Mr. Ford has accepted the Hon. Captaincy of the Corps, which has become vacant by the resignation of Mr. Harding. Two other Masters, Mr. Sharp and Mr. Rundell, have enlisted in the ranks. It is to be hoped that the interest which the Masters are thus showing in the Corps will rouse the School to greater energy, especially among the outboarders, for at present, with a very few exceptions the Corps is comprised entirely of inboarders, though four or five years ago the outhouses contributed a large number to our ranks.

Recruits are strongly advised to practise shooting hard this term, as now is the time to begin to practise up for Wimbledon next year, since in the summer term the shooting is monopolised to a great extent by the ten or so best shots who have a chance for the Wimbledon VIII.

The Monthly Cup for September was shot for on Saturday, the 27th, at 300 and 600 yds., and won by Stanton with 43 points.

PENNY READING COMMITTEE.

H. J. Glennie

H. M. Crookenden
W. B. Taylor
J. C. Godley

F. W. Hodgson
A. H. Hawkins
T. Fairrie

THE CRICKET SEASON OF 1879.

CRICKET! The word seems incongruous and out of place, when one recalls the swamps on which our eleven had to perform in almost every match, turning some of the most interesting matches into mere mud-larks, and rendering the most confident batsmen despondent. Still our fate has not been more watery than that of all cricketers this year, and with this meagre consolation we must fain be content. With four of our old eleven left-one of them a bowler-with a promising wicket keeper, who turned out really first-class, our prospects were not so gloomy as some people imagined; and when a slow bowler appeared on the scene-a sort of deus ex machina-who proved probably the best public-school bowler of the year, when the Cheltenham XI, elated with its victory over Clifton, retired wiser and (we fear) sadder men, there were many left who hoped to repeat at Lord's the performance of '76 and '77. But it was not to be. Our bowling was good enough to get rid of a respectable team for less than 150 runs in each innings, and even this total might have been reduced with a little more retentiveness in the field. But our batting! Let us draw a veil over it. With 70 runs up and no wicket lost there was a moment when victory seemed

PRICE 6d

well within our reach, but the collapse that followed was more than disheartening. Let us hark back to happier days and paeans of triumph.

As usual Trinity (Oxford) was to the fore, in their energy sending down two teams. The result was unsatisfactory in that it was a draw, satisfactory in that it pointed to some steady batting in the team. Very steady indeed was Hitchcock, but withal punishing to leg; Leach showed some promise, and 139 was a respectable total. When our adversaries got set, things did not look well, but Challen when put on a second time seemed inspired, and made great hay of the wickets, so that the match was drawn, perhaps a little in our favour. A total of 160 against Univ. Coll. was the more to be commended because it contained such a bowler as Thornton, who at Lord's bowled 13 consecutive maidens against the two best bats in the Cambridge XI. Peake and Leach showed really spirited cricket and were rewarded by respectable scores, while there were four double figure innings to back them up. But Thornton was too good for our bowling and too appreciative of long-hops to the off, and we owe a defeat by 8 runs and three wickets to his innings of 64, aided and abetted by some village-green fielding. Liverpool chose, perhaps, the wettest of the many wet days for

their match. Heigh-ho! the wind and the rain ! How it did blow and come down! But nothing could daunt D. Q. Steel, who played a grand innings of 128, Isaacson well up with a peculiar 40 something. Glennie, be it remembered, bowled really well, and was often very difficult; would that his break and length had clung to him longer! Of our batting it will be well to say little; unfavourable surroundings tell more upon boys' cricket than on men's, and our performance was, to say the least of it, mild. The O.M.'s came down weak and were defeated by a narrow majority of two wickets, Hardwick and Kitcat pulling the match out of the fire. Bengough also was busy, but, take it all round, our batting was not good, and we ought to have won far more easily. The Nondescripts turned up strong, though with the exception of A. S. Francis and E. C. B. Ford no one did much, but it was quite the strongest eleven we had to meet this year, and smarting as they were under the ominous defeat suffered at our hands in '78, we must not be surprised at their easy win by 8 wickets. Eight double figures in our two innings, but no individual score over 21. And now to our great triumph, due to the excellent bowling of Peake and Hardwick and the real business-like fielding of the whole team, which got rid of such tough antagonists for a meagre total of 26-and that, with only 42 wanted to win. We may plume ourselves a little on this; Marlburians may talk with pride of the match which brought us to a level with Cheltenham in score of victories; and in the "days far onward " we trust, "with weeping and with laughter the story will be told, how Hardwick bowled and Bengough kept in the brave days of old." (Shades of Macaulay!) Why even the unfortunate wights who missed G. Francis in the first innings may congratulate themselves on having produced so grand a finish. Certainly none who saw the first ball bowled and the last wicket fall will forget the feverish excitement of those fifty minutes.

