| Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922. | | | | A Cricket Bowler | | By Edward Cracroft Lefroy (1855–1891) |
| | | TWO minutes’ rest till the next man goes in! | |
| The tired arms lie with every sinew slack | |
| On the mown grass. Unbent the supple back, | |
| And elbows apt to make the leather spin | |
| Up the slow bat and round the unwary shin,— | 5 |
| In knavish hands a most unkindly knack; | |
| But no guile shelters under this boy’s black | |
| Crisp hair, frank eyes, and honest English skin. | |
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| Two minutes only. Conscious of a name, | |
| The new man plants his weapon with profound | 10 |
| Long-practised skill that no mere trick may scare. | |
| Not loth, the rested lad resumes the game: | |
| The flung ball takes one madding tortuous bound, | |
| And the mid-stump three somersaults in air. | | | | |
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