New Ideas for Work and Play: What a Girl Can Make and Do

by Lina Beard; Adelia B. Beard

Circle Centre. Triangle Referee. Cross Centre.
Fig. 618. from the centres. Fig. 618 shows the referee ready to toss the ball. Each centre endeavors to catch the ball and pass it to one of the forwards on her own side, with the hope that it may, sooner or later, land in her opponent’s basket; at the same time she tries to prevent the ball from being passed by the opponent’s guards across the centre of the field toward her basket.

The centres must confine their play within the central space; they cannot step across the dividing lines running from side to side of the central division of the field. In each of the end divisions are stationed two girls called forwards and two others known as guards; their duties are implied by their titles. The forwards endeavor to forward the ball to their opponents’ basket, and the guards guard their own goals, striving to prevent the opponent forwards throwing the ball into their basket. In Fig. 617 the circle

Forwards

are in the end near their opponents’ basket H, that they may have a better opportunity of sending the ball into it, and the cross forwards are on the other end of the field near the circle’s basket trying to engineer the ball into that goal. You will notice that the guards on each end protect their own basket. Standing by each cross forward is a circle

Guard

who endeavors to prevent an opponent from succeeding in her efforts for the goal, and on the cross end of the field the two cross guards are trying to protect their basket from the circle forwards.

The stars in Fig. 617 stand for the four linesmen, who must be continually on the qui vive and report if a girl steps over the dividing lines.

Each umpire watches both sides; generally one umpire walks about just outside the field boundary line on one side of the field, and the other walks just outside the boundary on the other side of the field. It is optional which side they take, but they should not both be stationed on the same side. Fig. 617 shows the circle umpire on the right hand, and the cross umpire on the left hand of the field. The umpires are designated by circle and cross, with rays extending all around them.

The time-keeper stands outside of the field, that she may not interfere with the action of the players; other than that restriction, she may move as she pleases. In Fig. 617 the time-keeper is denoted by a round black spot.