The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-07-25
THE elRT,4 Or oRIcKEr.
Criuketers and Our Little Tip Cat Whack
ers Are Really Brothers.

Criuketers and Our Little Tip Cat Whack
ers 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 IL
was known as "cross wicket" and the
PLAYERS consisted of eleven side, with
a notcher or scorer, and that when
the cat was hit away the strikers ran
as now, the runs counting toward
game. Afterward a ball was substl-
tuted for the cat, and the name
changed, or rather shortened from
"cross wicket" to Cricket" In pic
ture of a match played i'm 1743 the
game seems to have been in the tran
STORY state, the popping hole, rem
nant of FOUNDERS, being shown under
the hurdle wicket, and, In reality,
was the original of the popping crease.
| The wicket then was simply two up
right sticks with another piece of
wood. or bail, on 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-
| SILlOn OF lively NdLIlAl NIh~.o7'
batsman is handling "A club bat, obvI-
ously compromise between hockey
stick and tip cat bat. The bowling
appears to consist In trundllng the
ball along the ground, and from the
near position of the scorer TO the
wicket and the manner in which the
(ielders stand, off hitting was un-
known at that time. There Is only
| Of
aside match in that era, that OF Kent
VS.. All England in 1746, which, how
ever, goes to prove that III It's chlel de-
tails the game was contested uhdef
much the same conditions as at present.
It is, however, an open question
whether the county of Surrey, Sus-
sex or Kent has the most right 10 DC
considered the nursery of the national
game in England, though undoubtcd'
" the Bat and Ball inn, about two
miles from Hambledon i'll Sussex, has
most claim TO the title OF being ths
, cradle of cricket This old house
stands on level expanse OF ground
, | where two cross roads meet, ana out
! | wardly-at least a few years back
, presented much the same appearance
I as it did $50 years ago.
! Between 1775 and 1850 middle
! stump was introduced, when a newer
! style of playing the game came int
q vogue-that is to say, in addition Z
! the third stump other changes wer'
taking place, notably in the bats o
!. clubs, which gradually becam
!, straightcr and wider In shape; Thi
continued until 1910, by which tim
i the crickets bats altered in form Z
what they are at present Ncarl.
= everything else, such as the bowlNi
= distance, placing of the fielderS al
p pointment of umpires, etc, wer
. GRADUALLY introduced as well, the onl
- difference being in the costumes @
a the players.
4 At tho early part of the present cer
4 turv the cricketer's dress consisted c
n brooches, silk stockings, lace up iro
- tin shoes. fancy colored shirts an
v Jockey caps-at least that was the un
= form worn by the famous Hambledo
l. club. which at first helped to sprea
:, such a luster over this deserved
- popular pastime. It Is now over
,s hundred years ago Q780 since Il
h historical match was played betwee
- Hambledon and All England, Ia frol
:, OF tho Bat and Ball inn we have a
re ready referred to, at which it has bee
IA alleged that the famous old playe
m Willie Baldham, known far and wiz
b. as Silver Billy, took part-though, a
"a cording to the best authorities, he cou
e not have been much more than
ye years old, but they began young
va those days, for boys Of 10 fought
Waterloo. Victuallers' g
zette.