A MARBLES MATCH?

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 71, 25 March 1939, Page 27

A MARBLES MATCH?

AMERICAN AND BRITAIN

The announcement that there is hope of the arrangement of an international marbles match between this country and the United States would seem to add another to the list of games in which we may yet be beaten, with consequent laments from some of our domestic critics that young men and maidens in this country do not "take marbles very seriously" or "seriously enough," says the "Manchester Guardian." Soon, no doußt, other nations will want to join in, and we shall be told to struggle for ancient supremacy, if we ever had it. Whatever may have happened at certain universities in the past, marbles does not seem to have ranked very high among the "Sports and Pastimes" described by Strutt in his famous work. The history of the game seems to be largely conjectural. Suetonius suggests that Augustus played marbles with "little Moorish boys," but the editor of Strutt's book supposes that originally boys imitated the playing of bowls by using round pebbles, nuts, or "any other small things that could be easily bowled along." In "Tatler" No. 112 there is a reference to "a game of marbles not unlike our common taw," and in 1885 there is mention of marbles as a game of declining popularity. In the 1902 edition of Strutt there is quite a long list of the "best-known marble games—Bounce About, Bounce Eye, Conqueror, Die Shot, Fortifications, Handers, Increase Pound, Knock Out, Long Taw, Picking the Plums, Pyramid, Rising Taw, and Tip Shears." Evidently some closer definition than "marbles" will be required before the "Tests" can begin. ' Moore Wilson. He also took three wickets for 55. | At Easter, the Mercantile League representatives will play Wairarapa at Kelburn Park, the days of play being April 8 and 10. Following is the team which has been selected: —

E. R. Jeffery (captain), R. Janes, F. de Clifford, W. Moore, K. Hatch, M..J. Goodson, W. Jupp, J. Moore, J. H, Potier, J. Sandholm, W. Smith, and R. Barrett (twelfth man).

Mr. C. E. Wynne will be manager