Page:Out-door Games Cricket and Golf (1901).djvu/84

Rh not by any means certainly, fond of cricket; some of them have been players of more or less note in their time, others are wealthy men who may possibly never have touched a bat in their lives, but who, nevertheless—and this is one of the most curious features of the game—are in the habit, in the case of struggling counties, of making large pecuniary sacrifices to help their county.

The Committee have then to adopt every means in their power to win matches. If they are rich, like Lancashire or Surrey, they very likely employ agents to scour the country in search of bowlers—bowlers being usually the commodity counties are in want of. Every young bowler of about twenty years of age, who knows that he is possessed of skill in this department, is on the look-out to represent a first-class county. If he lives in such a county he will be selected at the beginning of a season to play for the colts against the county eleven; and if he is sufficiently skilful, he may of course be retained by his own county and in due time represent them. But after all, only a limited number of Yorkshiremen, for instance, can be kept or