Play up! Play up! and play the Game: 628 Not Out

[Guest]

Given the furore in cricket circles this week with high-scoring youngsters, I thought this might be of interest. A Clifton College man doing what he was told to do.... a RE to boot, so presumbaby was knocking the ball 'ubique'.

Vitaï lampada. MG

[phil andrade]

From Conan Doyle's THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN, 1914, pages 178-179, alluding to an episode during the Battle of the Aisne :

On September 16 occurred an incident which may be taken as typical of the difference in the spirit with which the British and the Germans make war. Close to the lines of the Guards a barn which contained fifty wounded Germans was ignited by the enemy's shells. Under a terrific fire a rescue party rushed forward and got the unfortunate men to a place of safety. Several of the British lost their lives in this exploit, including Dr. Huggan, the Scottish International footballer. The Germans mock our respect for sport, and yet this is the type of man that sport breeds, and it is the wont of them in their own ranks which will stand for ever between us.

Incidentally, this incident is alluded to by Barbara Jay, who was kind enough to post an eyewitness account in the thread on RAMC officers in 1914.

Phil (PJA)

[Ron Clifton]

There is already a relevant thread in Skindles.

Ron

[Jim Strawbridge]

Skindles is generally for non-WW1 threads and not visited by everyone. This thread is exactly where it should be as there is a war reference.

[Ron Clifton]

If you think that comparisons between cricket matches in 1899 and 2015 have a WW1 connection then we will have to disagree. In any case, I was not suggesting that it had been wrongly posted: I merely pointed out that there is another thread elsewhere on the Forum relating to this topic.

You might just as well argue that an analysis of the premierships of all UK Prime Ministers between, say, 1930 and 1970 has a WW1 connection, because most of them fought in it.

Ron

[Stoppage Drill]

The sand of the desert is sodden red, --
Red with the wreck of a square that broke; --
The Gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed his banks,
And England's far, and Honour a name,
But the voice of schoolboy rallies the ranks,
"Play up! play up! and play the game!"