from Reigate, bringing bats as wide as the wicket. In 1775 they
wisely introduced a middle stump, as they found the best balls
harmlessly flying between the wide wickets. It was feared lest this
alteration would shorten the game too much, but it does not seem to
have had that effect, as in an All England match against the
Hambledon Club, two years later, one Aylward scored 167 runs, and
stayed in two whole days. England owes much to the old Club at
Hambledon for the improvements which it wrought in the game, which
has become our great national pastime.

Miss Mitford, in her charming book, _Our Village_, describes the
rivalry which existed between the village elevens at the beginning
of the nineteenth century, and gives a sketch of a match between two
Berkshire village teams, which brought about some very happy results
of a romantic nature. She tells us, too, of the comments of the
rustics on the "new-fashioned" style of bowling which one of the
team had introduced from London, which did not at all commend itself
to them, but effectually took their wickets. When that celebrated
company of cricketers, dressed in frock-coats and tall hats, whose
portraits adorn many a pavilion, competed for the honour of All
England, they were quite ignorant of "round-arm" bowling, which is,
of course, an invention of modern times. Only "lobs," or
"under-hands," were the order of the day. It has been stated that we
are indebted to the ladies for the important discovery of the modern
style of delivering the ball. The story may be legendary, but I have
read somewhere that the elder Lillywhite used to practise cricket
all through the winter, and that his daughters used to bowl to him.
During the bitter cold of a winter's day they wore their shawls, and
found it more convenient to bowl with extended arms than in the old
method. Their balls so delivered used to puzzle their father, and