Anecdotes of Cricket.

(By " Gemso " in tho ' Sporting Life.') The 'Hampshire Chronicle.' of October 5, 1778, narrates how on the Ist of that month, at Langley, in Middlesex, Bix boys —the oldest ten years old— beat, by 70 runs to 47, six old men, the youngest of whom had completed his three-score years and ten. In a match on the old Phoenix Park Ground, Dublin, in 1844, Captain Adams, an excellent field, jumped an iron fence 3 feet 10 inches high, and whilst in the air caught the ball with hiß left hand ; for this feat he was made a life member of the Phoenix Park Club. On September 4, 1854, at the Dripping Pan Ground, Lewes, Mr H. L. Nicholson (Sussex), playing for sixteen of the County v. United All-England Eleven, made an excellent catch at square-leg which got rid of T. Adams ; the fieldsman being at the time half up the embankment which surrounds this quaint ground, so that be was sideways, and could only use one band, so we may fancy that the catch required some judgment. On Harefield Common, near Rickmansworth, on May 21, 1827, a Hertfordshire farmer, Mr Francis Trumper, with the help of his sheep dog, played a single-wicket match against two gentlemen of Middlesex, the faithful hound to field, and the farmer to have one innings for himself and another on behalf of his four-footed partner. Betting at starting, 5 to 1 against Mr Trumper aud his companion. The two bipeds got 3 runs, and quickly found they would have great difficulty in making much of a score, as when bis master was bowling the dog stood near him, and directly the ball was hit, raced after, snapped it up, and made straight for the wicket with it in his mouth, so that the batsman could with difficulty score even from a long hit. A dog, too, can catch very fairly. The farmer and dog won by two wickets. Score : — Ist Inns. 2nd Inns Total Middlesex Gentlemen 3 ... 3 6 Mr Trumper (for self) 3 j notoufc2 7 Mr Trumper (for partner) 2 ) Similarly, the * Cricket Field ' recounts a match, played at the Holt, near Farnham (which it will be remembered, was one of the old Surrey cricket grounds), in which Lord Charles Kerr, whom Mr Budd mentions as a substantial patron of the game, showed good judgment in backing his water-spaniel, Drake, and his man- servant, James Bridger, against two local celebrities, hia lordship's proteges winning by 41 runs. One of the losers was cleverly run out by the dog getting ; to the ball much quicker than a biped could have done, picking it up in his mouth, and racing to his master at the wicket before the striker could regain his ground. Score :— First Innings First Innings. J. Bridger ... 50 ,T. Cock, b Bridger 6 W. "Weatherell, run out by Drake „, 0 Messrs Cock and Wetherell gave in. On July 29, 1818, a curious match was played at Lord's, Mr R. Holden, with ten other gentlemen, having offered to play the M.C.C. on the understanding that he was to keep on bowling throughout for his side, and was to have ten picked fieldsmen. It is not clear whether these picked men were in substitution of or in addition to the ten named gentlemen. Anyhow, the M.C.C. proved too much for the adventurer, Mr W. Ward scoring 19 and 86, and Mr E. H. Budd 73 and 18. On September 7, 1875, a curious match came off at Bishop Auckland, Mr Miles Brown, a publican, having staked £20 to £10 that Mr William Piers, an auctioneer, could not bowl him out in twelve hours — Brown to find his own bat, and Piers his own bowl. The former went in with a barn-door bat that completely obscured the sticks, and put it down steadily, but his adversary was equal to the occasion, for he impelled a potshare ball, similar to those used at bowls, weighing twentyseven ounces, and with this soon began to chip aud splinter the bat, so that iv nine minutes he had effected a breach and caused the fall of the stumps. Eleven brothers have occasionally beaten a club eleven (the brothers Colman, Bire, and Brotherhood occur to me. One player, as in the case of the veteran, William Clarke, and as was done by G. Tarrant and Mr E. M. Grace in Australia ; or three, as by E. Pooley, H. Jupp, and T. Humphrey, have beaten elevens.