Cricket has not been flourishing this term. Almost all the matches played have been lost and it becomes more & more manifest day by day that Cricket & Boating cannot both live at Westminster. From the small number of 200 there are not sufficient fellows for both. One must go to the wall. That Cricket should be done away with no one could ever think of suggesting, Boating has long been regarded as a feeble pretence & a refuge for the destitute.
Without Tubbing from the stairs between Schools we could never have a decent Eight, & as there appears no chance of ever obtaining leave for that – the evening boating which only consists of about three quarters of an hour ought to be abolished. Objections might be raised from on various grounds. Some might say that if Westminster was to be represented in the Varsity Eight, boating at School was necessary. It is however a well known fact that the first instruction given to a freshman at Oxford & Cambridge is to forget all the Rowing he ever knew, if he has boated before. And many men in the crews of both ‘Varsities’ have never touched an oar before they went up. Others might say what are all these fellows to do, when there is no boating to occupy their time. To provide sufficient amusement it is true a considerable amount of addition ought to be made up fields, in the shape of more lawn tennis, fives courts & racket courts (up fields) all of which there ought to be. The younger of course would be obliged to play cricket & the infusion of new blood would soon make itself felt in the Eleven.
The Older ones who had reached the Shell without discovering the Vein of Cricket within them, would then be able to turn themselves to the above mentioned occupations, but it is pretty certain that there would be only a few who having once experienced the pleasures of Cricket, would ever desert it. The abolition of boating, unless ‘Between School Tubbing’ can be brought about, & by this means the improvement of Cricket ought to be a consideration to all.