well-lighted drill hall, where the game can be taught by the hour. The
windows in the hall are protected by netting, and on the floor is a
large square of rubber, from off which drives, brasseys, and iron shots
can be practised. Many other clever devices for learning the game and
gaining accuracy are also in force in this school.
Local championships are now established in some of our counties, those
of Yorkshire and the Midlands being the biggest events. A real golf
treat on the south coast is a day at Sandwich or Deal, preferably the
former, the St. Andrews of the south, where the carries are indeed as
big as one could wish for, especially at the third hole, or "Unknown
Sahara," as the huge sandy desert of a bunker confronting the tee is
called. Again at the sixth hole, or "The Maiden," as its world-renowned
name is, a gigantic bunker some forty feet high, which grows on its
steep side a prolific crop of rough bent rushy grass, gives full scope
to your powers be they what they may. "Hades," too, is a hole that
requires a very well hit ball to carry the surrounding troubles, and
numbers nine, fourteen, and seventeen are all holes where long drivers
get a tremendous advantage. At the same time, one finds at Sandwich a
line marked out by blue guide flags, in the following of which the
rather shorter driver will not be so severely punished. The total length
of the course is some six thousand odd yards, the longest hole being
about four hundred and eighty yards, and the shortest about one hundred
and eighty yards. The Gentleman's Amateur Championship was held over
this course in 1896, when Mr. Tait won, after some splendid fights with
Mr. C. Hutchings, Mr. J. E. Laidley, Mr. J. Ball, junior, Mr. Horace
Hutchinson, and finally with Mr. H. Hilton. Amongst the lady-players
there are many dozen who might well claim notice, but space being
limited it is only possible to refer to a few of the best known, Lady
Margaret Hamilton-Russell, Miss Pascoe, Miss E. C. Orr, and Miss Issette
Pearson have already been mentioned. But to give the honour to Scotland,
at Prestwich Miss Sybil Whigham reigns supreme, with her splendid long
raking drives and iron shots. This player takes a full easy swing, using
her shoulders well, and turning but very slightly upon the left toe in
driving. In the matter of getting out of bunkers, she is especially
adept. From Dumfries hails Miss A. Maxwell, another grand player, but
one who has the half swing only, with a peculiar action of the left foot
at the moment of driving. Mrs. Murray, of the Torwoodlee club, was one
of the best "all-round" players in the recent Gullane Championship, her
approaching and putting being nothing short of grand. Miss Blanche
Anderson and Miss Madeline Campbell of North Berwick, are both shining
lights in that club which is so rich in golfing talent, Miss Campbell's
handling of her clubs being specially taking. But turning more
Southwards, at Windermere, Miss Bownass, with her fine drives and
approach shots, can hold her own on that very undulating course. Twice
she has accomplished the rather difficult eighteen holes in eighty-nine
strokes. In Lancashire, we find Mrs. Ryder Richardson, whose play is too
well known to need a description. Besides taking endless prizes in the
North, including the Isle of Man, Mrs. Richardson performed a marvellous
feat at Ranelagh, in April of 1897, by doing that somewhat tricky course
in seventy-nine strokes, the record for a woman. In North Wales, Miss
Kennedy keeps up the golf reputation, but her recent doings at Gullane
have already been discussed. In Worcestershire, Miss Nevill and Miss E.
Nevill carry all before them. Both splendid drivers, they play a very
bold game all through, besides which bunkers and other difficulties hold
few terrors for them. At Cheltenham, on the Cleeve Hill Common, Mrs.
Aylmer and Miss Johnson are formidable opponents. At Westward Ho! we
find Mrs. Wilson-Hoare, whose game is as well known as it is admired.
She has a fine workmanlike swing, both in driving and brassey shots, and
very few can touch her in extricating herself from a difficult lie. On
links not far from London, we find such players as Miss Phillips, Miss
K. Walker, Mrs. Worssam, Mrs. Willock, Miss Lena Thomson[9] and many
others, who are looked upon in the light of towers of strength in club
matches, or team competitions.
[Footnote 9: Holder of the Championship, 1898.]
