The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-23

interesting enough to make it worth
while for American boys to try them.
For instance there is Town Ball."
This is not played with a ball at all
like our American baseball, but with
light, hollow rubber ball, invariably
white in color. The English boys call
this ball a ''bouncer" The word
"bounder' has very different mean
ing to the English boy than it does to
the American boy. A FOUNDER is an
unpleasant person. The boys in Brit
ish schools who are builies, or are dis
agreeable in other ways, are bound
ers." The word "bouncer' is, there
fore, used to describe a ball that
bounds. The bat is called "delill,"
and is fiat like cricket bat, only not
so wide. 1t is less than two-thirds
as long as the American baseball bat.
1t would be easy for any boy who is
ordinarily clever with his pocket-knife
toOnake one out of an old fence picket,
or any like piece of wood, by forming
a handle at one end and squaring off
the other end and slightly rounding
the corners. The bat does not require
such strength as a baseball bat and,
therefore, may be made of soft wood.
There is a home base' as there is
in baseball, although it is much larger
than an American home base" The
similarity ends there, for there may b.
as many other bases as the players
desire. Thus, the field may be three
cornered; it may be -cornered; it
may be five six, seven or eight-cor-
nered. In England the eight-cornered,
or octagonal, field is generally pre-
ferred. The distances between the
bases (Which the English boy calls
"places'D are about the same as those
between the bases on an American
baseball field.
The place" for the pitcher is To-
Gated with about the same relation to
the home place" as is the American
pitchers position to the home base in
baseball. The pitcher is not
known as pitcher however, but as
giver," and his work requires much
less energy and skill than does that
of the American baseball pitcher, for
he merely throws Cor "gives') the ball
swiftly overland to the catcher, ain-
ing to ''give"'it over the right shoulder
of the boy at the bat. The batsman
does not really strike at the ball, but
holds the fiat bat, or delill, in such
position that the ball Will strike it
and glance off or rebound to some
part of the field vacant of any player
on the opposing side.
If the ball touches the bat at all the
batter must run for the nearest place"
to the left-not to the right as in
AMERICAN DalI games. In England.
you know, many things are done in
a left-handed way. For instance, when
one drives on an English street or
road he must keep to the left instead
of to the right as in America, and the
pedestrian on the sidewalk must do
the same. 1t is very confusing to the
American boy in England on visit,
and not easy to become accustomed
to. But to get back to our game of
town ball.
The batsman must run whether the
result of the touch" (the term sshit''
is not used) be what would be known
in baseball as fair" or foul" There
are no men stationed on the bases
but II is the play of the "outers'' to
catch or pick up the ball (no point is
counted by catching a "hy-ball'0 and
10 throw II at the fleeing batsman SO
that II will point" him. An Ameri-
can boy would call this burning or
"stinging," but the soft ball used In
town ball does not hurt. When a rum
ner is hit he Is without" and so A
goes until all the men OF one sIde
are without" Then the "withins',
take their places In the field and SO
on.
When a man is put without" he
Fetires from the game entirely sor