The Clifton Club with five Gloucestershire county men in its ranks was quite too strong for us; Townsend's lobs and Matthew's 47, with other double figures to back him up, produced a defeat by 89 runs. Our next match was against W. D. Dowding's team, who only made 58; but 9 of our wickets had fallen for 49, when Hardwick went in and proved in this, as in the O.M. match, a hard wicket to get.

Couple with this his bowling-13 wickets for 28 runs!—and we may say fairly that he with the aid of Peake's 22, beat our opponents by 8 wickets, 30 being all they could muster in their second venture.

The Rugby match is fresh-too fresh-in our memories. None of us have forgotten how Capron batted in the first, how Leslie in the second, innings : how Leslie ought to have been caught, how our fielding got slack. While to balance this we may recall with pride the precision of Hardwick's circumambient right hand, and the plucky resistance which. Hitchcock and Kitcat offered in the second innings. "Oh! for one hour of Wilson wight or well-skilled Steel to rule the fight!" (enter ghost of Sir Walter.) It was indeed a Flodden to us which a few doughty blows might have converted into a Bannockburn. Infandum dolorem ne renovemus.

A word of general criticism and our task is done. We won a fair proportion of our matches, it is true, but the teams opposed to us were in two cases weak, while our resistance to anything like strength was feeble. Our bowling was certainly our strong point; too much credit cannot be given to Hardwick for his systematic steadiness; and Peake, though erratic, sent up many a "yorker" and "full-pitch" that proved unplayable. Moreover, in Challen, Glennie, and Hill, we had some changes, which if not very venomous, were at least good enough to get rid of a troublesome wicket but our fielding was far below sample. lacked élan, it lacked accuracy, it lacked that gumminess of finger that is necessary to make a certainty of catches, many of which were dropped, and those easy ones. Throwing too was poor, the long throwing too high and "lobby," the short-range slow and wide, albeit Glennie and Challen at times showed they had that" whip" of the wrist that inspires the batsman with caution.

It

Our batting, which began fairly, went off steadily, and except Hitchcock we had no reliable bat in the team, teste the averages. It is the same old story; no fire, no hit in it. Even those of our XI who could stay in for an hour failed to punish the loose balls as they deserved, while those who went in to hit, chose the wrong balls for the purpose. We do hope to see a change for the better next year: to see the nets occupied by fellows bent heart and soul on learning the art of batting (for it is an art), and not disheartened that they cannot pick up in half-an-hour's

practice what it may take a month to acquire. Strict business must be the order of the day, and we must not mind being bowled out occasionally while we are in our noviciate. Batting 'requires to be learnt. as much as verse-making, and our very failures are often our best lessons. There is plenty of stuff in the school of which to make cricketers, if they will only consent to be made, and will swallow the bitter with the prospect of the sweet to follow. Let us hope that more auspicious weather in 1880 will produce corresponding improvement in our next eleven. Jam satis.

CHARACTERS OF THE XI.

E. PEAKE-Had a hard post to fill, but performed his task very fairly. An improved bat, and would have scored more largely if the ground had been harder. An erratic bowler, but not afraid to pitch the ball up; and as a consequence got wickets. Improved as a field, but still had something to learn. Has left.

H. LEACH-Bats in very good form, fields well, and bowls slows fairly. Has left.

H. E. STANTON-Was unable to play till the end of the season. A strong and useful bat. Has left. C. L. BOOTH-From careless practice showed little promise at the beginning of the season. Improved very much, however, towards the end and played straight and hard especially on the off side. unhappy knack of misjudging catches.

Has an

C. HITCHCOCK-The most certain bat of the team. Plays with stiff form, but has a capital defence. An excellent field anywhere. If young Marlburians would follow his example of painstaking and untiring energy, our cricket would be different to what it is. Has left.

C. S. BENGOUGH-Kept wicket well throughout the season, and sometimes brilliantly; ought with careful practice to make a good bat. Captain for 1880.

H. D. P. KITCAT-Bats with a very good defence, and fields well at long leg; throws in well. Has left.

H. G. C. HARDWICK-An excellent slow roundarm bowler, breaking considerably both ways. A fair bat, but slow field.

H. J. GLENNIE-A good cover-point, rarely misses a catch; rather erratic in throwing in; bats fairly,

C. Hitchcock...

Times not out.

