GIRLS’ CRICKET.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20381, 11 August 1934, Page 8

GIRLS’ CRICKET.

Well-established Sport in England. PAGES FROM THE PAST. Some six years ago cricketers in Xew Zealand smiled indulgently at the thought that women had decided to invade their domain and play cricket. They continued to smile after the first day’s play, for the papers revealed that the bowlers had met with phenomenal success. Let us draw a veh over the batting. Time went by and gradually more and more young women became interested in the sport until to-day we have teams and competitions flourishing in most of the towns in New Zealand. Early next year an English girls’ team is to visit New Zealand and endeavour to give our girls a few lessons in both batting and bowling. How they will fare remains to be seen, but a perusal of last season’s scoring sheets shows that, while our girls can certainly bowl, few can bat —for any length of time. The English visit will be a pioneering one, for the members of the team have to pay their own expenses. They say that practice makes perfect and that the longer a sport has been in vogue the higher the standard of the players. If that contention be correct, then our girls will be in much the same position as the last New Zealand eleven to visit England—pupils. Long, Long Ago. Just when Englishwomen began to play cricket is doubtful, but an article in the “ Lyttelton Times ” of August 29, 1898. under the title of “ The Newer Cricket, - ’ gives some illuminating facts about the game. “ ‘ Be you one of the cricket young ladies, miss?’ and the driver of the drag touched his cap with a misplaced twinkle. “‘ I am one of the eleven, certainly/ said the captain with dignity. She was slim, young, tall and as brown as a berry. ‘“To be sure miss, and where would the other young ladies be?’ “ They came pouring out of the station, ten English girls in overpoweringly good spirits, each dowered with lungs most evidently sound. Every girl had a dark green skirt, a pink shirt, a sailor hat bound with dark green, and a tarn, leather belt that was occasionally'fingered apprehensively by one or another with a good memory, who had attempted cricket and achieved ‘ stitch * in the side by the agency of that same smart belt on fields of the past. One by one they clamoured into the drag “ A man, flannelled and expectant, came«»diffidently up to the door of the drag. Eleven young women remained motionless and looked gently over his head. There was an awkward silence. “ ‘ I m sorry,’ he said, turning away with lifted cap; * I can easily walk up as there’s no room/ and he set out with a gallant stride and a blushing neck just visible above his collar. “‘Girls!’ gasped the captain, what fools we are! Of course, he’s our umpire!’ “ After the reluctant umpire had been chased and brought back to the drag and the journey of some four miles had been begun the talk turned towards the game. They re better than we are/ sighed the captain; ‘we're a frightfully scratchy lot, I’m afraid.’ A Great Advantage. “ The umpire murmured deprecation. ‘ Oh, yes, we are! And, besides, they have one great advantage ’ — this in a tone dark with portent. “ ‘ What’s that?’ “ * Well,’ she hesitated, 4 they all wear a dress to play in.’ “ 4 The umpire tried to look surprised, and felt a little uneasy. Did his team intend ‘peeling?’ “ 4 A dress/ continued the captain, 4 not like ours.’ 44 Enlightenment dawned, and he helped her out. 4 Oh, they play in knickerbockers—a sort of cycling costume V 44 Everyone was relieved and began to talk at once. No, it wasn’t exactly knickerbockers. At least it was knickerbockers, but there was a tunic .... from the neck to the knee .... black stockings .... it didn’t always look very bad. “ The drag turned in at a gate and drove between tall trees and brilliant flower-beds to the porch of a picturesque house. Leaning easily against the door-posts were two girls of twenty or thereabouts. Their navy-blue tunics hung from the neck straight to the knees, something after the manner of the modern child’s outer garment, but had a cord, which slightly defined the waist. Their shapely legs looked trimness itself in the black stockings and they wore neat buckled shoes of easy fit.” The teams took the field. The girls who had adopted the short skirts and tunics duly won, one player carrying her bat for 121 out of the total of 170. The other team was dismissed for the total of 15 runs and had to follow-on

and in their second strike made the small total of 22. No .disadvantages in the matter of dress will hamper the 1935 teams W’hen they step out to do battle. Skirts and pads are universal for cricket wear and the only advantage would appear to lie in the direction of the length of time the game has been played in both countries. On the figures, the Englishwomen should have an overwhelming advantage.