LADIES' CRICKET PROM A SOCIAL POINT OF VIEW.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7609, 4 December 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

LADIES' CRICKET PROM A SOCIAL POINT OF VIEW.

Cricket matches, played by the fairer sex malto a pleasant variety in outdoor amusements, and are in somo counties very popular. Nor i« if, lor theyoiiriger and' unmarried ladies, too vigorous a form of exercise. Health, energy, and activity aro as needful for girls n3 for boys ; and, as tho graceful will', bo .' graceful still, whatever they may please to devise to do, so doubtless the awk- • ward will posaibly more fully display their awkwardness; which is, after all, s only the uncaoy use of liuib.i unpliant and untrained, and thesolf-consciousness which is apt to accompany thuir management in public. But there ia this to be

said, that activo oSerciso alon'6 fcsn givt suppleness and elogftnee, and therefore - cricket may xLo much to remedy this, defect Girls should bo encouraged Vfi every possible way, . besides tli'i mevie table lawn, terinisj toVJ67siop &eir young gr : limbs, and i'c'qWiro that gracious ease 1 1 of movement, which comos by nature to the woll-shaped and tho active. . _ The company may view tho -proce-cd- > ings from comfortable rjfeaira, under . tiny tonts or Umbi'ageou9 umbrellas of ) "Japan, nnd be served with their tea , upon the ground. Then the eceno on the trim lawn of somo stately house is as pretty as simmer cosluraoa and whito drosses and gaily-attired lookers-on 'can make it. Tress of venerable grdftlh and varied ninfcsty fofm 'bn imposing background. IMr sombre ago contrasts with tfre jfeSi- spectacle of bright unthrnttftg youth, and tho Bounds of careless merriment, as happy strokes are made, or successful balls plnngo against tho ffiokot, and lay it level on tho turf. Pcoplo stroll and talk, and discuss the merits of this or that eleven with as much display of science <w lies at their I command. Much, is heard of byes and leg before wfeit'et, and catches out, and wickotfc 'Sown as tho " over " is callod, oftd the field cbangon places ; and tho swift bowler of the county delivers her ball with an ease and precision which elioits.tho admiration of her* own aide and of the lookers-on. Tho sbofe is kept with anxious oxactttude .by some boy or girl reckoned too yoiing to playin tho eleven, but as'ehthusinati'c for the nould ftame, as all true English boys and girls' 'should be. Tho score mounts up with creditable rapidity, whilo some very favourite bat 5s guarding the wicket, and run after run rewards her exertions un'til'the swift bowler is obviously gattihg fatigued. Then, maybe, a fortunate " catch, out " for the other side ends her tale of truimph ; and the favorite walks out carrying her bat with a graceful unconsciousness of superior merit, which is met by vigorous oxclaniations . as she nears the tent, and takes., hSi 1 well-earned interval of rest. The fieldingof the ladies isapt to bo go6d. Many of the bo.Ha are stopped with n readiness and returned, with n swiftness which would docreditto male performers. The wicket-keeper, an old and tried hand, i khows her work and does it, as England I expects her daughters to do it, with credit. Sometimes the youngest of tho party, somo damsul of twelvo or thirteen, will perform the office with steady alacrity, Each aide appoints it 3 own umpire, usually of the sterner sefc, whose verdict is to bo uttcballangeable. The cricketers' tent is provided handsomely with Greehwood chairs, lounges; and gay rugs cast upon tho turf. Thence proceed tho Bound of clapping, which duly rewards tho hard hit or the long score. . Ladies, too, we notice, lose less time in "going in" than their brethren, though their stay at tho wicket is frequently of shorter duration, fespecially if the bowler be prompt in delivery and fortunate in execution. Of course the ball is not urged like a catapult on these occasions, nor, consequently, is its cpurne so fearsome and deadly as in !he masculine gamo is nit un frequently appears. Nor is the derisive- ury oE " butter fingers " raised from discordant throats, when' lho ball slips through the fair hands of somo youthful offenrW, in a pretty dress and n "taking" hat. Towards five o'clock there is an obvious inclination on tho part of tho players to pause' and recruit their wearied forces with the cup which is so cheering, and (ho grapes and strawberries which are ao very templing. There is an interval, and after this dallying with the cupa and tho saucers, the players resume their labours, and- tho gamo goes on with redoubled energy till sunset. Meanwhilo tho strongest eleven is mounting to a victorious score, and the wickets aro drawn, as tho mist begins to riso in the i valley and tlio shadows lengthen on the grass. A word in passing to our young lady friends. '. 1)6 no wear cricketing caps, they aro unbecoming to tho prettiest, and needlessly expose tho. skin to the sun's burning rays. The sailor hats, with a ribbon ov club colors, suit best, with pretty white serge or flannel dresses, and have the further advantage of not looking boyish. Play on these occasions is of a less wary- character than that of our boys; " wicket down " is a frequent cry, and, II caught out" often terminates what should have been iv brilliant 6coio. Ladips' cricket possesses the advantage over tennis of enabling a much larger number of players to bo interested in the gome. It is hardly more severe oxeroise, (hough running is au accomplishment in wbioh few of the daughters of Evo really excel. Tho young need these sports and exercises in the open air ; the constitution gains greatly, and health gives beauty as well as lends it an- added charm, for there is no tonio or cosmetic so efficacious, nor need there ba anythiug uufeininine about these sports. Hoydous will bohnvo hoydonishly in a ballroom, and tomboys, after their kind, wherever they may bo; but the refined and the graceful will impress their own stamp upon the amusements they select, and then tho sternest of critics will C"nfeas that playing at cricket may afford asmuoh scope for grace as for activity. .Ordinary crioket .matches during the .mouth of August will afford our country house ladies a pleasant excuse for a lawn tea, 'and the invitation of sundry neighbours and friends, some, of whom, probably, do not know a wicket from a bat. Nevertheless will they conscicnliously watch the game, under tbo tree in tho park, until tho summons for tea. Then, the beauty of the gardens, the size of tho grape?, and tho little bits of news whioh circulate, as distant neighbors of the country side meet and mingle, affords them a distinct flavor of amusement, which is wholly independent of the time-honored game. They have met their friende, enjoyed the good things of ilfe— the sunshins, the flowers, and the pleasant talk, and are quite ready for tho next entertainment alfresco, whereever it may chance te be. For August is the gay month in our rural neighborhoods. Parties follow in qnick succession. Gardens aro at their best, and the quiet of country life is pleasantly diversified by these gatherings, which, aro necessarily, throughout the long wintor months, impossible.— O. S. T, D., ia the Queen.