The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-11-07
"a NOBLE GAME"
The Decline of AfhIefics-A
Word for Cricket.

Mr.. EDITOR: In your issue of
Saturday last a correspondent
writing under the non de plume of
"Non Bonus" deplores the lack of
interest in manly sports and ath-
letics in Honolulu, and as one who
takes more than ordinary interest
in all sports which tend to develop
both body and mind, l join issue
with him and crave the indulgence
of your open columns for few re-
marks with regard to what have
always been accustomed to hear
u designated "the noble game" |
Ger of course to the monarch of
door exercises-cricket, which
e oldest field pastime known
le civilized world, and to me it
Every is great pity that such
It does not find home in Ho-
'lu, and throughout the length
BAW. breadth Of the Hawaiian ISL
As, particularly as the climate is
$50 admirably adapted for such
sport, and the various recreation
areas with which Honolulu is ia
vored are so suitable for trysting
DAplaces for cricketers.
6 Cricket, which had its origin in
England as far back as 1874, when
fet was known as blub-bali, has, dur
Ring the cycle of time which has
rolled by from the thirteenth to
the nineteenth century seen many
changes and improvements, in fact
so many that the game of 1874 if
played to-day would not possess
the attraction for players and spec
tators that the modern game does.
In 1477 the game was known as
hand-in-and-hand-out, the word
cricket first being used in 1850 !;
but even at this period the three
wickets and balls, as to-day, were
totally unknown to those who en-
gagged in the pastime, the modus
operandi being to cut two holes
about foot in diameter, seven
inches deep and 26 feet apart, one
man guarding each hole with what
were then known as dogs, which
resembled the native clubs we so
often see cherished as curiosities,
relics of the days when civilization
had not reached its present pitch.
From 1900 up to 100 the game
improved in many ways, and 1746
is the first record we have of a
match being played with teams of
eleven side in anything like the
style that appertains to-day.
improvements were of course made
in the game as those engaging in
it increased in skill land the first at
tempt at forming laws for the guild
ance of players was in 100 and
these remained in force for the best
part of a century, the game in the
meantime taking firm hold in
England and year by year seeing
improvements in various direc'
tons. The year 1877 marked 9
most important epoch in the his
tory of the game for it was in that
year that the Marylebone Club
became an accomplished fact, ther
for the first time the world hac
the game placed on proper basis
an admirable code of rules (Which
from time to time have been i'm
proved on) adopted, and the spor
which commenced in 1900 wa
launched on proper foundation
Ever since, the Marylebone Clul
has been the governing body, il
the revision of and adding to tn
rules. This club is the first il
the world and it's laws are held a
binding wherever the game j
played, whilst at home and abroad
every Englishman refers with par
donable pride to the Marylebon
Club as the chief bulwark of tn
national game of Great Britain
This briefly then is sketch Q
the history of cricket from its in
fancy to mature years, and tn
game of to-day is one which tn
more it is played the more popula
it becomes from the fact that
is associated with all that is nobl
and manly. Speaking of tn
strides cricket has made in Aus
tralia, no better evidence, L malr
tain, can be given of this than tn
fact that as recently as 1874
think of meeting English team
playing the Colonies on even term
would have been as preposterou
as for any British eleven of to-da
to think for a moment of playin
fifteens, eighteens or twenty-five
of any of the Colonies. Indee
the game, fostered and encourage
as it was, progressed to such a
extent that in 1876 Combine
Australia, on even terms, prove
too good for the visitors from tt
mother country and ever sine
colonial players have shown Bri
ishers that they can more tina