THE
PET[RIT' VoL . VII .
JUNE, 1885 .
n .
No . 52.
CRICKET-ITS ORIGIN AND GROWTH. N spite of the article that appeared some months ago in the Peterite, it may be safely stated that Cricket is not a classical sport . It can only be said that Homer in the Odyssey makes the first mention of games with balls . Insular pride has caused one translator to use these lines, in an attempt to dignify our national game with a classical origin . Still, at the sacrifice of all chivalrous devotion to the " fair haired " heroine of Homer, we ought rather to rebel at the idea of mentioning sturdy John Bull and his cricket in the same breath as ball-play, and the effeminate youth of Alcinous—zit cute curanda ninzium operate juz'entus. The translation alluded to is, however, valuable as throwing light upon the first germs of our game—this alone should be sufficient to excuse its insertion .
I
"Nausicaa With other virgins did at stool-Gall play, Their shoulder-reaching head-tires laying by ; Nausicaa, with her wrists of ivory, The liking-stroke struck ."
Here is material enough for the cricket antiquarian ; stool-ball is the most elementary form of game in which a ball is tossed from one player to another, who strikes it with a club in order to prevent it hitting the stool or crickett 3 hence the name of our game . The " liking stroke " was merely the old name of our "trial ball ." Another form of amusement of this kind that suggested itself to the youthful mind was tapping a piece of wood sharpened at both ends, and then hitting it as far as possible, the player that could run furthest before the piece of wood was returned, scoring accordingly. This game, which may still be seen in the streets under the form of tip-cat,- has had a separate development of its own and is the forefather of the modern knuir and spell . From these two games we can