THE CRICKET FETE IN LATIMER SQUARE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2116, 2 October 1867, Page 2

THE CRICKET FETE IN LATIMER SQUARE.

The noble and truly English game of cricket, which has of late been somewhat ne-

glected by the Canterbury players, was celebrated yesterday by a festival. The players, on this occasion, were the members of the

Albion Club, who in this manner inaugurated their season, and invited the public to partake of their hospitality; in aid of which the tradesmen and others in Chriet-

church had largely contributed. The scene of this meeting was Latimer square. On the day before, a number of tents was ranged •long the eastern side of the southern half of this square, and on this half the wickets were

pitched yesterday morning about 11 o'clock, when the opening game commenced. Not many persons were present at this hour as spectators, but the concourse continued to increase as the day advaaced, and the weather jwas all that could be desired. The most noticeable of the tents was that in which re-

freshments were to be supplied to the players and the public. This was a large and handsome marquee, within which from an early hour was a table neatly spread with the materials for a substantial lunch. Abutting on this and opening into it wai

a spacious wooden erection. This was the larder. Here amongst joints of

beef and mutton, sucking pigs, cheese, poultry, loaves of bread, and other substantiate too numerous to specify, flanked and surmounted by casks, cases, and unpacked bottles, filled with champagne, brandy, Jeffrey's ale, &c, &c., were to be seen from

an early hour some of the chief hotel luminaries of the city, engaged in the mystic operations of salad making and the concoction of condiments, in carving chickens and fabricating sandwiches; and these were attended by a host of juvenile satellites who were actively performing a number and

variety of functions too fugitive to be describable by the inexpert mind, but all incident to the time and the season.

Next to the salle-u-manger was the scoring tent, at the mouth of which sat Mr T. M, Ollivier, recording the successes of the game. A little further on, proceeding southward, was a tent exclusively for the use of ladies. This was not of the conical order of tent architecture like the other canvas erections;

it was square in form, with a flat roof and perpendicular walls. In this tent also, a table was spread all the morning with refreshments, and it was well supplied with easy chairs and profusely decorated with flowers and flags.

In one corner stood a cask, already tapped, and its contents as notified by an official gentleman, were raspberry and ginger beer for the children. Next to this was the children's tent, having a table which nearly filled it, crowded with sweetmeats, fruits, &c. In front of the tents two poles were erected at a considerable distance apart, and a line was stretched from the top of one to that of the other, from which numerous flags fluttered in the breeze. At one o'clock the band, under the leadership of Mr Button, and which was stationed in an American waggon near the refreshment tent, began to play, and the fruit and confections provided for the juveniles were administered by Mr Gee, who had charge of this department. The intention was to have races and scrambles amongst the youngsters; but the garrison in charge of the good things here stored was too weak to dictate terms to the clamorous urchins, who refused to race, and besieged the tent. They were kept off for a while by a continuous shower of sweets being made to fall amongst them, and for which they scrambled with the utmost determination ; but the supplies grew weaker and weaker, and at last failed altogether—were exhausted, and yet the juvenile appetite was not appeased, but only whetted. At this critical and portentous mome it, the besiegers became animated with fatal valour, and Badajoz was done ovdr again. They assaulted the tent with fierce determination and irresistible force, carried it by storm, and thoroughly dismantled it'

leaving not one bit of canvas above another, but as has too often been the fate with < stormers, only to find it empty. They had already eaten their cake, and according to the , old adage, they " could'nt have it too." ' At two o'clock the refreshment saloon was thrown open to the public, and the west side of the larder was also opened, so that when the tent waa full of touchers, outsiders, whose impatience would not let them wait until there was room for them inside, might thns obtain a supply. There were no seats in the tent, People went in, took their choice of viands and drinks from a profusely covered table, and then went out and made room for fresh comers. The ladies were supplied in their own tent, which proved but too small for the numerous company assembled. At this time there must have been upwards of two thousand people on the ground, and it is certainly no light thing to throw open to such an assemblage a magazine of alcoholic drinks; but on the whole little evil resulted. We saw no improprieties, and the secretary of the club expressed himself as being well satisfied with the behaviour of his guests. The supplies, however, great as they were, fell short of equality with the tremenduous onslaught made upon tnem, Out of the 2000 present, 1000 are supposed to have partaken of the refreshments. Everything provided was eaten and drunk, and there was a cry for more, while yet many members of the club had not tasted. The play of the cricketers afforded very great amusement to the large body of spectators who testified their satisfaction by frequent and loud applause. Each team of players consisted of twentytwo, and that of which the vice-president, Mr Wynn Williams, was captain, went first to the wickets. As will be seen from the scores subjoined, the game was won by Mr J. OHivier's side, with four wickets to go down. During the game, some pretty play was occasionally exhibited on both sides, but, as might be expected from the unwieldy nature of a 1 " twenty-two," and it also being the opening game of the season, nothing worthy of i particular comment from a cricketing point of view was displayed. The bowling of ' Dickinson, however, claims notice, as being ' very destructive and well sustained. The 1 game lasted till a quarter-past four o'clock ; ' but many of the assembled multitude, who 1 seemed determined to make the most of tho ' day, had ere this commenced a game of kiaa--1 in-the-ring, and when the cricket was done, the players at this game were increased in ' number, and the game continued for a > considerable time longer.

j ÜB. WVNK WILIIAUS' 6IDB. Wood, b Taylor 4 < Taoon, ruu out 0 I Banks, o Bent, b Dawe ~, ~, 3 . Calvert, c Bunt, b Dawe ... 1 , Nelson, b Dawo 1 p Dickenson, tun out ~, ~, 6 Williams, o Morgan, b Taylor .„ 7 3 Andrews, run out ... ~. 2 Spring, b T»ylor ... ... 4 1 Aehbolt, o Taylor, b Dawo ~. 3 f Osborne, run out ... ~, 1 1 Pooro, o Dawe, b Taylor ... 4 i Bead, b Taylor „. ,„ 0 a J, Wood, b Taylor ... ... 0 e Atkinson, run out ... ... 1 g Wolla, o Bent, b Dawe ... 3 Woodford, o Bent, b Daw ~t 1 " Woodford, junr., b Taylor ... 1 Jowett, 8t Hobbs, b Dawo ... 0 e Besiieaux, not out 1 9 Nettleton, o Crcsswoll, b Dawe ... 4 S Cooko, oßruco, b Taylor ... 3 -o Byes, 2; leg-byos, lj wides, 3... fj v. Total 65

KB J. oitmaa'a bids. Matson, o and b Diokinsoa ... n D*WB, o Wood, b Tacon io Turner, b Diokinaon ~ '" 7 Ollivier, run out "' , n Bent, e Nelson.'b Dickinson *" ?a Bruce, c and b Young '" n J. 'Wood, b Spring ... '" g Death, c Cooke, b Dickinaoa '" I Card, o Woodford, bDiokiwsn "" r Taylor, b Spring .„ '" £ Samueli, et Calrert, b Diokinion"' n Cresavrell, b Young .„ '" , Ayers, Ibw, b Diokinson '" t Tetley, b Diokinion J Hobbi.bYoung '." '" \ Morgan, o Nettleton, b Young '" I Cahert, b Young ,„ s '" J Bargrore, b Dickinaoa ... '" n Wides '" " 4 ToW - £