CRICKET

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XI, Issue 528, 6 September 1900, Page 8

CRICKET

CURIOUS CRICKET MATCHES.

Some very curious cricket matches have taken place at various times. The Surrey bowler, Richardson, once arranged a novel match at Thames Ditton, captaining a county team against eleven humorous vocalists, headed by Mr Arthur Roberts. One condition of the match was that the comedians should play in dress suits and top hats. A match which caused considerable amusement was some years ago played near Warrington. A team of girls challenged, played, and, what is more, defeated the boys’ cricket club. The feminine bowling was described as being very destructive, one girl performing the hat trick. During a time of unrest in which the Samoans had written offering themselves to England, the entire Government to avoid complication and roughly-exacted explanations, determined to suspend business, and to fill in the time of waiting for a reply to their letter by starting a cricket match of vast proportions. The game was started, but whether it was ever finished or not we cannot say. It is said that the Germans eventually forbade the king under dire penalties to play the game again. An eccentric match was played at Bishod Auckland 24 years ago, between a publican and an auctioneer. The publican staked £2O to £lO that his opponent could not bowl him out in twelve hours, the purveyor of beer to be allowed the choice of his own bat, and the knockerdown of goods and chattels to bowl with equal discretion. Boniface appeared at the wicket with an implement resembling a barndoor with a handle, and succeeded in completely hiding the sticks. But the knight of the hammer had provided himself with a ball of proportionate dimensions, weighing 270 z, and, nothing daunted, let go at bis opponent’s defence, and soon began to knock j chips and splinters off it. A breach having been effected, the ball spread-eagled the wicket, and the auctioneer retired the victor after nine minutes. Several cricket matches have been played on the ice. In Parry’s “Second Voyage in Search of a North-West Passage,” the frontispiece depicts a match between the crews of the Hecla and the Fury, which took place in March, 1823. At Harewood, in Yorkshire, in February, 1838, teams representing Harewood and Stark contested a match on the ice, during which one of the players scored thirteen runs from one hit. And on January 16, 1880, a match under similar

conditions was played between Swansea and Oadoxton, in which . the visitors were gmitiy assisted to victory by a retriever dog. In 1846 a match was played at the Earl of Wintertqn’s seat in Sussex which deserves the appelation of eocehtrio from the number of players who took part in it. It was between the Earl of Winterton’s eleven and fifty-five labourers on the estate, the greatest number of players who have ever figured in any one match. — Morning Advertiser.