Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 182, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1916 — HE HAD MADE NO PROMISES [ARTICLE]

HE HAD MADE NO PROMISES

Substitute Was Not Asked If He "Could" Play the Game, but Only If He “Would.”

Although he will not get many opportunities of playing In cricket matches this year, George Robey will help to keep himself fit by practicing at the nets at Lord’s. The famous comedian has a great 16ve for the summer game, and he tells an amusing story of one of those off days, when everything goes wrong, which once befell him. He was watching a game when one of the captains came up to him, explained that he was “a man short,” and asked him if he would play. “Certainly,” agreed Robey. He went out to field, and chiefly distinguished himself by missing two catches, fumbling the ball, and so on. Not content with that, he made a duck when he went in to bat. The captain who had got him to play took things badly. “Why, you can’t play at all 1” he said sneeringly. “Sir,” replied George Robey majestically, “when you asked me to play you asked me if I would, not If I could. And so that’s that.”—Pearson’s Weekly.