The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-17

panion in comic amaZement Miss Ella
Heather, a sister of Miss Ada, who is, per-
haps, the best girl bowler, was delivering
the balls with an over-arm motion at
moderate pace and variable pitch. soms OF
them being, as the critic beside me pro-
nounced in slow wonder, Every nasty to
negotiate, really now" Another of
his ecomlums was to the effect
that Miss Heather got a lot of
break on her balls. hadn't much
notion what he meant by it, cricket being
about as blind to an outsider as base ball,
but Miss Westbrooke hit capitally and, in
spite or her small slZe-she is a glowing
brunette and about the lightest and slightest
OF the cricketers-proved herself no mean
antagonist All the Reds played steadily
aud well, contributing TO tie run getting
until Miss Stanley began to bowl The cap
tain Of the Blues is a left-handed, over-arm
bowler and an extremely bright, pretty
looking girl. whose clever work so wrought
| upon the sympathies of my nelghbor tuat
he fairly went into ecstasies of sympathetic
excitement when she bowled three batsman
in three successive balls. "Bah Jovew he
| said-your true Engiishman even when
| excited is slow-"if she hasn't brought off
the hat trick. most wonderful. most wonder
full"
He repeated his "most wonderful" until
his calm, even excitement became almost
more interesting than the game. Subsequent
inquiry has taught me that the hat trick
has been brought off by one woman only
before Miss Stanley, Miss Major accom-
plishing the feat In 1885, so that the pretty
captains performance was q coming up to
the record, and as such worthy OF applause.
There were cheers from the crowd, which
up tn this time had divided its appreciation
pretty evenly between the Reds and Blues
In the first inning the Reds made ia, Miss
Westbrooke herself getting 49, The Blues
then went the bat, the Reds taking the field.
Miss Stanley and Miss Moss started the
batting, and SO stanchly did they keep
their wickets up that the score ran UP to
As before, in an unlucky moment, Miss
Stanley was bowled. Miss Moss still held
her position and got run after run, securing
two threes, one two and long score of
singles, to the admiration Of my neighbor-
ing cricket barometer, who rose to fair
weather" and then to Settled fair" and
| allowed the little newspaper reporter to
bask in sunshine and approval. Miss Moss
he pronounced ''delced plucky," and as
to the fielding he allowed that it showed
''coolness' and ''nerve" There began
to be wagers on the issue, and judged that
that there were tourists about me, OF else
that Old England was rapidly becoming
AmerlcaniZed when l heard talk of ices and
bonbons in room of gloves from the forest
| of parasols. They wanted twelve runs to
| tie and thirteen to win. and there were but
| two wickets to fall Miss Moss was batting,
I aud she had a score of forty-six to her
credit. the longest string of the day. ''Wnl
| she get flfty~ asked the wilderness of girls
| in sailor hat and natty shirts, who had
suddenly exalted her to the pedestal of an
| idol.
Miss Moss, as she faced the bowling, was
fine example of a wholesome English girl,
with heavy yellow hair, rather long face,
rounded cheeks flushed with pink. and long
heavy lidded eyes with the flash of excite
ment in them. She looked as if she had
staying powers. 1t was Miss Westbrooke
who began to bowl. Her first ball was a
''rlght-hand, over-arm, with break -to-leg I"
| quoting the broad-shouldered oracle's de-
| scription, and it looked as if it might be- as
he called it, quite deadly" but Miss Moss
hit it to the boundary, and her fortY-six was
made forty eight amid thrills of excitement
| that the parasols seemed to find at once
tense and delightful. Miss WeStbrooke's
second bali was slow one; l think the
oracle called it lob" but Miss Moss
| seemed to discern some latent viciousness in
it, for she blocked" it without attempting
a run.
| The third ball she stepped out to boldly,
and the parasol fringes ceased to hutter in
their anxiety, but here the fortune of war
deserted the fair contestant, the glorious
uncertainty of cricket manifested itself and
she skyed the ball slap into midwicket's
| hands, closing the match with a little anti
| climax, which spells my story for dramatic
effect and which so disguised the oracle
that he rallied again at girls cricket" soon
recovering himself sufficiently. however, to
| acknowledge that in the main the game had
been played with intelligent regard to its
technique and with uncommon grace and
no little strength and skill. Warming with
| the recollection of brilliant passage, he
went 50 far as to aver that even as to the
fasco he bad seen plenty of fellows ordi-
narily good for two figures make mess of
it" in precisely the same way.
| The oracle having gone off for luncheon,
| | looked up the two captains. Miss Stanley
though somewhat downcast by defeat
assured me that the exercise, though I'M
! doubtedly somewhat severe, had thus far
| proved decidedly beneficial to both teams.
They were all in good health aud enjoying
their play. The design of the picturesque
costumes was, she said, the gift of an artist
| to the teams There were light skeleton
pads for protecting the legs, and a special
make of wicket gloves which they liked
| better than the patterns offered to men. 1t
| is early in the day to venture prediction
| but 1t looks as If cricket for women had come
to stay. There is already a paper pub
llshed in its interest, giving records, etc, of
the matches. Miss Stanley is the editor 1t
| is not likely that there will be many mere
mixed matches, for girls cannot play
seriously against men, but they are learning
something better than the little cricket" of
the burlesaue matches. in play against their
| own sex, aud amateur ele-ens are springing
| up on every side. l have heard of the
| organization of four within a fortnight
Whether this new element added to the
athletic life of woman is likely to prove a
good thing or not the extreme optimists
and pessimists will, no doubt, spend much
time in discussing.
| EIIZA PTrTNAM HrATON