Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-11-07
Doe.,Ick. ON n Cricket oon,ch .

Doeat1Clks n Cricket batch
have heard great deal about the manly
sports Of ''Mcrrie England" and have always
had a great respect for experts in the athletic
games of the Britshers. Cricket has been
specified as game requiring the greatest pos.
Slhe qnlckneSs of eye, aud activity of limb
and have heretofore looked upon it as glori~
Gus sport, full of intense though inucuous ex-
element In my lamh.likc inn0ceuce l have
always, until yesterday, supposed ''crickct" to
be diversion, an amusement pastime a
holiday recreation, and nothing but ocular
demonstration could ever have convinced me
Of my great mistake. Two famous "Elevens"
were to play a match at Hoboken-crack men
on both SideS-hGavy betS-Sporting world all
propheSying great thingS-rcSoved to go-did
so-an disappointed, and l may say, disgust
ed. Cricket is not game, it is popular fall
lacy to suppose it is, but it is a solemn cere-
mOmy periodically performed with the greatest
seriousness by deludcd EngliShmcn who think
they're having fun. Fun y crickctcr has
no more appreciation of genuine fun than a
dead Jackass has Of Il fancy hOrnpipe. Grim
are the crcketerS, and despondng: smiIcless,
detected, Gorlorn and bilious. The Pilgrim
Fathers, holding an out door evening prayer
meeting on a side hill in four feet of snow in
the middle of February, >Sere gay set of Jolly.
dogs compared TO these rueful Cricketing EngS
liShmen out for days pleasure. A New York
murder trial or n Kentucky hanging match,
would be roaring farce by the Sportive TRACES
dy Of these two crack "Elevens.' The Ghost
OF HAmietS father, and the spectre Of tho MUIR
dered BHnquo talking over their private affairs
at midnight by the light Of blue fire, would be
gay and festive scene, when likened to the
HOhOken cricket ground, with match in pro-
greSs. Cricket? we'll, hereafter when want
synonym for all that is intoIcrably dull and
stupid, l shall say, Cricket When want to
n Grand ClimHN of CT1iTitloSS
shall remark, Cricket When desire to say of
some man against whom have mortal grutyc
that he is grim vsagcd, jaundiced mcIancholic,
dismal and fiat, | shall Slmply call him crick-
ctcr, aud then shall dodge. And If any man
accuses me in Il like manner l Shall take out a
warrant for defamation of character and sue
him for nasiciOuSy damaging my reputation to
huge extent.
went TO IIobokcn with Damphool, who al.
though an American is cricketer-I hope
Danphoul may be forgiven, and indeed 1 think
there is salvation in store for hiM, provided he
speedily rcpents of Cricket and takes to base
ball. Damphool told me I would see great
sPOrt-got to the gromnd-bestOwed myself
under n tree while Damphool went to the Club
House to attire ehimSelf-prcsently he appeared
again dressed in white flannel from head TO foot
he had n jockey cap on his head and buckskin
slippers on his foot Just before the game
commenced he tied bedquiIt on each leg and
took their places-the men who were not howlo
ing, all took the same position, with their hands
on their knees, and their chinS elevated at An
angle of 45 degreSs-thcn the umpi,e called out
"Play y-then the boz" Ter, n dishearteDed looking
man, took up the ball, which was as hard as
brick, and throw it with all his might at lugu-
brouS individual with two handed pudding
stick in his grasp, who stood in front of some
little sticks which were stuck in the ground like
an unfinished hen coop.
There were two melancholy bowlers, two
dropping batsman and two unfinished hen coops
when the detected man the ball com.
ing, he made u poke ut it with his pudding
suck, but didn't hit it; then he sadly rested
FROM his laborS, while number Of doiernl men
on the other side wcari!y sought for the ball
then the other bowler with sad cOuntcnancc
threw the ball at the other gloomy batsnan,
who made another dispirited poke at it with
his pudding stick; this time he hit it-thcn he
ran towards the other hen coop, while the man
at that end ran to his hen coop-theu the
marker put down one mark for his sidc-then
they all rested in Responding silence for FIVE
minutes, during which time everybody res
ligiousiy kept mOurhfuEly still expected to
hear some one lead in PRAYER, or begin cx-
hortation, commence reading the funeral
service, some inSpititng thing Of that kind,
but no one volunteered any amusement aud
pretty soon the downcast players resumed the
mysteries of crIcket-there was. more throwing
at the hen coops,-and pretty soon one was
knocked dOwu--then the batsmau who had
ought to have stood before it and stopped the
ball with the bedquiIts on his legs was declared
TO be "out"-then he retired discomftted, while
the rest of his elcvenIsc up dismal groan.
Then Damphool went in and took the pud-
g.Stick--than the grave men threw the ball
at Damphool-D DamptooI poked it manfulIy-
then he run for the other .hencOop, and the man
who presided at the other pudding stick run for
his hencood-the bedqnts on DamPhcols legs
iuterfered with his speed, and he didn't get
along very fast-so the man pensively took the
ball aud knocked down Damphool's hencoop-
then Damphool was out. They pcrseyered in
Til, inc.,lnritv until snnSet. ST ,rllch tie In