xxxiv CRICKET, FOOTBALL, ETC. 341 



here as to the merits of run-up or pitch.) It is hoped 

 gradually to replace them by grass. Nothing could be 

 finer than the situation. A bird's-eye view of the 

 town is obtained on one side and the Ngong forest 

 skirts the other, while on a clear day Kilima-njaro to 

 the south-west and Kenia to the east reveal their snow- 

 clad peaks. It gives an added thrill to the visitor to 

 know that both lion and leopard still haunt the N'gong 

 forest. Within the last two years an officer in the Kings 

 African Rifles came on a party of lions, and was badly 

 mauled, if not, as is usually stated, actually on the 

 course, little more than a long drive distant. There 

 are a few snakes in the long grass and " rough " bounding 

 the course. These form an extra incentive to keeping 

 straight ! 



The championship of British East Africa was started 

 in 19 10, and the first champion was Mr. A. E. Gardner, 

 the popular secretary of the Nairobi Club. The winner 

 in 191 1 was Mr. Figgis, formerly a semi-finalist in the 

 Irish Championship, and other notable players include 

 Messrs. Anderson, Crawley- Boevey, C. Hirtzell, 

 Tanner, and Evans. 



Lawn tennis is the game most generally played 

 throughout the Protectorate, as is natural owing to the 

 limited amount of space and time that it demands. 

 Practically every station in the Protectorate has at 

 least one court, and from Mombasa to Port Florence, 

 from Kitui to Moyale the native wonders at the mad- 

 ness of the Englishman and incidentally retrieves his 

 balls. And not only the stations but many of the larger 

 farms are similarly equipped. 



The courts are all hard, artificial ones, which if not 

 so pleasant under foot as good springy turf, un- 

 doubtedly provide a faster and more scientific game. 



