PLAYING DARK.
(New Style.)
The great success which, in their own estimation, has attended the endeavour to establish a series of Night Field Sports in the neighbourhood of Melton Mowbray, so dashingly led off recently with a regular across country Steeple Chase, "by lamplight," has, it is said, induced the spirited organisers to extend their field of experiment; and it is alleged that tennis, golf, hockey, and football are all to be tried in turn, under the new conditions. That some excitement may be reasonably looked for from the projected contests may be gathered from a reference to the subjoined score, put on paper by the newly constituted "Melton Mowbray Midnight Eleven," who, in a recent trial of strength with a distinguished local Club, it will be seen, showed some capital, if original play, in meeting their opponents in the national game, conducted under what must have been necessarily somewhat novel and unfamiliar conditions.
The boundaries of the field in which the wickets were pitched were marked out with night-lights, the only other illumination being supplied by a couple of moderator lamps, held respectively by the Umpire and Square-leg. The costume, of course, comprised a night-shirt and a pair of bed-room slippers, with which was also worn a pink dressing-gown,—pink being the colour adopted by the Club. Owing to the absence of any moon, and also to the fact that the night was a rather boisterous one, on account of the persistency both of wind and rain, the play suffered from some disadvantages. However, the Eleven went pluckily to the wicket with the following result:—
| Mr. George P-g-t, mistaking, in the obscurity, the Umpire for his wicket, gets out of his ground, and is instantly stumped out | 0 |
| Mr. Sydney P-g-t treads on his wicket | 0 |
| Mr. Otto P-g-t takes the Wicket-keeper's head for the ball, and trying to "play it to leg," gives it in consequence such a severe blow, that he is obliged to accompany the Wicket-keeper in a cab to a hospital without finishing his innings | 0 |
| Mr. W. Ch-pl-n treads on his wicket | 0 |
| Count Z-br-ski makes 497 in one hit. The ball being, however, only three yards off, but escaping notice, owing to the darkness, he is kept on the move for twenty-nine min. and a half | 497 |
| Mr. A. B-rn-by stumbles over his wicket | 0 |
| Mr. G. W-ls-n sits on his wicket | 0 |
| Captain R-b-ns-n run out through losing his way in trying to find the wicket | 0 |
| Mr. E. H-n-age trying a forward drive, but not able to see, plays the whole of his wicket into the face of cover-point,whom he severely bruises, and is, consequently, given out | 0 |
| Captain W-rn-r takes the Long-stop for the Bowler; and, so getting the wrong side of his wicket, is bowled out in his first over | 0 |
| Mr. McN-l misled by the lights on the adjacent hedges, making a hit, loses his way in trying a run; and finally, wandering into a neighbouring field, unable to make his way in the dark, rests in a ditch, in which he ultimately goes to sleep,—Not Out | 0 |
| Wides (bowled chiefly at the Umpire). | 1322 |
| Byes, &c. | 704 |
| —— | |
| 2523 |
At the conclusion of the innings, as daylight was beginning to break, it was determined to draw the stumps, it being settled that play should be resumed on the following midnight, when the opposing team were to take their turn at the wicket.
"Pour les Beaux Yeux."—Last week Dr. Ogle lectured excellently well and very wisely on the statistics of marriage in England. Altogether, it appears that this is not a marrying age. Those young men and maidens who are in search of partners for life, must keep their eyes open, and—— Ogle. Very leery advice would be expected from anyone of the name of Ogle.