Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/85

 Gloucestershire, considering the task too much for them, said they would give them the match. At that time, when a match got very one-sided, giving it up was a common occurrence, and neither side thought it unsportsmanlike.

But the match of matches for a startling and unexpected finish was West Gloucestershire v. Redland, at Rodway Hill, on 28th July, 1858. With the exception of Fred, all the members of the family, uncle included, were playing, and a good match was expected. We were on the ground practising before the Redland turned up, and had a fair number of spectators even at that early hour. One onlooker, who had been drinking rather freely, lay full-length unpleasantly close to where we were playing, and all our persuasions to get him to move further away were unavailing. When the Redland eleven arrived, an attempt was made to clear the ground, but our noisy critic resented, and my father, much against his will, had to resort to force of arms. Calling up my brother Alfred, who had a fair reputation as a boxer, he ordered him to remove the obstinate individual; he did not seem to object, and the unusual sight of a fight before a cricket-match was witnessed. Two minutes proved that Alfred had a very easy undertaking, and he dealt very lightly with his opponent who had the sense, or feeling, to cry "Enough," and left the field altogether. The little preliminary excitement added to the interest of the match, and a keen and enjoyable one it became.

Redland scored 51 first innings, 116 second. West Gloucestershire scored 67 first, and were 84 in the second for five wickets, with about an hour remaining to play, when our friend of the morning turned up again. This time he brought his friends with him, who asserted that he had been unfairly treated. It seemed absurd that a cricket-match should be delayed a second