Rule 3 The ball

The ball shall be one and seven-eighth inches in diameter and one and five-eighth ounces in weight.

The brilliancy of the game depends as much upon a good ball as a good pair of hands. An improperly made ball is discouraging to an expert; in fact, no one who has any regard for the safety of his hands, should indulge in the game without first testing the quality of the little sphere. The Spalding regulation handballs are made with extreme care, by experts, and range in price from $1.00 for the regulation “Match” ball to 75 cents for the “Expert,” and 25 cents for the “Amateur,” which has a leather cover. A rubber handball can also be bought for the latter price. The Irish regulation handball—known as “Red Ace” when made of red rubber and “Black Ace” when made of black rubber—costs 35 cents each.

The Irish ball, as a general rule, differs considerably from the one used in America. They are smaller, and the harder the ball, the better an Irish expert likes it. As he depends chiefly upon service for his success, he wants a ball that will fairly batter down a front wall. That is the reason why seven-eighths of the players in Ireland at the present time object to the American style of playing the game and adopting their ball. Take the service away from them, and you destroy all the effects of their playing.