VI. 

 VILLAGE CRICKET 



L 



It would, of course, be presumptuous to attempt 

 at this period of the world's history to say any- 

 thing original upon a subject so hackneyed as 

 cricket. No Englishman requires instruction 

 in a pastime wdth which he is familiar from his 

 birth, nor is there any necessity to recommend 

 so deservedly popular a pursuit. For, although 

 there has of late been much idle criticism of 

 the game, and many foolish suggestions have 

 been made for enlivening it from a spectacular 

 point of view, there seems little likelihood of its 

 ever being ousted from the high place it still 

 holds in the public favour. 



To the ignorant and uninitiated cricket may 

 doubtless occasionally appear a dull and dreary 

 sport, just as in like fashion chess may seem 

 tedious enough to the unintelligent onlooker, 

 while the hectic delights of "spilikins" are 

 commonly hidden from the gaze of the casual 

 observer. Even experts have at times been 



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