CHAPTER III
LATER HISTORY
IN the last chapter the history of l.b.w. has been given, and though it is not possible to give chapter and verse for the earlier incidents from 1774 to 1837-8, it is probable that the following chronological table is correct.
- Passing of the first l.b.w. law in 1774.
- Ring and Taylor's "shabby" play somewhere about 1775 and 1780, and several new l.b.w. laws passed.
- Umpires generally gave batsmen out to balls pitched inside and outside the bowler's territory.
- The Dark and Caldecourt incident and ruling of M.C.C that the ball must pitch in bowler's territory for a batsman to be l.b.w. in 1837-8.
- Shrewsbury introduced about 1885 systematic leg-play to balls pitched outside the bowler's territory, frequently putting the bat out of action.
The third item in the above is correct on the evidence of Lord Bessborough's letter, a portion of which was read by Lord Harris at the first meeting of the County Cricket Council in December, 1887. In this letter, as said before, Lord Bessborough suggested a return to the old law of "fifty years ago," which was 1837, with a view of lessening the l.b.w. nuisance. Whatever the rule was supposed to mean, it was differently interpreted by the Umpires in 1837, and Lord Bessborough wanted to return to it.
