389
CHAPTER XV.
OUTFIT.
(By W. G. Grace.)
Amongst cricketers generally opinions are many and divided as to this or that particular style of batting and bowling, but sound them upon the materials necessary for the outfit of a player, and you will find as a rule that perfect unanimity prevails. They will tell you that these must be of the best quality, that too much care cannot be taken in their selection, and that badly fitting boots or trousers may mean all the difference between a small score and a large one, not to speak of the discomfort they cause when bowling and fielding. I have very seldom met with a cricketer of eminence who did not take the greatest care in the choice of a bat, pads, or gloves, or who did not impress upon his tailor the momentous importance of comfortably fitting clothes.
I propose to say something about everything that is needful in the outfit of a cricketer, beginning with his personal clothing. It is advisable for the sake of health and comfort that he should wear flannel or woollen material next his skin. It was no unusual sight ten or twenty years ago to find an eleven or county twenty-two dressed in all the colours of the rainbow. White is now usually worn, and it certainly looks better and cooler than any other colour. Shirts should be made to fit easily at the shoulders, but not too loosely. They should also be made large at the neck, as nothing is more disagreeable on a hot day than a shirt which is too small round the throat.
