During the game, the batsman noticed that the splice was coming out of his bat. In his small village, he was at a loss where to take it to be repaired. Finally, he decided that the blacksmith might do the job and went along to ask.
‘Splice coming loose, eh?’ said the blacksmith. ‘I get a lot of you chaps in here. I’ll have it fixed in a minute.’
He put the bat on the anvil, took an enormous hammer and gave it a mighty smash. The bat was as good as new.
‘Marvelous!’ enthused the batsman. ‘How much do I owe you?’
‘Let’s say a fiver, eh?’
'A fiver? All you did was hit it with a hammer.
‘I’ll make you out a bill,’ said the blacksmith .
He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it over. The batsman read: To hitting bat with hammer 10 pence. For knowing were to hit 4.90 pounds.