BEHAVIOUR P’S AND QS’

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue XIX, 4 November 1899, Page 822

BEHAVIOUR P’S AND QS’

HINTS TO BROTHERS.

When playing games of croquet or tennis with women, a young man who loves the game for its own sake is often placed in rather a difficult position—he must either beat the girls he is playing against out and out, or he must do injustice to his own form of play in order to give them a chance of winning sometimes, and po having an enjoyable afternoon for no one enjoys themselves if they are beaten at every game. Now in these cases circumstances must be taken into account, so hard-and-fast lines are impossible to lay down. For instance, if the girls are champion players and the winners of prizes, you of course meet them on their own ground and play your very best, doing your utmost to' win the game.

Tf you succeed, and play again and win again, then it is as well to say to your opponent, “I think I am a' bit stronger than you at this; shall I give you points?” This puts the whole thing into the girl’s hand—she either accepts or refuses, and stands and falls by her own decision, leaving you at liberty still to play your best. But it is not so much about these sort of matches we have to think as of the afternoon party when games are introduced to make people happy, and alas! so often have the contrary effect.

The reason is not far to seek, and often can be traced to the discourtesy that one player shows who is very good and strong at a game in playing against others who are not very good, although they delight in playing, and are straining every nerve to do their best. ' 1 ■ y

In these cases it is much more gracious and more gentlemanlike to play beneath your own strength; you will very likely have an opportunity late in the day of being pitted against someone of your own calibre, and showing the onlookers what you can do. 1 i : 1 But suppose that this should not be the ease, and that you have for the sake of the general “gc" of the game to hide your light under a bushel and play badly in order to give the others a chance, you will be well repaid by playing in a bright, amusing game instead of seeing flushed and irritated opponents, who are evidently for the time being detesting you, and any real judge of the game will understand that you are holding yourself back—they will see it from the form in which you play—and will be sure to understand and appreciate your motives. Croquet has been always found to be a game particularly trying to the temper, and after all can you imagine, if you were a woman —not a very young one, perhaps, and yet young enough to enjoy the game—what it would feel like to be croqued away from your hoop every time you were within measurable distance of going through it, and to have to spend nearly the whole of the game away from the rest of the party, who would naturally in that case appear to be having ‘‘such a good time,” while you were left solitary away from it all time after time?

It is so easy to notice these sort of things, and by a little thoughtfulness to avoid making someone wretched. "Let mercy season justice,” particularly when playing croquet with ladies.

A family game against your sisters or cousins ought to be conducted, on the contrary, on the strictest lines. Each knows the strength of the other, and you give or take points, as the case may be; but each ought to play up, and in their very best form, for a family game is a sort of practice, and the better each one plays the more the rest will improve; and if any member of the family in this case loses his or her temper, the sooner he or she gives up playing games of skill the better, for they are by temperament distinctly unfitted for them.