had lately been raised from i foot to 2 feet high, but had for some while been only 6 inches wide, a small mark for the bowler.
Mr. Pycroft goes on, quoting Beldham again: "There was some good hitting in those days"—towards the close of the eighteenth century is the date alluded to, as far as I can make out—"though too little defence. Tom Taylor would cut away in fine style, almost after the manner of Mr. Budd. Old Small was among the first members of the Hambledon Club. He began to play about 1750, and Lumpy Stevens at the same time. I can give you some notion, sir, of what cricket was in those days, for Lumpy, a very bad bat, as he was well aware, once said to me, 'Beldham, what do you think cricket must have been in those days when I was thought a good batsman?'"
This is instructive comment, as to the style of batting previous to 1780—that is the date that it appears we must fix for the change of style that brought batting in touch with modern theories. But by the way we ought to notice that Beldham spoke of the fielding as being very good, even in the oldest days of his recollection, and Mr. Pycroft is careful to add a note saying that this praise from Beldham was high praise indeed, and eminently to be trusted, as Beldham's own hands were also eminently to be trusted, whether for fielding the ball on the ground or for a catch.
But with the year 1780 we come to a new era in the art of batting, associated more particularly with