But here a word on _Esprit-de-corps_, that most essential qualification
of all games, without which no sport can be worthily pursued. In these
days of endless clubs, each containing many of the same members, the
want is felt of some species of rule, or at least an understanding, on
the subject of the same member--whose name may be on the books of
several clubs--playing for or against such clubs promiscuously. If there
be real _esprit-de-corps_, there can be but little doubt which club
really claims one's sympathy and interest, when the inter-club match
season is in full swing.
[Illustration: _Reinhold Thiele and Co. Chancery Lane._
_RANELAGH GROUP, APRIL, 1897._]
Yet another matter, is a word on the penalty stroke, namely, on dropping
the ball, as put forth in rule 39:
"In all cases where a ball is to be dropped, the party doing so shall
front the hole to which he is playing, standing behind the hazard and
dropping the ball behind him from his head."
So many women throw the ball over the head, or else stand partly round
and drop it with a kind of jerk over the shoulder, turning the head at
the same time, so as to watch the place where it is desired the ball
should alight. Instead of doing this, you should step back a few paces
in the exact line in which the ball entered the hazard, then stand
erect, raise the hand over the head and drop the ball simply behind you.
Of the Stymie, let it be said, that as it always has been a freak of the
game, so let it continue to be. A stymie, is when the opponent's ball is
on the line of your own putt. But though much is talked of its
abolition, yet as it has always been a case of "fortune's fickle smile
upon the player," why not let it remain so?
Having gone somewhat lightly through the various parts of the game of
golf, it may not be amiss to close with a few remarks taken from an
early volume of the _Golf Annual_, and occurring in an article written
by Mr. John Thomson, which sets forth the advantages of the game in no
mean manner. "Good games should benefit both mind and body, and no game
can stand this test better than golf. To the mind it shows the need of
caution, courage, coolness, and many other good qualities. Above all it
teaches one to keep the temper under due control in all circumstances
and situations. Our royal game brings out the strength and weakness of
character both in yourself and others, and gives an excellent chance to
study human nature. Some folks think they can know a man from his face,
his mode of hand-shaking, or other such things, but if you wish to look
a fellow through and through, play two or three stiff matches of golf
with him. As to the healthy nature of the game, it is surely needless to
say a word."
Here the writer quotes a favourable passage from Burton's _Anatomy of
Melancholy_, closing his remarks with the words, "All round we may thus
say our game promotes that greatest of all blessings, sound mind and
sound body."
A. W. M. Starkie-Bence.
[Illustration: _Lombardi and Co. 13, Pall Mall East._
_MRS. SPONG._]
CROQUET.
In Dr. Prior's "Notes on Croquet," published in 1872, the origin of the
game is traced to Pêle Mêle, or Pall Mall, a game played with mallet and
balls as long ago as 1661, and written of by the celebrated Mr. Pepys in
his diary about that time. Pall mall was played with long handled
mallets, with small balls, on gravel, and with long swinging strokes,
and appears to have much more resembled golf than croquet; but Dr. Prior
writes of a modified form of the game which only occupied a narrow but
smooth space of ground, and in which two small arches and one iron peg
were employed, while the strokes were made with a spoon-headed mallet,
resembling the mace used at billiards.
A hundred years later, a game bearing the name croquet was played by the
peasants of Brittany, a rough pastime, detailed accounts of which may be
read in Mr. A. Lillie's work on croquet published last year, or in Dr.
Prior's earlier book. The game, as first known in this country, seems to
have come from Ireland somewhere about 1857, when it was brought out by
Mr. Jaques as a social garden game; a trivial enough pastime from which
gradually developed the more interesting game of the present day. It was
to Mr. Walter Jones Whitmore that the first start of really scientific
croquet is due, and he it was who organised the first tournament in
1867, held at Evesham, when Mr. Whitmore became the champion.
In the following year, a much larger tournament was held at
Moreton-in-the-Marsh, when the Championship fell to the late Mr. W. H.
Peel, whose interest in the game never flagged, and to whose untiring
exertions much of the success of the present revival is due. He founded
the present All-England Croquet Association, two years ago, (1896), and
became its honorary secretary, his sadly sudden death last October
leaving a blank hard to fill.
