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206 penalty for ignorance on this point. In a North v. South match, Barlow, the Lancashire player, was given out for wilfully hitting a ball twice. Presumably he did not know the rule on the subject in spite of a long experience. In cricket, as in a court of law, the plea of ignorance is not accepted as a good excuse. Instances are continually occurring to show that a few hints may not be out of place. As a matter of fact, there are nine ways of getting out. There is a story, however, which goes to show that this number may be increased. Tom Emmett was one day listening to one player examining another upon a knowledge of the rules of cricket. The point under discussion was the number of ways of getting out. Neither party seemed quite certain on the subject, but they finally worked out and enumerated the nine usually accepted ways. "You are wrong," chimed in Tom. "There is another, making ten." The disputants spent some time trying to find out what this was, and finally gave it up as a bad job. Then Tom explained himself. "My tenth," said' he, "is being umpired out." The moral of this little story, by the bye, is that batsmen are well advised to give umpires as few chances as possible of having to give any decision with regard to their being out or not out. I heard the other day of another way of getting out— viz., being talked out by the wicket-keeper. Batsmen are quite within their rights in requesting conversational fieldsmen to hold their tongues.

The nine ways of getting out are—


 * 1) Being clean bowled; the most satisfactory way of all, and one which is seldom disputed.
 * 2) Being caught out; sometimes disputed, sometimes not.
 * 3) Being stumped out; disputed more often than not.
 * 4) Being run out; the batsman generally has some doubts.
 * 5) Hit-wicket; nothing to be said usually.
 * 6) Leg-before-wicket; always disputed.
 * 7) Wilfully hitting the ball twice except in defence of the wicket.
 * 8) Handling the ball.
 * 9) Obstructing the field.

Having touched upon most of the important points in batting, I shall proceed to pick some of them up, and, as far as possible, elaborate those that require it.

Net-practice is almost universal nowadays. Most players begin their cricket education in the net. It is not necessary to be coached by a person behind the net as well as by the bowler, if