Beschreibung:

W.G. Grace. Single page handwritten letter in ink from Grace to J.C. Robertson, dated 10th September 1899, on London County Cricket Club, Crystal Palace, headed notepaper. The interesting content relates to the interpretation of the Laws of Cricket. Grace writes, 'Your argument re [the] umpire giving the striker out is wrong. The fact of the ball passing through the wicket does not make it dead. Supposing what you say should happen, if no one appealed for the run out, the striker would be out for the catch'. Nicely signed 'W.G. Grace'. On the third page of the letter is a clarification of the scenario handwritten in ink by Robertson, dated 11th September 1899, 'The point submitted to Dr. G. for opinion was this: The striker returned a hot catch to the bowler; the ball passed through his hands, which diverted it to the non-striker's wicket, knocking the bails off, and, without touching the ground, lodged in a fielder's hands as a catch. The non-striker being out of his ground when the ball broke his wicket, I argued that the non-striker was ipso facto out, and the ball dead; and that consequently the umpire was wrong'. Also included is an original press cutting from the June 1982 issue of 'The Cricketer', submitted by the commentator, Max Robertson, grandson of J.C. Robertson, in which the contents of the letter are discussed, and Grace's verdict deemed correct. Previously sold as lot 211 by Phillips in April 1995. Light folds, otherwise in good/ very good condition