Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-29
REAL ENGLISH SPORT
Enjoyed by a Party Of Picnickers at
Ross Grove, Yesterday.
A COUPLE OF CRICKET MATCHES,
Three-Legged Races, Football, Sack Races
and Bell Race
MAKE THE DAY A VERY JOLLY ONE


George spent really pleasant day at Ross
Grove, on the West Penn Railroad. By
chance, which may not have been chance,
the day selected for the picnic happened to
be the anniversary of an event very note
worthy in English history. Yesterday,
across the Atlantic, the cannon doomed
from tower and bastion in honor of Queen
Victoria's fifty-second years as sovereign
Of a mighty empire.
The English are. above all things, ma
ton of athletes. When the native Ameri-
can goes out in the woods with Mrs. or more
often Miss Columbia, he takes his ease. and
goeth not in for games which may bring the
perspiration to his brow. If he dances
little it Is the utmost he will do, and the
rest of his outing is generally spent In soft
filtration or softer slumber. But John Bull,
even when on American soil and under
very hot American edition of the original
Old Sol, is not content with such gentle
dalliance. He wants rollicking picnic,
such as he used to enjoy when, as an urchin,
he frequented West country "veasts" or
North country ''fairs." Accordingly, yes
terday's fun at Ross Grove was lively in
the extreme.
REAL ENGLISH SPORTS.
There were races of all sorts, games of all
sorts, dancing, too, and, above all, cricket
for what would be an Anglo-Saxon picnic
without its cricket matches?
The scene in the grove was q picturesque
and stirring one. Here were the refresh
ment tents, round which thirsty souls gath
cred like the proverbial flies round the
proverbial. honey. Here the big dancing
pavilion echoed with the strains of the
Grand Army Orchestra, under Colonel
Hart's able conductorship, and re-echoed
with the tramp and patter of scores
of feet. Here "merry-go-rounds" circled,
with their loads of cake-devourine, lemon
ade-imbibing little ones; here the football
whirled in air; here lovers whispered under
the bending branches; here races were being
contested, and the oldest and newest of all
sports, undying cricket, found many
votaries. Above all, the trees interlaced
their shielding branches, to save the damask
cheeks of these imported lasses from the
amorous suns too frequent caresses.
The sports opened With a cricket match
between the Eureka Cricket Club and ALLIE
gheny City Lodges first IL. Eureka won,
after pretty match, by III to 20. For the
Alleghenies, Hogg made top score; while
Crawford, on behalf of Eureka, carried out
his bat for "a. Woods deserves especial no.
tice in the Eureka IL. as he bowled seven
maidens. A 12O-yards handicap, girls
skipping race, and a three legged race were
some of the sports.
The old English "bell race" was also re-
vived. This Is pastime in which the
racers are blindfolded and bellman
turned loose. The sound OF the bell is fol-
lowed, and the first to catch the ringer wins
the race. Quite lot of fun was obtained
from the bell race, especially as it took
place in rough, uneven ground. The sack
race, too, was 'just awfully jolly"
ON TOP ONCE MORE.
In the afternoon another cricket match
came of-this time between Allegheny City
victory for the former team. Hogg again
distinguished himself, making top score
again for Allegheny. Boyee, on the Mt.
Washington team, bowled six wickets.
AS dusk drew near, and the evening be-
came cooler, q game of football was ini-
tiated and continued with unfagging in
jury till the cleaning enwrapt both
players and ball. Then the dancing
saloon filled rapidly, and while the G..
A. r. Orchestra played waltz, polka
and quadrille. the young people had
q glorious time. Away in odd corners you
could hear sold boys" talking of "vrastlin'
and "quarter staff" and recalling the by
gone cricket heroes of Surrey, Yorkshire or
Motifs, and white-haired "gammers" kept
pace with their "gaffers," in summoning up
these odd "reminiscences. It was quantity
funny to hear these gay old danes speaking
of "veast" and fair" of all the country
side beaus and the rare old English DAYS.
There was one aged ''maid of Kent" who,
under the influence of the scene.
sang in a sweet if quavering voice,
Oh, dearl what can the matter be,
Johnny's SO long at the fair.
Alasl IT Johnny had turned up from the
fair just then with that longed-ior "bunch
O. blue rlbbon," he would have found, not
''bonny brown hair" but locks that were
both gray and sparse. No doubt, though,
the singer had found her Johnny" long
since, and the blue ribbons were treasured
by children and grandchildren as precious
relics.
In good time, and in good order, the picnic
broke up, and the Daughters and Sons of
eorge-the-Dragon-Sl hied them
back to humdrum work again after the
"veast" of Ross Grove.