even one out of three of possible chances, has proved, in his experience, good average wicketkeeping; for, think of leg shooters! though Mr. Ridding could take even them wonderfully well.

"I have seen," writes Mr. E. S. E. H., "Mr. C. Taylor-who was capital at running in, and rarely stumped out, having an excellent eye, and if the twist of the ball beat him it was enough to beat the wicket-keeper also I have seen him, after missing a ball, walk quietly back to his ground, poor wicket-keeper looking foolish and vexed at not stumping him, and the ring, of course, calling him a muff." Really, wicket-keepers are hardly used; the spectators little know that a twist which misses the bat, may as easily escape the hand.

Again, "the best piece of stumping I ever saw was done by Mr. Anson, in the Players' Match, in 1843. Butler, one of the finest of the Nottingham batsmen, in trying to draw one of Mr. Mynn's leg shooters, just lifted, for an instant, his right foot; Mr. Anson timed the feat beautifully, and swept the ball with his left hand into the wicket. I fancy a feat so difficult was never done so easily."—"I also saw Mr. Anson, in a match against the Etonians, stump a man with his right, catch the flying bail with his left, and replace it so quickly that the man's surprise and puzzle made all the fun: stumped out, though wicket seemingly never down!" Mr. Jenner was very

clever in these things, skimming off one bail with his little finger, ball in hand, and not troubling the umpire. Once his friend, Mr. R. K., had an awkward trick of pulling up his trousers, which lifted his leg every time he had missed a ball : Mr. Jenner waited for his accustomed habit, caught him in the act, and stumped him. "A similar piece of fun happened in Gentlemen of England v. Gentlemen of Kent in 1845. A Kent player sat down to get wind, after a run, his bat in his ground but with seat of honour out, and for a moment let go the handle, and the wicketkeeper stumped him out. He was very angry, and said he never would play again: however, he did play the return match at Canterbury, where he was put out in precisely the same manner. Since which, like Monsieur Tonson, he has never been heard of more."

That a fieldsman wants wits to his fingers' ends, was shown by Martingell one day: being just too far to command a ball he gave it a touch to keep it up, and cried, "Catch it, Slip." Slip, so assisted, reached the ball.

The great thing in Wicket-keeping is, for hand and eye to go together, just as with batting, and what is exercise for the former, assists the latter. Any exercise in which the hand habitually tries to obey the eye, is useful for cricket; fielding mproves batting, and batting improves fielding.

Twelve of the principal wicket-keepers of the last fifty years were all efficient Batsmen; namely, Hammond, Searle, Box, Wenman, Dorrington, C. Brown, Chatterton, Lockyer, with Messrs. Jenner, Anson, Nicholson, and Ridding.

"How would you explain, sir," said Cobbett, "that the player's batting keeps pace with the gentleman's, when we never take a bat except in a game?"-"Because you are constantly following the ball with hand and eye together, which forms a valuable practice for judging pace, and time, and distance: not enough certainly to teach batting, but enough to keep it up. Besides, if you practise too little, most gentlemen practise too much, ending in a kind of experimental and speculative play, which proves-like gentleman's farming more scientific than profitable. Amateurs often try at too much, mix different styles, and, worse than all, form conflicting habits. The game, for an average, is the player's game; because, less ambitious, with less excitement about favourite hits, of a simple style, with fewer things to think of, and a game in which, though limited, they are better grounded.

Amateurs are apt to try a bigger game than they could safely play with twice their practice. Many a man, for instance, whose talent lies in defence, tries free hitting, and, between the two, proves good for nothing. Others, perhaps, can

play straight and fairly Off; —and, should not they learn to hit On also? Certainly: but while in a transition state, they are not fit for a county match: and some men are always in this transition state. Horace had good cricket ideas, for, said he,

"Aut famam sequere, aut sibi convenientia finge.”

Either play for show off, and "that's villanous,' says Hamlet, "and shows a most pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it;" or, adopt a style you can put well together—and sumite materiam―æquam viribus, adopt a style that suits your capabilities; cui lecta potenter erit res; try at no more than you can do-nec deseret hunc, and that's the game to carry you through.

"A mistake,” said an experienced bowler, "in giving a leg ball or two, is not all clear loss; for, a swing round to the leg often takes a man off his straight play. To ring the changes on Cutting with horizontal bat, and forward play with a straight bat, and leg-hitting, which takes a different bat again, this requires more steady practice than most amateurs have either time or perseverance to learn thoroughly. So, one movement is continually interfering with the other."

CHAP. XI.

CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.

MISCELLANEOUS.

WILLIAM BELDHAM saw as much of cricket as any other man in England, from the year 1780 to about 1820. Mr. E. H. Budd and Caldecourt are the best of chroniclers from the days of Beldham down to George Parr. Yet neither of these worthies could remember any injury at cricket, which would at all compare with those "moving accidents of flood and field" which have thinned the ranks of Nimrod, Hawker, or Isaac Walton. A fatal accident in any legitimate game of cricket is almost unknown. Mr. A. Haygarth, however, kindly informed me that the father of George III. died from the effects of a blow from a cricket ball. His authority is Wraxall's Memoirs :

"Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George II., expired suddenly in 1751, at Leicester House, in the arms of Desnoyèrs, the celebrated dancing master. His end was caused by an internal abscess that had long been forming in consequence of a blow which he received in the side from a cricket ball while he was engaged in playing at