Page:Seventy One Not Out.pdf/16

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4
CRICKET AT THE TIME OF MY BIRTH.

against Clarke and Barker's bowling renders it still more meritorious. In the year of which I write he made another large score against Nottingham—viz., 125. Tom represented England on several occasions, and also appeared for the left-handed against the right. His feats with bat and ball have been celebrated in poetry as well as in prose. He was a noted single-wicket player, and met many opponents, most of whom he defeated. Fuller Pilch, however, twice succeeded in lowering his colours. It must be remembered that although round-arm bowling had to a certain extent superseded underhand, the new fashion had many opponents, who would persist in describing it as "throwing," and declared that it had been the ruin of all scientific batting. At this time the bowler's hand had to be lower than his elbow when he delivered the ball, which must have been a cause of great trouble to the umpires. When a fast bowler was on, it must have been very difficult to detect what was fair and what unfair in this respect. No such things as batting-gloves or pads were used, and accidents to batsmen were naturally common enough. Bats made all in a piece were in vogue, cane handles scarcely being known, if at all. These unspliced bats I used myself many times in local cricket when a boy; and, strange to say, some of them drove very well. There were few enclosed grounds in England in those days where