Related article: stands between this desirable con-
summation and the increased en-
joyment of the general cricketing
public. Modify the law as sug-
gested, and the sameness of the
one limited style of bowling on
the off-side will disappear. Let
the cardinal principle of an "open
wicket" be adopted, and though
the bowler will gain a much-
needed advantge, we will make
bold to say the batsman will not
be harmed and the umpire will
have far less trouble.
One word now as to the umpires.
It was mentioned at Lord's during
the l.b.w. discussion that — not-
withstanding Captain Denison's
deeply reasoned caveat^the first-
class umpires were in favour of the
proposed change. No wonder! For
it is simply a question between a
rapidly-moving diminutive object
pitching within a very narrow
parallelogram of eight inches wide
and a large object within the same
space, more or less stationary —
i.e., between Buy Malegra Dxt the cricket ball and
the man*s leg or person. No
wonder, we say, that an umpire
should prefer the larger object
which gives him the longer view !
But this point has, we believe,
been very generally misappre-
hended, even among cricketers ;
and the opposing case has been
argued upon the fallacy, that the
supporters of the proposed altera-
tion desired to go back to the old
time before the present law — ».^.,
long before the Flood — '.vhen every-
thing was given out — no matter
where the ball pitched or where
the man stood — if, in the umpire's
opinion, it would )iave hit tb&
wicket.
It cannot be too generally knowa
or too often affirmed that the
M.C.C. Committee, in the case at
issue, proposed nothing of ths
kind. Mr. Mitchell's statement at
the meeting was in this respect
very telling, when he appeated—
as well he might — to his Buy Malegra Dxt Online own Icmg
and continuous exp>erience as as
umpire at Eton and elsewhere.
He declared that to locate the
exact pitch of the ball was at
times most difficult, but that the
location of the man's leg ^^as com-
paratively an easy matter. In
fact, there could be no doubt of
the advantage to any first-class
umpire, in his opinion.
Nor does it seem reasonable to
assume that second - class or
country umpires would be liable
to err, as they did formerly. Why
should they not also benefit by the
definition of the straight line — tj.,
between wicket and wicket — in
which a batsman must not stand ?
In the early part of last century,
he might have stood a foot wide of
this straight line on either side;
and yet, because the umpire
chose to fancy so — in his biased
or unbiased opinion, as the case
might be — he might be given oat
**leg before wicket." Even the
most complacent umpire could
not order an opponent out under
the proposed new rule, without
the most flagrant abuse of his
powers and duty. Let us give
the most thick-headed lubber of
a country umpire his due under
the proposed altered rule, and
some credit for a desire to be
honest and true ; and it must then
be confessed, that the new rule
would impose upon him the easiest
possible questions — (i) Was the
man (the batsman^ in the straight
line between the wickets, or was he
not ? And if he was, would the ball
which hit him have hit the wicket ?
lOI.]
A WORKING L.B.W. MAJORITY.
411
\Ve trust that the umpire bubble
Has now been sufficiently pricked.
Of more importance it is, what
course is to be pursued in view of
the recent decision at Lord*s.
There are three courses which
occur to our mind at present.
The first and preferable one in our
opinion — although we are neces-
sarily helpless and at the mercy of Order Malegra Dxt
the other side as to this— would
be, that the minority should Purchase Malegra Dxt Online bow
to the majority, considering the
great weight of first-class cricket
authority to which we have re-
ferred — the very considerable ma-
jority expressed by the numbers in
the division upon the proposition of
the M.C.C, Committee — and also
the strong and preponderating ex-
pression of opinion in the organs
of the daily and sporting press.
It would be but a graceful tribute
on the part of the minority, who are
principally juniors, not to stand
upon their legal claim for a two-
thirds majority.
In default of such an act of
recognition on their part of the
general bent of prevailing public
opinion, of course, the whole
question would have to abide
fresh debates and divisions, and
the issue of recurring conflicts
from year to year. We should
deprecate this, both for the
peace of cricketers and for the
good of cricket. It could not be
for the advantage of either, we
think, that the friends of the
game should be henceforth divided
into two camps or parties of the
elders and the juniors — the Solo-
tnons and the Rehoboams.
There is a third course which
we suggest might be possible, and
that is, to call our kinsmen of the
antipodes into conference over
this matter, and let it be decided
by the joint judgment of England
and Australia Order Malegra Dxt Online upon the occasion
of the next visit of the Australians
in 1902. The Australians have
fairly attained and asserted the
standard of first-class cricketers,
and the International and Colonial
matches of the last twenty years
have given them an entirely ex-
ceptional position. Neither South
African, Purchase Malegra Dxt nor Indian, nor American
cricketers have any such claim.
But the matter should not,
and cannot, rest where it is.
It is not so altogether unlikely
that with the cry in everybody's
mouth, '* Something must be done
to check excessive scoring," other
proposers and other seconders of
a different type to Mr. Alfred
Lyttelton and Mr. Shuter may
arise. It is not always that sedate
and wise advisers are the most
persuasive with an audience. We
should be sorry to see other sup-
posed remedies, such as a narrower
bat, higher or wider stumps,
innings by time, or decisions by
first innings only, or any other
nostrum carried by a strong breeze
oi popularis aura. We do not say
that none of these things are
good ; but they are in the nature
of radical changes, more or less,
whereas the proposition that a
man shall not put his padded legs
deliberately in front of his wicket
is little more than a reminder
that cricket is a game of Bat and
BalL We observe, indeed, that
the last-mentioned of these re-
medial ideas — the one innings — is
having a practical trial given to it
by the London County Club at
the Crystal Palace ; but it seems
to us at least to be the very worst
of all of them, because it cuts at
the time-honoured fundamental
principle — the chief element in
the ** glorious uncertainty " — that