The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-05-18
TOnkNs SPORT &PAkApE. t&RSll!
By HENRY McI.lsMORE iinilnd Preah Stan COrrcsllOndeIlt,

London, May IS -- (up) - played my first cricket yesterday on q pitch across from tho Sufry Oaks Inn, just a nip up tho road from Newdigato.
 Playing for tho reporters eleven of the Daily Herald, my position was long.leg when right-handeu batsmen were swinging, ana short-leg whom left.handers were in tho crease.
 The English thought 1t would bo 6 bit of jolly run to soc an Amer. lean in cricket. It was. But not a bit jolllep than to see lnglishmen playing their g000th or 50 game.
 Tho only thing l can think ot iiko playing cricket Is standing on n street corner until o'clock waiting for a friend who was to arrive a little after ono. Cricket is . bit mora pleasant because you stand In Il lush, green meadow. But then, standing on n street corner affords more action, no u
 in assigning mo to short-leg and lonE.leg, the captain Of our sldo said | would have many opportu- nities to field the ball, llo must have been thinking of hind.ieg or dog-ieg. For | long-Ieg and short leg, which, in baseball. would cor- respond to playing a few feet Do. hind, and to the right, of tho homo plate umpire, 1 was about as busy us u flroplug. After half an hour. of play, n ball rolled out in my general direction, but as l started running to get it, a teammate,, who was playing squaro-log, called;
 "I say old fellow. don't bother: Leave It roll into tho boundary"
 Knowing that n ball which rolled of tho clipped portion or the fold into the boundary or rough counted four runs. de- manded to know why.
 "Oh, 1t was well hit, and you'd have had | beastly run to stop It. Would you care to Joh me tn a spot of ale?" ..
 The ale idea sounded jolly 70. right In tho middle of the game and without saying q word to any one, we walked across the road to tho inn. There, up against tho par were two of our teammates ana a rival. We all had a couple oi ales and then leisurely walked back and resumed play. Or rather resumed standing. Our absence hadn't been noticed. :,
 By this time the opposition had been batting nearly two hours. Finally, just before dusk, It was our time to don the pads anu start hitting.
 grabbed a bat and started to take q stance when someone caiieo "Iea time!"
 "To hell with the tea" I said. few"
 They looked at me like had thrown mud on the flag, ana sauntered into the inn for tea and buttered bread.
 Aat last | got at bat. was anxious to do well. because most of the players had bet me shilling that I would be 'bowled for a duck" Put in plain English, that means put out without scoring Tor a run. When you are "bowled for 6 duck" twice in succession you have "won a pair of spectacles."
 We'll, | made four runs. But made them by missing the bali. The wickat-keepcr missed 1t. too, the ball rolling into the boundary. So, by what would have been simply a strike on a wild pitch in baseball, i earned the equisa- lent of four home runs.
 As | swung and missed. and the hall rolled on and on, there were shouts Of ''splendId fellows'. well done, rawther.'. and "Oh. well played, Nirl"
 | thought it pretty elegant my- self.
 We'll, cheerlo!
 (copgriEht. iss4. by United Press)