THE VILLAGE CttlCKET CLUB. 305 



last departing tribute of remembrance to his fa- 

 vourite game. When I was last in his town, I 

 called at his brother's house, and found a small 

 portrait of him executed by a country artist, the 

 picture was by no means without merit the like- 

 ness of my poor amiable friend very correct, and 

 I was not displeased in seeing a cricket-bat drawn 

 in a corner of the room where he was described as 

 sitting. In his will, he bequeathed a fine bat of 

 Gould's of Kensington, which I had lately given 

 him, to his elder brother. 



' I must now turn to the relation of a cir- 

 cumstanee which took place some seven or eight 

 year's since, and which trifling as it first ap- 

 peared, materially changed the nature of our 

 club, and indeed gave us that superiority over 

 all the neighbouring ones which we still possess. 

 It was very early in the season, when few of the 

 members were present, owing to the cold east 

 wind, and unsettled state of the weather, and other 

 causes; but the three Ashleys with their elder 

 brother, myself, and three or four others were 

 practising, in a manner more I believe to please 

 ourselves than others, and certainly more bold than 

 scientific. In fact we were ah 1 then in our infancy, 

 and fancied that a hard swipe was the ne plus 

 ultra of the game; and that the strongest hitter 

 was par consequence, the best player. In this 

 way we were proceeding, sending the ball over the 