In 1868, Mr. Whitmore got up the All-England Croquet Club, and from this
point the tactics of the game became its prominent feature. With the
expulsion of tight croquet (viz., when two balls were together, placing
your foot on your own ball to keep it in position, and hitting it so as
to send the other ball away), and the introduction of the dead boundary,
croquet became a game more of the head than the hands, the various
positions in a game requiring perfectly different treatment according to
the capabilities of the antagonists. At this time, too, a code of laws
was drawn up by Mr. Whitmore and a few leading spirits, which in some
respects differed materially from the rules of to-day, notably in that
requiring the side stroke.
From 1869, the date of the first Open Tournament, held on the
All-England Club grounds, at Wimbledon, till 1882, yearly matches were
played there for the Championship and Challenge Cup, and for some years
there was also a Ladies' Championship contest, but either the extreme
narrowness of the hoops, the large size of the grounds, or the necessity
for constant practice, so reduced the number of competitors that these
matches were abandoned, and even the Gentlemen's Championship for three
or four years practically dwindled down to a match between two players
(Mr. Bonham Carter and Mr. Spong), till in 1882, the Cup having been
finally won by the latter, croquet became a thing of the past at
Wimbledon. The club grounds were then handed over to lawn-tennis players
until 1896, when a small body of enthusiastic croquet players started
the game afresh, and in a few weeks several old players rallied round
them, and one or two small but successful meetings were held.
In the interval, croquet had not altogether died out. At Brentwood, a
small club had held its meetings for some time, and at Maidstone, a
yearly tournament had taken place since 1894, while players were to be
found in the remote village of Budleigh Salterton, and in the far west
of Somersetshire, Dr. Prior kept up a perfect lawn, on which in former
years most of the well-known players had tried their skill.
To make a croquet lawn as perfect as possible, it should be absolutely
level, of fine hill turf, not mossy or intersected with plantains, and
if possible there should be a layer of cinders or other Ballast a few
inches below the surface, as this serves to drain it more quickly and
also prevents worms from working through.
[Illustration]
The measurements now required are 35 by 28 yards, though until last year
40 by 30 yards was considered a match ground. The boundaries should be
marked by a chalk line, and at each corner a white spot should be made
exactly one yard from each boundary, to mark the position for replacing
a corner ball, a matter of much importance in every game. The six hoop
setting, with 4-inch hoops and two stout pegs is universally adopted.
The hoops are of round iron half an inch thick, square topped, and
painted white, No. 1 being generally a light blue to shew the
starting-point. They should be long enough to be driven quite nine
inches into the ground, and stand the same distance above it, and they
are generally painted black in the lower half to show when properly
driven in. Of the pegs, one should be plain white, the other (the
winning peg) painted with the four colours, blue, red, black, yellow, in
order, and both should have small crossbars inserted on which to place
the clips. It is essential that the balls should be in these plain
colours, and it would be well if the vendors of croquet implements would
avoid the striped balls, so bewildering in sequence, and so much more
difficult to aim at. Every so-called set should be provided with four
iron clips, painted to match the balls, which are used to indicate the
position of the game, and are placed on the top of the hoops in the
first half, and on the sides in the return journey.
In the matter of mallets every licence is given, each player using the
kind he likes best. The weight of these varies from 2-1/3 to 3-1/2 lbs.,
and the length of the head and shape is a matter of individual fancy.
Many well-known players keep a variety of mallets and sometimes change
the weapon frequently in a game; but for my own part I believe in
getting accustomed to one mallet and sticking to it. The shapes are some
of them most peculiar, and one of the old players for years used a
mallet head like a thick solid block with square ends, while a player
recently appeared with a mallet head of extraordinary length, and
somewhat resembling the bottom of a rocking-chair. Some mallets are
sliced at the bottom, with the idea that by this means the ball is hit
more directly in the centre, and is not so liable to be topped. Some
again have a flat brass plate attached at the bottom for extra weight,
while one lady plays with a beautiful ivory mallet, long in the head
but of smaller diameter than the usual box-wood ones. Heads of lignum
vitæ are also used, and many players have india-rubber 1/4-inch thick
affixed to one end, by which means two balls can be rolled together a
distance of nearly thirty yards without any undue effort. This is a
great boon to lady players, as without the india-rubber a very powerful
following stroke is required, a hard hit only separating the balls, the
hinder or playing ball rarely reaching half the distance.