Total No.

Most in

of Runs.

Innings. Average.

0

127

41

9.1

11

1

161

32

13.8

C. L. Booth

13

1

79

MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE THIRTY
YEARS AGO.
(Continued).

There were other obstacles to the success of our games. No one could be compelled to play, and many preferred to explore the neighbouring country over which we were allowed to wander with almost unlimited freedom.

The scenery about Marlborough is attractive even to a boy.

In the valley below the college the Kennet winds its way through a long succession of meadows. At intervals the stream is spanned by picturesque watermills, or flows past a Wiltshire hamlet-a collection of white thatched cottages and farms, with a parsonage-house, some tall trees and a rookery, clustering round a low grey church tower. Trout

abound; the reedy islets and willow-beds give shelter to moor-hens, sedge-warblers, and king. fishers; and the dabchicks' slovenly nests float amongst the water-weeds. On either side of the valley the ground swells upward to an extensive table-land, which is cultivated for a short distance, and then come the wide bleak undulations of the downs: a wild and interesting region, which remains in its primæval state, except for the vestiges of humanity which still mark its surface: grey mysterious stones dotting the valleys mile after mile like reposing flocks; huge white horses engraven on the chalky sides of the hills; cromlechs, barrows, mounds, dykes, and ramparts, the relics of extinct creeds, forgotten warriors, and unrecorded wars.

The view from the playing-fields extends over the roofs and church towers of the town, and is bounded towards the southeast by the green hills which slope upward to the beech forest of Savernake. This sylvan territory stretches for many miles, alternate forest glade, and thicket, intersected by avenues, the principal one traversing the whole distance with its green and lofty arcade. There is a numerous wild population of fallow deer, hares, rabbits, and squirrels; hawks, crows, magpies, jays, starlings, and woodpeckers; and in the remote depths shyer creatures, such as the badger and the ring-ouzel, find a home; or the intruder is liable to be frightened by a red stag suddenly and fiercely lifting his antlered head from the fern.

The freedom we enjoyed often brought us into contact with the rustic population. The Wiltshire peasant, epecially in the secluded villages of the downs, is rough and uncouth. He speaks a dialect which is very broad, and sometimes unintelligible to a stranger, and his wife works in the fields with a large hoe, attired in a great coat and gaiters, so that it is often difficult to distinguish the sexes.

Nevertheless, we were at first on very friendly terms with this primitive people, and did not find them inhospitable or unkindly, except when exasperated by the taunt of "moonraker," which they could not bear.

Unfortunately this good feeling did not last long, and gradually there arose in its place a mutual

* This nickname was derived from the absurd story that a number of Wiltshire rustics once tried to rake the reflection of the moon out of a pond, thinking it was a large cheese.

animosity which often led to serious and unseemly conflicts. On one occasion some drovers, on their way to Pewsey market, met a party of boys. Words passed between them, and from words they came to blows. The drovers fought with great fury, using their sticks and whips, and any weapon they could seize; but they were beaten off, and so severely mauled that they determined to prosecute their assailants, and obtained permission from the head-master to come to the college and identify them. Accordingly, one day whilst we were at dinner, two ghastly figures entered the hall, were led round the tables with grave solemnity by our fat butler. Their faces were wofully discoloured, and their noses and foreheads plaistered with horizontal stripes. After a very long and careful scrutiny, they selected the largest boy in the school, and swore to him as one of the culprits. He was a very peaceful boy, and was well known to have been far from the scene action.

of

Our first head-master had been a tutor of repute at Cambridge, and afterwards the successful master of a private school. He was a good scholar, and had abundance of wit, but he was not qualified to mould the destiny of a new public school. He ruled us with severity; we trembled at his slightest word ; we fled at the rustle of his cassock; but, by degrees, a spirit of discontent arose. His views were narrow; he offended our dignity; and as we became more unruly, he became more despotic.

At length the chain, stretched too tightly, snapped. An old man, who gained his livelihood by the sale of chips, appeared one day before the college authorities, and asserted that on the previous afternoon he was returning from the village of Ogbourne St. Mary to Marlborough with his donkey, when he was met by three boys, who asked leave to ride, and, being refused, took forcible possession of the animal, rode it rapidly to and fro, and at last drove it into the river, whence he extricated it with great difficulty. The leader in the outrage said his name was Lamb (this was only a stupid joke, there being no boy of that name).

The doctor summoned us all to the great schoolroom, repeated the peasant's story in a speech from the throne, and in peremptory tones called on the culprits to surrender themselves on pain of heavier punishment if they delayed.