The Ladies' Guide to Cricket

IN WHICH TUB SHOOTING STAHH’ INNINGS AND MR I.OVHIlV LKOTUUK8 AUK CONTINUED. Mus C hester : “ How slow the next mini is in going in !” L otkk : “ \os, indeed ! By-the-way, two minutes is the time allowed by the rules for each fresh man to come in, but practically t he restriction is not enforced. Ah ! hero comes the cause of delay, no less a personage than Mr Planfaganet Sidon, commonly called Planty. No one has yet seen him play cricket, but he seems to fancy himself an adept, and is a new member of the club. Stanley in his good nature has put him in early to give him a chance of distinguishing himself. Bravo ! Stanley ! that- is a neat draw” * Miss L iston : “ What is a draw please.” L over : “ When a ball is pitched almost straight for the leg stump, a good batsman will often guard his wicket, and yet by a turn of the wrist allow the ball to glance off tiie bat between long-stop (No. 3) and short-leg (No 10.—See Diagram), and thus make an easy single, or more if the bowling be fast. But Planty is about to receive the next ball, so let us watch how he shapes. W e l l ! he has stopped it certainly, but with a dead bat; and dear me ! if the idiot has not picked the ball up with his hand and returned it to the bowler. How’s that P Out , of course. His knowledge of cricket must be slender indeed ; but every evil hath its twin joy ; and his mistake enables me to illustrate the rule against the batsman’s handling the ball while in play—that is, while an ‘ over’ is proceeding.” M rs C hester : “ You spoke of a dead bat just now. What is that?” L over : “ It is a cardinal rule in batting to make the bat hit the ball, and not allow the ball to knock against a motion­ less or dead bat, as the danger of a catch resulting is in the latter case greatly increased. 46—6—0 on the tele­ graph. Some one must come to the rescue or the Shooting Stare will be disgraced. Brunner, I see, is the next man. He is steady and may stick in while Stanley makes runs. The latter has now got his eye in, and is what is called welt set. Well played B nHer! He stopped that dangerous y orJeer (see p. 14j capitally (and makes a single, too) by drop­ ping his bat smartly on the ground as the ball pitched, and so renting it far enough for a run before mid-on (No. 0) could return it. Now Stanley has the last ball of the over. Oh, * ell done! lie lias lifted that half-volley away over the bowler’s h-ad. Mifet Lm us : 1 What is a Imlf-volley, pl JjQ XR: “ A halj-volley is a ball pitched a couple of feet nearer tin bo- hr than a yorker, und is the most delightful CHAPTER IV.