Cricket Trivia 2 The connection between cricket and the music hall, the staple entertainment of the masses in the 19th century and the first third of the 20th, was strong. Matches pitting teams of county players against comedy stars of the day were regularly played, and raised large sums for charity . In 1873, The Oval hosted a game that raised the substantial amount of £70 for the Music-Hall Sick Fund. In the late 1890s, Dan Leno, one of the leading comedy names of the day, formed a group called the Dainties, drawing many of the stars to play in such fixtures. Leno, dressed as an undertaker, opened the innings with Bob Hunt, dressed as a pirate. It set the tone for the day. Leno sometimes hit the ball with his bat and caught it himself; at other times one of the fielders held it - it made little difference as he refused to budge and continued his innings. A few blows reached the boundary; others he kicked away as if it was a game of football. Eventually, realising neither umpire had any intention of giving Leno out, the Surrey players bodily lifted him up and dumped him over the boundary. It was pointless as he simply walked back to the middle. Leno continued after lunch, his innings finally ending when he was chased off by a pantomime lion. No shy and retiring type, within minutes he was ambling round the outfield dressed as a schoolgirl and riding a camel. Never has Leno, the greatest of modern comics, had to work so hard, reported the Sportsman. Never has The Oval... witnessed such a scene... if the shades of past players could have risen they would have been paralysed.” (Guess the 1st XI captain must be a reincarnation ...)
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 20:44:39 +0000