Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-13
Riverside to Try Conclusions
With Los Angeles.
The Game to Be Played at
Agricultural Park.
A Graphic and Complete Description
Of the Game.
In Order to Introduce the Game No
Admission will Be Charged-Some
Points About the Exciting
Pastime.

OCpWCCh 6Oo hbSClCb anu hlNGT-
side takes place this afternoon at the
Agricultural park track. The game will
be called at 2 :15 p. M, sharp. The ad-
mission is free and everybody is invited
to be present. The Riverside club will
arrive here this morning. They are in
grand form, and hot contest can be
looked for. The Los Angeles team ex-
pect to turn the tables today. The fol-
lowing interesting resume of the Cana
dian national game will be read with in
terest by all who are not familiar with
the game. 1t was prepared by E. j.
Robertson, one of the crack players OF
the Los Angeles club:
Lovers of athletics have never been
specially noted as historians, not that
the vigorous and active athlete disre-
CARDS the lessons of the past, but he is
more particularly interested in the
present, made up, as it is, OF living is-
sues, and in sporting parlance, real live
issues at that. Feeling that such is the
case, the writer of this short description
OF what the HERALD has been pleased to
designate as the most exciting of all
athletic pastime, has decided to aban-
don his original intention OF giving a
history OF this manly and exciting game,
and endeavor to famiiiarize the people
of this city with what is generally con-
ceded to be the national game of the
neighboring dominion. Before attempt
ing description of lacrosse the
attention of the reader may with
advantage be directed to some of
the many advantages which its enthu-
siastic devotees claim for it over and
above all other manly outdoor sports.
Unlike baseball or cricket, lacrosse does
not permit one side, or team, to remain
in almost complete inactivity when the
players upon that side are enjoying
their innings, nor is it ever necessary
for any OF the players to wear a cage
upon his face or barricade his shins
with pads. At no time during a la
crosse match are nine or eleven men
concentrating their best efforts upon an
attempt to put "out" one poor individ-
ual who may have the good or bad luck
of being called to either the bat or the
wicket. Nor are eight or ten active and
with nothing to do but watch the sue
cCSS Vi AOA-GuSCCDb VI bllClI COmTdu6S dL
the bat when awaiting their turn to
face such unequal numbers, while the
great majority are helplessly looking on
unable to afford assistance. Again, the
result of lacrosse match does
not depend upon the skill by which one
man can put new curve upon his
throw which may BATTLE his opponents.
and make the match entirely onesided,
nm paf ficfo or nd - -.
and spectators. On the contrary the
result OF lacrosse match depends al
most equally upon the skill, activity,
strength and judgment OF every one of
the twenty four players engaged in the
exciting contest. In lacrosse it may be
fairly and truthfully said that every
player has his separate position on the
field, his duty to perform, and what is
more important and exciting still, he
has his opponent to hold in check, and
woe to the player who stays away from
the man whom his field captain has in
structed him to check, save that when
he is endeavoring to avoid him he pos
sesses the much coveted rubber upon
his crosse.
The technical points of the game are
not numerous, yet an attempt to de-
scribe the several positions of the play
ers, and to explain the many rules
which govern the game, might, to the
casual reader, prove interesting. 1 will,
therefore, not in this short article at
tempt to initiate the inexperienced into
the mysteries of such terms as point, ,cov-
er point and center, when few general
terms will give a clearer and conciser
meaning to their minds. A lacrosse
match is the meeting of two teams of
twelve men each, who meet to battle for
supremacy, or in true lacrosse language,
to cross sticks. Each player carries in
his hands stout hickory stick, about
five feet long, with one extremity bent
to form half circle. The space thus
formed by the bow is filed with netting
somewhat similar, though by no means
as close, as that of tennis racket. This
stick and net is. called the crosse, and
with it the small hard rubber ball of
five ounces weight is stopped, caught,
thrown and sometimes carried long dis
tances, provided the lucky possessor of
the sphere is fleet of foot and succeeds
in evading his check. When time is
called by the gentleman chosen to fill
the onerous and responsible position of
referee, the contending teams are drawn
up in line in the center of the field.
and their respective field captains toss
up for choice of position. Of course the
the unlucky side is usually sent to de-
fend that goal which is facingbthe genial
suns rays, but the advantage is not a
lasting one, since with each game
scored the teams change positions. The
''goals" are one hundred and twenty
yards apart and consist OF two poles
six feet in height placed in the ground
six feet from each other. Between
these poles-or flags as they sometim es
are called-the goal keeper stands, and
every ten yards between his position
and the goals at the other end OF the
field-one hundred and twenty yards
distant-are two players standing
shoulder to shoulder, one endeavoring
to defend the one goal and attack the
other, while his opponent is engaged in
the same laudable and exciting effort.
When at length the players have taken
up their respective positions, the referee
proceeds to the exact center of the field,
and while number of rach team bends
on one kull and places his crosse upon
the ground within few inches of one
another, the ball is placed between
them and at the word "face," given by
the man in authority the two cross
sticks are drawn vigorously and the
game is commenced. In moment a
tranuuil scene iS converted into one of