Page:The Hambledon Men (1907).djvu/192

 and he was always first chosen of all men in England.'—Nil sine labore, remember, young cricketers all.—'"Lambert" (not the great player of that name ), said Nyren, "had a most deceitful and teasing way of delivering the ball; he tumbled out the Kent and Surrey men, one after another, as if picked off by a rifle corps. His perfection is accounted for by the circumstance that when he was tending his father's sheep, he would set up a hurdle or two, and bowl away for hours together."

'There was some good hitting in those days, though too little defence. Tom Taylor would cut away in fine style, almost after the manner of Mr. Budd. Old Small was among the first members of the Hambledon Club. He began to play about 1750, and Lumpy Stevens at the same time. I can give you some notion, sir, of what cricket was in those days, for Lumpy, a very bad bat, as he was well aware, once said to me, "Beldham, what do you think cricket must have been in those days when I was thought a good batsman?" But fielding was very good as far back as I can remember.'—Now, what Beldham called good fielding must have been good enough. He was himself one of the safest hands at a catch. Mr. Budd, when past forty, was still one of the quickest men I ever played with, taking always middle wicket, and often, by swift running, doing part of long-field's work. Sparks, Fennex, Bennett, and young Small, and Mr. Parry, were first-rate, not to mention Beagley, whose style of long-stopping in the North and South Match of 1836, made Lord Frederick and Mr. Ward justly proud of so good a representative of the game in their younger days. Albeit, an old player of seventy, describing the merits of all these men, said, "put Mr. King at point, Mr. C. Ridding long-stop, and Mr. W. Pickering cover, and I never saw the man that could beat either of them."

'John Wells was a most dangerous man in a single-wicket match, being so dead a shot at a wicket. In one