Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-18

divide up your team, which Ii rather harmful.
~ 70 induce as many boys. nice, gentlemanly
t psoys, TO JOIN as you po ssibly can. THE more
me merrier" il s-saylng which is peculiarly
| applicable to lacrosse.
Wen, you are a club. You next want playing
grounds. The principal thing to look for is
mere Is doubtless in your town or village
green on which the boys play ball. Make some
puted use OF the green for certain days or during
certain hours. II you able to secure q lot
that is fenced in. all the better, and if you can
snare 1t with some cricket, tennis or baseball
CLUB, You will be able 70 keep the grounds in
celient condition at very slight expense to you.
Such an arrangement would make it possible to
ever, let me strongly advise you not to do. Do
not incur unnecessary expense. Do everything
selves In the way of fixing up the grounds. The
neld should be free from small hillocks and in
wide.
Now that we have sketched our ground we are
almost ready to begin play. But before we do
SO, let me briefly explain what lacrosse is. What
You need In the way OF costume and lacrosse
sticks or bats. Next will say something about
the different positions on the team. individual
and team play, ana then the refelee may call
You know in football and cricket there are
elsVen places on a side, and in baseball nine.
Now lacrosse is a game of ball which requires
twelve players a side, though a smaller num-
Der may play, and in practice games very often
sides are chosen from those present, so that you
try to recall what said little while ago, that
IL is always best to have the teams play
against the field. As in foot ball there goals,
only they are ever so much smaller, and the OBJ
lect Is to put the ball not cross bar, for
there is none, but between the two goal posts
which are six feet in length above the ground
and SIX feet apart The side that wins the great
est number of goals in a stated period OF time.
generally one hour and hall, with ten minutes
rest at half time, wins the match. The distance
from goal to goal in championship matches is
125 yards, but for boys should advise making it
100 yards. The ball is made of india rubber
sponge, and in the United States is of a size
Known as No. 40, manufactured by the New
York rubber company. If such ball is not pro-
durable, one made of rubber sponge. and not
less than eight nor more than nine inches in
circumference, will answer every purpose. Buy
dozen at time. You will need large num-
rule now makes it necessary for the challenged
club to hand four balls to the referee before the
game is started, SO that II one is lost no delay
may ensue.
Be careful in selecting your lacrosse sticks.
IL my boy readers are anxious to become good
players they must have good sticks and know
them here that the .stick'' is the hand with
which the ball is to be caught, carried or
thrown, no touching the ball with the natural
hands being permitted. 1t will require long
and faithful practice to acquire the skill dis
played by Canadian experts, and hope the
BOYS will have 'sand'' enough to persevere
until they can do almost anything with lacrosse
stick and ball.
The stick is best made of hickory, and its
varies according TO tine uses TO WHICH II Is
put, a long stick being better for long and hard
throwing. and a short for lodging. The
best measurement perhaps is from the toe close
into the hollow of the arm. Boys clever with
tools can make stick, but it is cheaper and
much better to buy one Of a sporting goods
dealer. The American sticks which A. G.
Spalding & Bros. have sale very much
better and neater in appearance, they are lighter
and yet stronger, than Canadian importations. Y
The latter are generally regular clubs. But
every player should know how to net q stick,
and so will try to tell you how to do it. Very
often a swift ball breaks one of the strings and
you are quite helpless if you do not know how to
repair the damage.
Z. THE STICK