Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-07-28
THE BIRTH OF CRICKET,
Cricketers and Our Little Tip Cat Whack.
ers Are Really Rrothers.


crs Are Really BROTHERS.
According TO the best authorities,
cricket is a combination of hockey,
bat and ball, FOUNDERS and tip cat,
Mr.. Billiards. theory being that when
tip cat was played 200 years ago it
vas known as cross wicket. and the
PLAYERS consisted of eleven a side, with
a notcher or scorer, and that when
the cat was hit away the strikers ran
a. now, the runs counting toward
game. Afterward a ball was substi-
tuted for the cat, and the name
changed, or rather shortened from
cross wicket 10 cricket" Ina pic
ture OF a match played in l743 the
game seems TO have been in the tran
STORY state, the popping hole, a rem
nant OF FOUNDERS, being shown under
the hurdle wicket, and, in reality,
was the original of the popping creaS
The wicket then was simply two up.
right sticks with another piece Of
wood, or bail, Oh top Of them. In the
picture the wicket keeper occupies the
same place as he does now in a cricket
match. and allowing for the then
shorter stumps. stands in the same po-
sition Of lively watchfulneSs. The
batsman is handling a club bat, obyi-
ously a compromise between a hockey
stick and a tip cat bat The bowling
appears 10 consist iu trundling the
ball along the ground, and from the
near position of the scorer TO the
wicket, and the manner in which the
fielders stand, OFF hitting was un-
known at that time. There is only
one account existing OF an eleven
aside match in that era. that Of Kent
VS.. All England in TAG, which, how
ever, goes 10 prove that in It's chief de-
tails the game WAS contested under
much the same conditions as at present.
1t il, however. an open question
whether the county of Surrey, Sus-
sex OF Kent has tie most right TO be
considered the nursery of the national
game ~ England, though undoubted-
ly the Eat and Ball inn, about two
miles from llambiUaon in Sussex, has
most clam 10 the title of being the
cradle Of cricket. This old house
stands on a level cxpansc of ground,
where two cross roads meet, and out
wardly-at least "A few years back
presented much the same appearance
as it did $50 years ago.
Between lT,5 and l7S0 a middle
stump was introduced, when a newer
style Of playing the game came into
yUguc-tIat is to say, in addition 10
the ,hird stump other changes were
taking place. notably In the bats or
clahs, which gradually became
straighter and wider IN shape. This
continued until 1910, by which time
the cricietS bats altered IN form to
what they are at present. Nearly
everything else, such rs the bowling
distance, placing Of the iclders, APP
pointmcnt of umpires, etc, were
gradually introduced as well, tue only
difference being in the costumes Of
the players.
At the early part Of the present cen.
fury the cricketer's dress consisted Of
breeches, silk stockings, lace up iron
tip shoes. fancy colored shirts and
jockey caps-at least that was the uni
form worn by the famous Hambledon
club, which at first helped TO spread
such a luster over this d~eservedly
popular pastime. II is now over a
hundred years ago Q7S0) since the
historical match was played between
Hambledon and All England, in front
Of the Bat aud Bail inn we have al
ready referred TO, at which il has been
alleged that the famous old player,
Willie Baldham, known far and wide
as Silver Billy, took part-thougb, ac-
cording totho best authorities, hecould
not have been much more than IA
years old, but they began young in
those days, for boys Of Is fought at
Waterloo. Licensed Victuallers' Ca
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