ladies at Cricket.

Evening Star, Issue 8399, 27 December 1890, Page 2

ladies at Cricket.

The discovery had been made that our Soup Club (owing, it was darkly hinted, to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Sooth America —so mighty are the effects that spring from Blight causes) was badly in debt. What waß to be done ? A bazaar had just been held, but the proceeds had. been laid out in snuff for the older member*-; of the workhouse. It was out of the question to have another bazaar at so short an. interval, and, besides, everything had been, sold, and, as winter was quickly approaching., the shawl was in daily ÜBe. Somebody suggested a theatrioal performance, but this, was at onco quashed, for, owing to the defective arithmetic (no change was ever given at the bazaars) of the young lady who hid taken the money of the pit and the gallery —represented by hard chairs with hard backs, and harder forma with no backs—the last performance had not paid expenses. Tableaux vivants were also an impossibility, because every striking scene that had ever occurred in ancient and modern history, and ancient and modern fiction, had already been represented on our stage. In this dilemma our leading lady had a brilliant inspiration, and proposed that a ladies' cricket match should be arranged, to be played by ladies against ladies—there was to be no fooling with males and broomsticks—that the usual exorbitant entrance feo should be. charged, and that the gate money shouici) set the Soup Club on its legs, Joy reigaecii onco more in our parish, and our paupers,, their mutton broth assured to them, could go forth to their day's begging with a light, heart.

Practice was immediately commenced, no male being admitted to the rehearsals of the great match save that favored person, the curate. It was, however, gathered from tb.# fearful shrieks heard in the neighborhood oi the practising ground that considerable, progress had hfcen made. The Sunday before the match, the curate, as u Blight ri'turn fur the honor he had been granted, waß asked to preach a sermon, as a kind of advertisement, on the forthcoming game. Luoiilyfor him it was a saint's day, and ii was. impossible to connect any saint with cricket. The eventful day came ; not a seat was if> be had for lave or money; and the gamebegan. There had been no invidious distinctions made in drawing up the sides ; it. had not been a case of ladies over twenty, five playing ladies undar that age ; but., thecolors being pink aad light blue, thosr, whom, light blue-suited were pitted agaiii*t tliot,. who looked a "■ fright in anything tout pink." A chaperon was umpire at one end ; at the other atood the curate (favoritism again),. and " Play " was called. The first ball was wide—very wide. So were the next fi>ur, whereupon over was called, for the curateplayed no game save tennis. The pink captain then began to bow/,. and, with the very firßt ball she delivored. she took a wicket. ASter the noise had* subsided, a general rush was made to the scoring tent to help, the scorer. The total for one wickofc having, been added up, aftet; considerable discussion, play was resumed... and tho pink captain, elated with he? sue- , ceos, insisted on bowling from both eads the- - whole innings through. The captain, [in terror at a ball, whioh vjas distinctly I. erratic, fled precipitately and stumbled ovnr her wicket. The curato, who was undoubtedly flurried, in rosponse to the genovai appeal, commenced "Hero beginnethy'butcorrecting himself remarked that it was " oat."- The other umpire simattaneously, gave her opinion that it was " not out." As the poet sings:— Who shall decide when umpires disagree 'i Who, who, iodeqd, who but the referee.. But, unhappily, there was no refwee, and a violent dispute took place. At last it was proposed that it should be "out" if it occurred again, and this happy thought settled the matter. It would require the pen of a special reporter to describe the rest of the game : how the other Bide went in and etayed there; how it was hinted that the curate and pink captain had an understanding together; how a young lady, having in vain attempted to hit six wides, flung down her bat and said she ".w.o.cjdn't play ";. how anothei called,the cuKate a "horrid thing ** because at tho and of the innings she was "not out," imagining that some disgrace attached tc that distinction ; and, above all, how tho scorer, a maiden lady of a certain age, made., with true tka entry in the saoring book "limb before wicket," in place of the. ordinary foorcaula. Suffice it to say that mutton broth will flow as a river in our parish during the ooming wiatev.—' London, Sooiety.'