villagers'. He died at Liss, April 1st, 1837, aged 80; but no tombstone was erected to his memory. In 1858, one of his sons was residing at the same village, following his father's trade; and another was keeping the White Horse Inn, at St. Cross, near Winchester.
John Ring's first recorded match was Kent v. the Hambledon Club, in 1782. He was born at Darenth, near Dartford in Kent, 1758. He lived at Sutton-at-Hone, with —— Mumford, Esq., till he was 21 years of age, when Sir Horace Mann took him to Bishopsbourne, as his head huntsman. He was for some time considered the 'crack' batsman in Kent, steady and scientific, and to be depended on, as well as a famous leg-hitter. He was also a noted single-wicket player, being engaged in several of that kind of contests. In the field he generally stood cover-point. His height was only 5 ft. 5 in., and his weight 11 st., strong-limbed, and thick-set. John Nyren (in his work), curiously enough makes no mention of him among the opponents of the Hambledon Club; his name no doubt was accidentally omitted. Of this player, The Cricket Field (speaking through Beldham), remarks:—'The law for leg-before-wicket was not passed, nor 'much wanted, till Ring, one of our best hitters, was shabby enough to get his leg in the way and take advantage of the bowlers, and when Tom Taylor, another of our best hitters, did the same, the bowlers found themselves beaten, and the law was passed to make leg-before-wicket Out.' It must, however, be observed, that in the old laws of 1774, the rule about leg-before-wicket is found, and as this was several years before the appearance of Ring as a cricketer, it is impossible to say how these facts can be reconciled. Ring died of a fever, which it is believed was partly caused by the following circumstance:—In the summer of 1800, George Ring (his brother) was bowling to him, when the ball suddenly rose and broke his nose. In consequence he was laid up for several weeks, and though his death did not immediately ensue, still it was attributed to the
