are told—beat his own side—"by byes," no long-stop being able to stop his bowling effectively. The chief check to the Squire's career seems to have been the discovery of the famous Browne of Brighton, who bowled, some said, even faster. Beldham, however, made a lot of runs off the latter on one special occasion. This is a digression, into which the consideration of single-wicket matches for money—and is it a wonder we do not have more of them now?—beguiled me. But perhaps it is a good thing that we do not have them, for they may well have been the root and source of all the subsequent "leg-work."
The Coronation match is the first occasion on which Mr. Pycroft notices the "Legs," in his order of writing, but lower down on the very same page he quotes some words of Mr. Budd, who shared, with Lord Frederick Beauclerk, the credit of being the best amateur cricketer of the day, relative to a match at Nottingham—M.C.C. v. Twenty-two of Notts—in which the same evil influence is apparent. "In that match," he says, "Clarke played —the future captain of the All England travelling team. "In common with others, I lost my money, and was greatly disappointed at the termination. One paid player was accused of selling, and never employed after.'"
Mr. Budd must have done his level best to avert defeat, too, for Bentley records that he caught out no less than nine of the Notts men; but one paid player was accused of selling, and Clarke was on the other side! However it happened, Notts won. Mr.
