One would not say, of course, that the bowlers did not do their best to dismiss the ecclesiastical student; they were conscientious men. But it is very hard to bowl one’s best if one knows that one’s success will be to the eventual disadvantage of one’s side; a certain limpness is bound to creep into the attack. And if Roland had received the balls that were being sent down to his partner, there is little doubt that a couple of overs would have seen the end of the match.
Roland realized that something desperate must be done. Either the left-hander must get out, or he himself must get down to the other end; and so off the first ball of the next over Roland backed up closely. He was halfway down the pitch by the time the ball reached the batsman. It was a straight half-volley, which was met with a motionless, if perpendicular, bat. The ball trickled into the hands of mid-off.
“Come on!” yelled Roland.
It was an impossible run, and the left-hander stood, in startled dismay, a few steps outside the crease.
“Run!” yelled Roland. His partner ran a few steps, saw the ball was in the hands of mid-off, and prepared to walk back to the pavilion. Mid-off, however, was in a highly electric state. He had already imperiled severely the prospects of his side by colliding with cover-point, and was resolved, at any rate, not to make a second blunder. He had the ball in his hands. There was a chance of running a batsman out; he must get the ball to the unprotected wicket as soon as possible, and so, taking careful aim, he flung the ball at the wicket with the greatest possible violence. It missed the wicket; and a student of the score book would infer that, after having played himself in carefully and scoring four singles, F. R. Armitage opened his shoulders in fine form. He might very well remain in this illusion, for there is no further entry in the score book against that gentleman’s name. There are just four singles and a five. He did not receive another ball.
Off the next four balls of the over Roland hit two fours and a two; off the last ball he got another dangerously close single. Only ten more runs were needed: there was now ample time in which to get them. Roland got them indeed off the first four balls of the next over.
At the end of the match there was a scene of real enthusiasm, in which Mr. Armitage was the only person who took no part. He was still wondering what had induced Roland to call him for those absurd singles. He indeed took Mr. Marston aside after dinner and pointed out to him that that young man should really be given a few lessons in backing up.
“My dear sir,” he said, “it was only the merest fluke that saved my wicket—another inch and I should have been run out.”
“Well, he managed to win the match for us,” replied Mr. Marston.
“Perhaps, perhaps, but he nearly ran me out.”