The manner of equalising in a competition is by handicapping the strong
players, who give bisques, viz., one or more extra turns in each game,
which may be taken at any time in continuation of a break, but not more
than one bisque in the same turn.
The manner of holding the mallet and striking varies in the hands of
different players, Mr. C. E. Willis the present Champion at Wimbledon
and at Maidstone being the finest example of a side stroke player, as
set forth by Mr. Whitmore and and Mr. Peel, while Mr. Bonham Carter, Mr.
Spong, Capt. Drummond and many others consider the aim much more certain
with the forward position, a kind of pendulum stroke in which the weight
of the mallet tells more than any force used. Some of the most
successful of the lady players, too, use this method of striking,
notably Miss Maud Drummond (winner of the Ladies' Gold Medal in 1896,
and of the Wimbledon Championship Badge in 1897) and Miss Elphinstone
Stone (present holder of the Maidstone Ladies' Cup), but Miss de Winton
(Gold Medallist, 1897) and Mrs. Wood adhere to the older side stroke.
Since the early days of Croquet, when six or eight players engaged in
one game on a small lawn, with hoops often wide enough for a child to
crawl through, and sometimes a cage and bell occupying the centre of the
ground, the game has changed almost beyond recognition. Then "tactics"
were unknown, everybody's idea being to go into position for the hoop
their ball was to pass through, and by tight croquet to send off every
adversary to the greatest possible distance. Players thus disposed of
were often required to shoot back from a ground occupied by a second set
of players, and a good long shot won more applause than anything else in
the game; but with the introduction of the dead boundary, the game
changed entirely. Rules were made, more than 4 balls were never employed
in a game, and the terms "roquet," "dead ball," "live ball," "pioneer,"
"break," "rush," &c., soon became familiar words, a complete list of
these, with detailed instructions for playing the game in a scientific
manner, are so admirably set forth in Mr. Lillie's book, published last
year, that intending players will do well to study it, but the meaning
of a few of the terms may not be out of place here.
A "roquet" is made when the playing ball strikes another ball; after a
"roquet," croquet must be taken by placing the two balls together, and
either striking your own ball so that it goes to some required point,
only moving the other ball a little, which is called taking two off; or
by sending each ball in a different direction (a splitting stroke); or
again by rolling the two balls together. In taking croquet, if either
ball touches the boundary line it is considered dead, and the turn
ceases. The "live ball" is the next to play, and the "dead ball" is the
name given to the adversary's ball which has just played. A ball is
considered "in play," when in its turn it has made a point and has still
to continue its turn, but is "in hand" after making a "roquet" until
"croquet" is taken. The "rush" is a roquet sending the ball hit in some
desired direction. Thus in taking croquet, it is often advisable to get
near another ball on some particular side, to "rush" it into position
for a hoop, etc. The rush is one of the most telling strokes in a game,
but requires some practice, as the ball must be struck low, with the
mallet held freely and pointed rather in an upward direction. A ball hit
at all on the top is apt to jump, and indeed a leapfrog stroke which
will clear another ball and sometimes a hoop, is often successfully
carried out by the best players, when their ball is blocked from the
desired object. To "wire" is to place the balls in such a position that
they are screened from the next player's shot, by one or more hoops.
Making a "point" is the hoop or peg made in order. The "pioneer" is the
ball sent on to the hoop next but one in order, to assist the playing
ball at that point. "Break" is the name given to a succession of points
made in the same turn. A "rover" is a ball which has passed through all
the hoops, and only has to touch the winning peg. To "finesse" is to
play into a corner so that the dead ball shall not be easily available
to assist in the adversary's game, and that the friendly ball may join
it when it's turn arrives. This is only done when the opponents' two
balls are together. "Counter finesse" is for the adversary next playing
to send his partner's ball to join the dead ball in the corner, thus
preventing the others getting together. To "peel" to put another ball
through its hoop by croquet. This stroke is named after the late Mr. W.
