The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-08-12 00:00:00

" liar was the prettiest fellow,
At foot-ball, or at cricket."

And Byron, who with his glowing and muscular genius
could give verse and life even to things which he was
physically debarred from enjoying, says,—
" Flush'd with his rays beneath the noontide Inn,
In rival hands, between the wiokets run ;
Drive o'er the sward the ball with active force,
I Or chase with Limble feet its rapid course."
I Well then, having proved to the satisfaction ak least
of true lovers of cricket, that. this noble pastime is not
1 • thing of yesterday, (even if It were, tke fact would
detract nothing from its merit* on first prtodrled,)

that our cheery friends of sixty years may have enjoyed
it in their boy-day had they had their eye teeth keen
set, we note with admiration the perfection to which it
has now attained, observing en passant that the charm
of it is this, that to the small tyro who Con iicarcely
hold up the big bit, and hardly top the stumps in rear
of him, the game is as (oscillating as to the skilful and
scientific playel who plsytt "with his manhood all a-
blaze," and would almost as soon suffer crucifixion as
see his bails fly before his eye was in. We have no in-
tention in this note to say anything, as the rules and
lass of cricket are all pretty well understood. In
every game played there arc men, or boys, more or
less keen upon those points, and generally pretty correct
in their vhwe, and to these the young player should
listen, and of them learn. A practical lesson, it. ail
practical exercises, being of far greater value to the
tyro than the most elaborate theory. But just here we
most observe, what every good man at cricket will
support us is that there are members in every club
who are of little or no use to cricket. We do not speak
of honorary members, who generously come forward to
share the expense from the pure desire of helping their
young friends "over the stile," to these members all
honour is doe; but we allude to the youngster, the
"young man" in his own pleasant view of himself, but
younger than he thinks, who is aggrieved if lie does
not play in a match, and when he does he is sure to
hitch the whole business. Men or boys, who only pro-
fess to love cricket because the game is fashionable, may
partake of the exercise as little or as touch as the fancy
of the hour dispose them to. but they should be careful
not to stand in the way of the true cricketer when real
work is to be done. Many a match has been lost in
these days of scientific' antagonism, not through the
wretched inattention of the young gentleman who
affects cricket, yet hardly condescends to bend his taper
waist to pick up a ball, and "ohi I ha's" it when it rolls
by, but because such indifference has so irritated the
really good fielders, and rendered them so nervous, or
has compelled them to work so energetically to make
up for the young gentleman's want of spirit, that when
their time comes for steadiness of nerve, and correct-
hen of eye, they just miss these requirements, and to
their own disgust, "the willow cuts the air instead of
the hall," and fifty minutes short of their hour
you see their wickets fall." There is one
point in connection with cricket which in small
clubs, and in country districts should be corrected, if
correction is necessary, in order that the best may be
toads out of the material they have to work with. We
allude to the system, or want of system, when at prac-
tise amongst themselves. This is generally peiformed
in a hurry-skurry, or indifferent and careless manner.
The necessity of drilling men to their points and posts
seems to be ignored. The young gentleman is allowed
to stand how he likes, and the keen player at matches
assumes an air of tedium according to his likings, and
also takes to his pipe, and looks like the lazy fellow he
doing his utmost, when energy is required to stimu-
late the rest, to make it appear that sharp play is no
matter—it is only exercise. It would be different if
they were playing in a match. Bee the error of this
commonly-acted-upon, easy-going custom. Not being
used to work together "sharp at practice," they cannot
pat in force the value of its combination, when that
one thing needful—sharp fielding—can alone stave off
defeat at a public match. Therefore the drilling of men
to points and posts in the game, and keenly practising
them, is a sure way of having cricket always, and
through perseverance, standing well in the eyes of
cricketers, even if the batting should chance to be un-
successful. When a loose system of play creeps in in
practicing days, you may be sure the evil will be per-
petuated on match days, not through ignorance or lei'.
fulness of any member of your eleven, but simply
because an indifferent and evil habit has exercimd dur-
ing a moment of obliviousness of the true spirit of the
poeition, its authority. An apology is due to the ex-
perienced and practical cricketer, for going over old
and well-known rules and customs, so essential to
advance cricket to its proper position, but as there are
others who are not experienced Or practised in them, to
whom a matter of fact hint may be of service, we will
trust to the forbearance of the former,trusting in future
notes we shall agree together in some points relative to
batting and bowling.