Neville Cardus and Emmott Robinson remind us that gamesmanship is nothing new in cricket

Back to Duncan Hamilton's biography of Neville Cardus, The Great Romantic. Anyone who believes gamesmanship is something new in cricket should read this description of one of Cardus's favourite characters, Emmott Robinson of Yorkshire:

When Lancashire required two wickets in three over to gain precious first-innings points, Robinson plunged into defensive mode, hiding the bat so well behind his pads that he seemed to be playing without one. All went according to plan until five minutes to six. Misjudging the line, he got himself trapped leg before. 

"He did not immediately 'walk'," said Cardus. "He cocked his ear at the umpire as though temporarily affected by deafness," and waited "in case some mistake had been made." Eventually, with the umpire's finger still raised, he turned and began plodding to the pavilion like a "shire horse after a wearying day of ploughing". 

It was "artful" and also a "masterstroke", one of the most drawn-out retreats "in the history of cricket", said Cardus. Robinson was so deliberately slow first in leaving the crease and then walking towards the pavilion that he seemed "not to be moving at all".

But Lancashire got their bonus points. The new batsman, Yorkshire's number 11, came down the pitch, had a swing and was stumped.