CRICKET

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7088, 2 May 1901, Page 3

CRICKET

* LEG-BEFORE-WICKET.

United Press Aasociation-^-By Electric Telegraph — Copyright. (Received May 2, 9.34 a.m.)

LONDON, May 1

A number of cricketers, including I/ord Hawke and Messrs Lucas, Mason, Owen, Warner and Jephson, have issued a mapi'festo, which declares that if the proposed leg-before rule is adopted it will encourage blind slogging, and ruin club and local cricket. Dr W. G. Grace says that the "alteration will benefit first-class cricket by lessening draws, but harm olub cricket, where the umpiring is doubtful.

(During the last few months the. Marylebone Cricket dub haa been securing the opinion of the English committees and other cricket bodies witfli respect to the suggested alterations in the law relating to " leg-hefore-wicket." The proposal was that the stopulatiwi requiring the ball to be pitched in a straight Sine between wicket and wicket should be omitted, and that the striked should be out if, .being in a straight liny between the two wickets, he stop with any part of his persoo a ball whioh, in the opinion of the umpire at the bowler's end, would have hit the wicket. The captains of the first-olass counties unanimously recommended that the law should remain unaltered,, but it was understood that the Marylebone Cricket Club Committee intended to bring the matter before the general k°<kg of members of the Marylebone (Sricket Club, at the annual meeting on May 1, and leave in their hands the decision whether a change should be made or not.)