Sporting notions of present days and past

tje prt��
tt
t
°
l+wlttilll
'
tIl�!'
0 k,�,
s
It)
t
�r�r.tsr�rt���rrs*�l
,
.k.�Yi��'
at�r
:r7i�rcarrn�l���r��rri�r�a��.•.n
t
i
t
h
t
#seo,.... _
F....,
I
I
1
,4
E
d
f
F
140 SPORTING NOTIONS
much during the present discussion. I refer to
this .
"
I once heard Pooley accuse Southerton of
being the biggest thrower in England, at a time
when no one else could detect the slightest sign
of it. However, later in life his delivery became
open to suspicion, the disguise not being main-
tained, and I feel convinced that the wicket-
keeper is the best man to detect a throw, and
the batsman next."
Poor old Southerton is dead and gone these
twenty years. Of him I could not write or say
an unkind word if I could think of any, for
he was a great friend—a real friend of mine.
Always kind-hearted and obliging, ready to do a
good turn, and a gentleman in thought and deed,
Southerton was one whom to know was to respect.
I did sincerely respect him as a friend and in his
profession, and shall ever remember him with
kind regard, if only because the last day we
ever met he put himself to great inconvenience
to save me trouble when his consideration was
worth very much. I make this explanation so
that I may not be thought to have the slightest
unkind feeling in saying that more than once I
have, in a Pickwickian sense, said to him just
what Pooley did, according to Lillywhite. In
his later years Southerton's overs were made up
almost entirely of throws—at least, that was my
opinion. No one objected, no umpire would
no-ball him. Why? Because his pace was so
slow. A trundler who always banged them in
with like action to. the veteran's would not go
long unchallenged in those days. Some there
were of considerable pace—no need to mention
them now—who. varied their style to the extent