Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-24
Professional Cricket Playing.

Professional cricket is now a most impor- tant industry. Vast numbers of men make high weekly wages by it during the summer months, and some secure large incomes. The rise and progress of the 'player," as the professional cricketer used to be, and is sometimes still called, becomes therefore an interesting industry. The early history of cricket is involved in some obscurity, but it is certain that some country clubs had been formed moro than one hundred years ago. Some old prints are in existence showing the players in knes-breeches and stockings, and, of course, without pads, and having bats in their hands with curved projection at the bottom on the right hand side, showing that the intention then WAS that the ball should be struck with the bottom of the bat-an idea probably derived from hockey. Sussex and Kent were the cradles of the game, and the laborers and artisans took as much interest in it as the gentlemen games took place on the village green and the clergyman was often, it is said, to be seen playing with his parishioners on Sum- day afternoon. The game was seen to adapt itself well to contests between difer- ent villages and towns, and by and by counties entered the lists. As soon as the games took place at distance it was found that men who lived by their work must be paid, and the clubs then subscribed to pay them, being anxious to bring their best players into the field, whether they were gentlemen or laborers. This, we believe, was the origin of the "player." The pro- fessional bowler-who is engaged by the week as 8 sort of intelligent bowling-ma- chine to give men batting practice-is 8 comparatively recent development. No one will dispute that in county matches the best men ought to play, be they peers or costermongers and, therefore, if it hap pens that the eleven best men in county are all professional that eleven ought to play, but it is the ordinary local club, such as exists in every town, and by the dozen almost in large towns, that we think it is bad policy to play the ground" 1" In these clubs the bowler is the merest hireling he comes for the season at weekly wages, and is in no sense representative of the club. Two clubs playing match are something like two schools or universities playing; they want to see which club turns out the best opponents of the great game. If the object was merely to win the game at all hazards it would be mere question of money; rich club might employ the three best bowlers of the day and win every match but with what result The interest of the contests would cease. It appears to us to be quite right, and indeed necessary, to employ the professional bowler as 8 catapult plus intelligence, to keep batsmen up to the mark, but that the true policy in the inter- ests of the game is to encourage young anna teur bowlers in every way, to get them to practice bowling as they would batting, and to think about it, and to let them bowl in matches, even at the risk of losing them, in order that they may get a proper insight into the ways of batsmen when they are doing their best. and may learn the best means of foiling them. It must be rememberedpthat every professional who plays in 8 club elev- en turns out an amateur, and therefore that the number of gentlemen playing at cricket in the best matches is gradually less as more players are employed.