LANCASTER PARK ESTHETICS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4508, 5 October 1882, Page 3

LANCASTER PARK ESTHETICS.

» TO THE EDITOE. Bim,— There is little else in tho world more full of joy and hope to an old veteran of the cricket field, a Marlborough of the green sward, — and such I mny fairly olaim to be, for I captained a Oouaty team when yet on the sunny side of thirty — than the opening day of the cricket season. Old momories and old blood grew young and fresh once more as I gazed across ihe velvet turf of Lancaster Park last Saturday. It was fairly alive with players of every age, and sort, and size. From the old "knight of the willow," the we hae been of the field, so to speak, who has not yet had the wisdom to elovato himself to the cricketers' upper house of umpire, critic, and teacher of the young idea, down to the ambitious youngeter toiling away hard at his new accomplishment of bowling " round-arm " —for almost the first time — all the many ages of the cricket-playing man were represented. Nothing glid dens the heart of suoh an one as I so much as to find the noble game flourishing with a mora than old-world vigour of growth in its new home and mine in those Antipodean fields. Still there w&9 one thing new about the place : I came upon a novel kind of attendant on the game. Sauntering round the grassy terraces, an odd-looking youth came in my way. He waß long of leg, and longer of hair, and a euporoilious sneer curled his lip, as in my fulnesß of heart I spoke warmly of the new ground, and the prospocts of the grand old game in Christchurch during the present season. " Games, sports/athletics, and racing were getting rather overdone in these Colonies" ho thought. "It was five lines of 6it Garnet, and half a column of Murdoch and Company a few weeks ago, and for his part he declined to have anything to do with cricket or any other game on principle !" This original genius was so little to my taste that I very sosn moved on. However, 1 kept my eye on him. Aftor wandering sulkily about for some time, he at length came to an anchor near the pavilion, and finally drew pencil and paper from his pocket and began to write. At one time he would run a link and bony hand through his straw-coloured hair, at another cork his lacklustre eye up to the little red tower for inspiration. Anon he would indite with many twistir>ga of his tongue. From his peculiar bias of mind I became- curious to know the shape taken by its outpourings. Chance stood my friend. Whan his soul had gone forth to the tuno of half a dozon stanzas or thereabouts, ho desisted with a long-drawn &igh. Against tho soothing charms of tho clnud-veilod goddess, Nicotina, he was evidently not proof. Crunching bis verses up, ho stuffed them unceremoniously into one pocket, and disentombed a pipe as sour-looking and lean as himself from another. But in drawing a matob-box of quaint and •" Japanesoy " form from that into wliich his M.3. hnd been thrust, he threw the little ball of paper on tbe ground. Hwoct Nicotina and (?) poetical abstraction did the rest. 1 blush to say I stole those verses. Hero they are:— I. A Lancaster Park young man, A Gianmer square young man, A football-and-crickety, stop-at-the-wickoty, Good at 'em both, young man. 11. A racquet and bat young man Lawn tennis and tea young man, A white- flannel- toggery, go in and sloggery, Hit him ior cix young man. in. A handicap winning young man, S( ill first at tho tape young man, A cinder path sprintor, as tough as Midwinter, A fasteeton-record young man. IT. A long-in-tho-limb youDg man, A riding and rowing young man, Big bieyele-atraddlo, long-oar-and-paddle. A whizz he-goos-by young man. r. A scarlet and black youna man, Deep "Hown-on-his-lunk" young man, A dribblvund-Bcriinrnagey, blood-and-dirl-imugey, ] Union of V ugby man. I am, &c, P. TUMPS.