A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the legs. Throttling and breaking of arms are 

 not allowed, but still such little details as the 

 breaking of fingers would not be considered a 

 disqualification, if such an accident took place 

 solely in the struggle, and not through any un- 

 fair play. The Lancashire style closely resem- 

 bles the Graeco-Roman,^ the only difiference being 

 that the latter does not permit of tripping and 

 catching hold of the legs, while both are allowed 

 according to the rules of Lancashire. To consti- 

 tute a fell both shoulders must be down on the 

 ground. 



The principal ' chips ' (as the tricks of the art 

 are termed) in the Lancashire style are as 

 follows : — 



The Double Nelson. This is now generally 

 barred, owing to the dangerous results when it is 

 successful. It is accomplished by getting behind 

 your opponent and placing both arms under his ; 

 then clasp your hands behind his neck, and bend 

 his head down in such a way that, if he does not 

 previously measure his length on the ground, his 

 breast bone will give way. 



The Half Nehon. Grasp your opponent by 

 the right wrist with your left hand, place your 

 right hand under his arm and seize him by the 

 neck, pressing his head forward, then leave go of 

 his right hand, and clasp him round the waist ; 

 he can then be easily heaved. 



The Heave. Place your right hand under your 

 opponent's right shoulder, and reach over to his 

 left loin ; at the same time slip your left arm 

 under his so as to get hold of his left elbow ; this 

 being successfully accomplished he can be made 

 to turn a complete somersault. 



The Lancashire Lock. Each wrc'-tler grasps 

 the other by the thigh, when both struggle to 

 get on all fours. If you catch your opponent by 

 the thigh, and get underneath his body before he 

 is down, you can lift him up bodily and throw 

 him down. This is also called The Lancashire 

 ham and leg. 



The Three-quarter Nelson is probably the most 

 useful of the Lancashire chips. Grasp your op- 

 ponent round the neck with both hands, without 

 letting him get a similar hold, and you have him 

 in a good position for the Buttock or Cross-But- 

 tock. 



The Flying Man. This is also common to the 

 Cornwall and Devon style. Seize your oppo- 

 nent's left wrist with your right hand, then im- 

 mediately turn your back on him ; at the same 

 time grasp his left elbow with your left hand and 

 swing him over your head. 



If the wearisome wrestling on the ground were 

 abolished there would be nothing to say against 

 the Lancashire style. It certainly calls for great 

 skill and science, and is most useful for self-defence. 



BOWLS 



It may be questioned whether the game of 

 bowls should be classified as a sport, but it is so 

 universally played in Lancashire that this article 

 would not, it is thought, be complete without 

 some reference to it. 



The most important event of the year in the 

 bowling world is the annual tournament at 

 Blackpool.' This event was established about 

 the beginning of the last quarter of the nine- 

 teenth century by Mr. Herbert Nickson, of the 

 Talbot Hotel. It had a very humble beginning, 

 being limited to sixteen players in its first year. 

 From that modest start, however, has grown a 

 contest which ranks as the premier meeting of 



' The Lancashire style has also a great resemblance 

 to that of the Mahrattas which the present writer has 

 often seen in India, in that the half-stooping attitude 

 is assumed on commencing the rounds ; the opponents 

 then seize each other by the wrists, or if possible get 

 into head holds, and eventually fall struggling to the 

 ground. Then the real contest begins. The spec- 

 tacle is not a particularly interesting one, and is very 

 often a lengthy and protracted business. When judg- 

 ing in India, the writer had to make a time limit, or no 

 prize ; this generally had a good result. 



' This tournament generally begins on the second 

 or third Monday in September, and usually lasts for 

 about a month. While it is in process matches are 

 to be seen daily between all the best-known pro- 

 fessional bowlers. 



the season for this favourite pastime. It was 

 during the lifetime of the late Mr. John Nickson, 

 son of the founder of the handicap, that the 

 tournament reached its present great importance. 

 By dint of his great personal influence, and a 

 substantial increase to the prize money, Mr. 

 Nickson gave so great an impetus to the game 

 that in the year 1903 there were no fewer than 

 704 competitors, and in 1906 the tournament 

 extended over a period of six weeks. Play wa^, 

 however, impossible during one week of the 

 meeting on account of bad weather. 



Interest in this event is by no means confined 

 to the County Palatine, although the majority 

 of the players are drawn from this county. 

 Trundlers come from the West Riding of 

 Yorkshire and Cumberland, from the midland 

 counties and the Isle of Man, and on two or 

 three occasions entries have even been received 

 from London. 



The ground itself is one of the best kept and 

 most carefully preserved of the many bowling 

 greens in the country, the smooth, even, velvety 

 turf being kept in the pink of condition. This 

 green, including asphalt, measures 47 yds. i ft. by 

 36 yds. 2 ft., the asphalt being 6 ft. 3 in. in 

 width. On this green almost every bowler of 

 note has tried his skill in the annual effort to 

 secure the coveted blue ribbon of the bowling turf. 



500 



