CRICKET
Cricket, is played all over the country, at the universities, by every boys school, and since the war by an increasing number of girls schools, it is one of England's favourite open-air games. The implements are a bat, ball and wickets, (stumps). Two wickets of three slumps each are pitched fronting each other at a distance of about 22 yards apart, the stumps being upright rods stuck in the ground, and projecting 27 inches. On the top of each set of stumps are placed two small pieces of wood called bails. The game is usually played between two sides of eleven players each, and the respective captains toss a coin for the choice to either bat or field.
The Bowler
The bowler bowls six balls and then gives way to another bowler who bowls from the other end. The six balls are called an over: if no runs are scored off them it is a maiden over. (In Australia eight balls overs were used).
When a bowler is delivering the ball he must have one or both feet behind the bowling crease and within the return crease, and the ball must be bowled and not thrown nor jerked. If either of these conditions be infringed the umpire must call "no-ball," and, while a bats man may not be out from this ball except in the manner mentioned above, runs may be scored from it from a hit, and they are credited to the bats man. If runs are not scored from a hit one run must be added to the score. If a ball is not within striking distance of a bats man the umpire calls wide, and if a ball passes the batsman without being struck, a run or runs made from it are byes unless the bail rebounds off the batsman's pads or body, when they are scored as leg-byes.
When the bowler is stationed behind one wicket for the purpose of bowling his ball against the opposite wicket, the wicket keeper stands behind the wicket to stop balls missed by the batsman and so prevent him from making runs, called byes. The ten players who are not bowling are fielders, who stand in various positions favourable for stopping the ball after it has been struck by the batsman or missed by the wicket-keeper.
The Batsman
Two batsmen are sent in to protect the wicket, it is the object of the batsman to prevent the ball delivered by the bowler reaching his wicket either by merely stopping it with his bat or by driving it away to a distant part of the field. Should the ball be driven any distance the two batsman run across and exchange wickets, and continue to do so as long as there is no risk in being 'run out' that is, of having the stumps struck by the ball while they are out of their position near the wickets. Each time the batsman run between the wickets is counted as a 'run,' and is marked to the credit of the striker of the ball.
How's that !
The batsman can be out by hitting the ball to a fleldsman who catches it before it has touched the ground, or allowing the bowler to hit his wicket with it. He can also be stumped or run out, that is by being out of his ground, which is marked by a line of whitewash, when the wicket is hit with the ball. He can also be out for stopping the bail with his legs if the umpire thinks he has broken the rules so doing.
A batsman may be out in nine different ways they are:
| (1) | bowled; | (4) | handling hitting the ball; obstructing the field ; and | (7) | leg-before-wicket; |
| (2) | caught; | (5) | hitting the wicket when playing at the ball. | (8) | run-out; |
| (3) | stumped; | (6) | hitting the ball twice, unless it be done to guard the wicket; | (9) | obstucting the field |
A batsman stays at the wicket until out, then he gives up his bat to one of his own side; and so the game goes on until all the men on one side have played and been put out. This constitutes what is called an 'innings'.
Matches are decided by the number of runs scored, in a one-day match the result is decided on the first innings if two innings cannot be completed. The side that bats second may be compelled to follow its innings in a three-day match if it scores 150 runs less than its opponents, 100 runs in a two-day match, and 75 in a one-day match.
A game is finished when, when one side has scored more runs in one innings than its opponents have in two, when the total of a side's two innings has been passed by the opponents with their second innings still unfinished, or when certain laws have not been observed such as a player not coming in to bat within the two minutes from the fall of the previous wicket.
It is the ambition of every cricketer to play at Lord's (Lord's is also the headquarters of the Middlesex County
C.C., and all their home games are played there.). It has been the stage for matches between the Gentlemen and
Players of Oxford and Cambridge, and the contest of the great public schools of Eton and Harrow, the home of many
great test matches.
The first official Test Cricket match between England and Australia was played at Melbourne in 1877, and they have been played in this country, in Australia, South Africa, West Indies, and New Zealand.
Professionals represent most of the English counties including one in Wales Glamorganshire contend for the county championship, which is awarded to the one gaining the most points.
The governing body of the game is
the Marylebone Cricket Club called the M.C.C. situated at St. John's Wood, London.
The M.C.C. administers the affairs of the M.C.C., and performs other functions in connection with the County Championship,
the selection of representative teams, the conduct of tours, and the settlement of disputes as may be referred
to it. The right to make the laws of cricket under which the M.C.C, and counties play belongs exclusively to the
M.C.C. but those laws are strictly observed wherever the game is played, and any doubt as to their interpretation
is referred to the M.C.C. for its decision.
W. Grace is the greatest name in the history of cricket, but J.B. Hobbs has beaten some of his records. Other great names are Alfred Mynn, Ranjitsinhji, C. B. Fry, T. Hayward, W. Rhodes, G. Hirst and among bowlers Alfred Shaw, S. F. Barnes and C. Blythe but many others. including the Australians, Trumper and Noble, are equally noteworthy.
