of victory, but the results were still the same; and it became an accepted fact that if anyone desired to establish a reputation for prophecy, he could do it easily by naming the Players as certain winners in their match against the Gentlemen. Apathy began to pervade the ranks of the Gentlemen, and a collapse seemed inevitable. Here and there enthusiastic players kept advocating the claims of the match, Mr. Ward among them. The year 1837, at his suggestion, the Players defended wickets 36 inches by 12; the Gentlemen, 27 inches by 8. The result was still unsatisfactory, the Gentlemen scoring 54 and 35 to the Players' single innings of 99. Like all innovators, Mr. Ward got little thanks for his invention, and the match was dubbed the "Barn-door Match," or "Ward's Folly."
The year 1817 saw a great decline in the powers of Surrey. Considered good enough to play thirteen of England some twenty years before, it was not able now to play eleven, and did not attempt it again until 1852.
The year 1822 was an important one. It saw Mr. John Willes at Lord's on the 15th and 16th July, playing for Kent v. M.C.C., make a big bid for the introduction of round-arm bowling. He was only allowed to bowl a few balls before he was "no-balled," and he left the ground, declining to go on with the match. A substitute was found, and Kent won easily by an innings.
Mr. Willes has the credit of introducing roundarm bowling, and there can be little doubt his attempt in this match created the agitation which led to its adoption a short time afterwards. This is the story told of how he learned it. He had been very ill, and to recover strength fell back upon the game he loved so dearly. He was not quite strong enough to bowl, so he enlisted the aid of his sister to bowl to him. The straight ones troubled him more than the old style of bowling; rising more quickly off the pitch, and travel-