H. Peel, who was particularly successful with it, and only last autumn
at a handicap meeting on the Wimbledon grounds he won a game in which he
"peeled" his partner's ball through the four last hoops.
The option of beginning in a match falls to the winner of the toss, who
always elects to do so, and by that means usually secures the first
break. In a partner match, however, the winner of the toss often puts in
the other side first, as it is an advantage for the captain to play
immediately before his strongest opponent. In starting the ball is
placed one foot from the first hoop, in position for making that point.
It has been suggested that a change in this rule would be of advantage.
For instance, if each ball started from a spot in the centre of the
ground, it would make a greater variety in the opening tactics.
[Illustration]
One of the advantages of croquet is its suitability to players of all
ages and to those not in robust health, as, unlike golf, it requires no
great physical strength. People who would not be able to walk miles
across the rough ground of the links, exhilarating as this is to the
strong, can yet enjoy the more gentle exercise on a level lawn. It is a
well-known fact in the croquet world that many of its players attribute
their improved health to the hours they have spent on the croquet
lawn--the late Rev. Mark Pattison, of Oxford, being one of these, and
the Rev. D. J. Heath another.
There is a charm, too, in the equal terms on which men and women players
can meet. I do not say but what men as a rule are the better
players--their constant practise at aiming at billiards and other games
giving them more accuracy of aim--but setting this aside, there seems no
reason why women should not play equally well with practice. Where they
often fail doubtless is in attempting too much. Not content with
leaving the dead ball with their partner's ball, and laying its break by
sending off the next player and going to act pioneer at the partner's
hoop, it is said of women especially, that they often try a difficult
hoop with the live ball, break down and thus let the other side in,
which with the more cautious plan would have been avoided. Again,
croquet is a game in which success is by no means a matter of mechanical
skill alone, for in croquet, as in chess, the player must look ahead not
only for one move but must count on the probability of the adversary's
success or failure, judging by the power already exhibited, and by the
state of the ground, etc. Thus it is often good policy if the opponents'
balls are together in a corner on a fast dry lawn, not to risk a long
"take off" with a probability of going over the boundary in an endeavour
to separate them, but for the player to roll his own and partner's ball
into another corner (if possible across the ground) leaving a rush for
the partner's ball towards the adversaries, or to its own hoop, thus
necessitating the opponent trying the difficult take off with hoops in
the way, and the possibility of going over the boundary or catching in a
wire, etc. I think, too, there is less of the element of "luck" in
croquet than in many games, though of course we are all apt to cavil at
our bad fortune now and then.
The present condition of croquet may be considered as encouraging. Its
popularity has revived very rapidly, though it is only from the Southern
and one or two of the Midland Counties that we have as yet met players
of any prominence. In Scotland, it is true, there has long been a
championship meeting held at Moffat, where Mr. and Mrs. Macfie, of
Borthwick Hall, Midlothian, are among its most liberal supporters. We
have had one or two Irish players at the recent Wimbledon meetings, and
I hear that in County Down the game is much played. Croquet lawns are,
indeed, set out at the fashionable Social Clubs of Hurlingham and
Ranelagh, but alas, the game and its requirements are little understood
there. A well-organised tournament on the picturesque grounds of the
latter club, at Barn Elms, in the height of the season, might do much to
spread its popularity, for the large tournament at Eastbourne last
autumn, showed a marked increase in spectators, who displayed some
knowledge of the tactics of the game, and the keenest interest in the
contests. Another interesting feature of each season would be
inter-county matches. Devonshire, Gloucestershire, Sussex,
Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Bucks., &c., all furnish
some strong players, and representative fours might be selected, and
gentlemen's doubles, ladies' doubles, and mixed doubles might be
arranged, as well as, of course, single matches. Monthly Club Handicaps,
too, we hope to see at Wimbledon, and there are rumours of an
International Tournament with a strong contingent of American players,
with whom the game is popular, though it is hardly played on the same
lines as in England.
[Illustration]