to Smith’s “ Life of Nollekens,” this was in 1750. Whilst the game was still practically in its infancy, it was customary for each umpire to have charge of a bat during the course of a match, presumably as a sign of office. That the fashion has not even yet straight in the pod, which enabled him to make his favourite stroke, the draw, with more ease and certainty than formerly.* Over his door-way, at Petersfield, Small placed a board on which was written :— Here lives John Small, Makes bats and balls, Pitches a wicket, plays at cricket With any man in England. As being the first man to make bats with shoulders, Small, quite apart from his skill as a player, deserves an honoured place in the annals of cricket. His innovation proved exceedingly popular, and so quickly did orders come in that he was hardly able to execute them fast enough. It is probable that many of the early players were their own manufacturers. Doubtless the bat as wide as the wicket with which “ Shock ” White, the famous Surrey batsman, once appeared in a match at Ham­ bledon, was the result of his own handi­ work. When this incident occurred there was no restriction as to the width of the bat, but, nevertheless, the Hambledonians meted out summary justice to the Reigate “ crack,” for one of them produced a knife, and the bat was shaved down to reasonable proportions whilst White stood angry by. But, even * It has been repeatedly stated that it was the fine length bowling of David Harris that caused the alteration in the shape of the bat, but, as Harris did not play his first-recorded match until 1782, and the width of the bat is found limited to 4* inches in the Laws of 1774, it is obvious that th3 statement is incorrect.