Page:The Crisis in Cricket and the Leg Before Rule (1928).djvu/26



N the last chapter the history of l.b.w. has been given, and though it is not possible to give chapter and verse for the earlier incidents from 1774 to 1837-8, it is probable that the following chronological table is correct.


 * 1) Passing of the first l.b.w. law in 1774.
 * 2) Ring and Taylor's "shabby" play somewhere about 1775 and 1780, and several new l.b.w. laws passed.
 * 3) Umpires generally gave batsmen out to balls pitched inside and outside the bowler's territory.
 * 4) The Dark and Caldecourt incident and ruling of M.C.C that the ball must pitch in bowler's territory for a batsman to be l.b.w. in 1837-8.
 * 5) Shrewsbury introduced about 1885 systematic leg-play to balls pitched outside the bowler's territory, frequently putting the bat out of action.

The third item in the above is correct on the evidence of Lord Bessborough's letter, a portion of which was read by Lord Harris at the first meeting of the County Cricket Council in December, 1887. In this letter, as said before, Lord Bessborough suggested a return to the old law of "fifty years ago," which was 1837, with a view of lessening the l.b.w. nuisance. Whatever the rule was supposed to mean, it was differently interpreted by the Umpires in 1837, and Lord Bessborough wanted to return to it.