Cricket 1890

462 CEICKET: A WEEKLY EECOED OP THE GAME. NOV. 27, 1890. the ball is not quite straight and pitching on the pads, and who try to play it hard to square-leg. M y experience has shown me that there is no need to do it even then, and that by keeping your right foot firm ly in its place and drawing back the left until the heels are alm ost touching, you can resort to what is called the glide stroke and place the ball to deep short leg. T o play forward, you must advance the left leg; but must take care not to over­ reach yourself, or you w ill m ove the right foot. Keeping the right foot firm is even m ore im portant in playing forward than in playing b a ck ; for you have to rem ember that it is just on the edge of the crease, and the slightest m ovem ent m ay cause you to lift it, and if you miss the ball a smart w icket­ keeper will have you stumped before you can recover yourself. Y ou can find out for yourself, by practising at a wicket w ithout a bowler, how far you can reach w ith safety w ithout m oving the right foot; indeed, it is a very good plan practising quietly in your bedroom both back and forw ard play, and if you have a large looking-glass in front of you so m uch the better. B y its aid you will see whether you are playing with a perfectly straight bat, and be able to correct any tendency to depart from it. A nother very im portant thing to rem ember in playing forward is never to place the bat further forward than the level of the left foot, and to be sure to have the handle of it slant­ ing, so that the top of it is nearer than the blade to the bowler. U pon that w ill depend w hether you m eet the ball firm ly and safely. T ry to have the bat as close to the left foot as you can w ith safety, so that if the ball should break slightly back it w ill not pass between the bat and the pads. Those are the two strokes you m ust rely on to protect your wicket, and you must cultivate them in season and out of season. Occasionally you will get a ball which puts you in two minds, and, for want of decision-to play one w ay or the other, it may either beat you altogether, or cause you to play it in a half-hearted way and be caught. I have invariably found that w h en that occurred with me I had either been careless in watohing the bowler’s arm, or that he had deceived m e by altering his pace without a change of action. Spofforth was great at that, and took in m any an E nglish batsman the first visit he paid us. W hen that experience comes to you, you w ill have to be quick to get out of the d ifficulty; and there is only one w ay that I know to doit, and that is, to meet it w ith the half-cock stroke. Y ou have made up your m ind to play forward, and taken the initial step ; but at the last m om ent you find that the ball is going to pitch shorter than you at first thought. Y ou must rely on your arms to extricate you from the difficulty by drawing back the bat until it is just over the popping- creaso, a few inches from the ground. D raw ­ ing back the left foot will not help y o u ; so concentrate upon a rapid use of the arms. I shall now enumerate the wickets upon which I have found back play and forward play m ost effective. On a fast, dry, and true w icket, I never hesitate to play forw ard; for the bowler can get little or no work on the ball, and, what is more, the further it is pitched up and the faster it comes along the easier it is to play forward. My scores of 344 for M:C.C. v. K ent, and 318 not out for Gloucestershire v. Yorkshire, in 1876, were made on wickets of that kind,and I played forw ard w ith confidence to nearly every good-length ball. I carry out the same principle on a fast, good, wet w icket; for the bowler has much difficulty in getting work on the ball, owing to its wet, slippery state: but I watch the ball m ore carefully, for I k io w it w ill occasionally keep low and travel faster after it pitches, while shooters occur m ore frequently than on a dry wicket. On a alow, good w icket after rain, the bowler can get m ore work on the ball than on a good fast wicket, but the ball does not com e so quickly off the pitch, and it rarely rises higher than the bails. Y ou can play either back or forward on a wicket of that kind according to the pitch of the ball ; but in playing forward you must not play too quickly, as the ball sometimes hangs a bit, and you m ay play it back to the bowler. Turner beat me with his second ball in that way in the first innings of the England v. Australia m atch at L ord’s on the 21st July, 1890; and I can assure you I felt, and I daresay looked, particularly foolish over it. I played a little too soon at it, and the ball hanging, I m et it high up on the shoulder of the bat, and an easy catch to Turner follow ed. In the second innings the wicket was m uch faster, and I felt quite at hom e on it, and played forward with perfect confidence. Back play is m ost effective on a drying sticky wicket. That is about the worst you can play o n ; for the bowler can get a great am ount of work on the ball, and you have no course but to watch it until the last moment and play back to it. Keep your eye on the b ow ler; watch how he holds the ball and runs up to the wicket before delivering it, and you m ay be able to detect any alteration in length and pace. And never get flurried whatever his action m a y b e ; for if you take your eyes off his arm or lose your head for a second, he has you at a disadvantage. (To be continued). P A L L IN G SW IC K CLUB . RESULTS OP MATCHES. May 3—v. Hendon. Drawn. Pallingswick, 196; Hendon, 36 for 3 wickets. May 10—v. Chiswick Park. Lost. Pallingswick, 71 and 60 for 4 wickets; Chiswick Park, 101 . May 10—v. Ealing. Drawn. Ealing, 172; Paliings- wick, 64 for 6 wickets. May 17—v. Burlington Wanderers. Lost. Pallingswick, 43; Burlington Wanderers 207. May 17—v. Clapton. Won. Pallingswick, 117; Clapton, 106. May 21—v. Upper Clapton. Won. Pallingswick, 116and 44 for 3wickets; Upper Clapton, 45 and 126 for 6 wickets. May 24—v. Plaistow. Drawn. Plaistow, 179 (innings declared finished); Pallingswick, 74 for 6 wickets. May 26—v. Kensington. Lost. Kensington, 239; Pallingswick, 177 and 57 for 2 wickets. May 26—v. Willesden. Lost. Wille-den, 114; Pallingswick, 99 and 25 for 2 wickets. May 31—Clapham Wanderers. Lost. Pallings­ wick, 102 ; Clapham Wanderers, 292. June 7—v. Granville. Drawn. Granville, 220; Pallingswick, 37 for 5 wickets. June 7—v. Brixton Wanderers. Lost. Pallings­ wick. 51; Brixton Wanderers, 154. Jane 14—v. Uxbridge. Won. Pallingswick, 86 and 51 for 7 wickets; Uxbridge, 76 and 94. June 14—v. Ibis. Drawn. Ibis, 150; Pallingswick, 96 for 5 wickets. June 16—v. M.C.C. & G. Lost. M.C.C., 136 ; Pal­ lingswick, 74 and 129 for 5 wickets. June 17—v. Chiswick Park. Won. Pallings­ wick, 144 for 6 wickets; Chiswick Park, 126. June 18—v. Hampstead. Won. Pallingswick, 217; Hampstead, 156 and 66 for 2 wickets. June 19—v. Old Brucians. Lost. Pallingswick, 167 ; Old Brucians, 190. June 20—v. St. Mary’s Hospital. Drawn. St. Mary’s Hospital, 410; Pallingswick, 127 for 7 wickets. June 21—v. Forest Hill. Won. Pallingswick, 195 ; Forest Hill, 123. July 12—v. Hampstead. Lost. Hampstead, 161; Paliingswick, 57. July 12—v. Plaistow. Won. Plaistow, 98; Pallings­ wick, 118 for 6 wickets. July 19—v. Hampton Wick. Lost. Pallingswick, 92; Hampton Wick, 133. July 23—v. Mitcham. Lost. Mitcham, 87; Pal­ lingswick, 44 and 107. July 26 -v. Cane Hill. Lost. Cane Hill, 182 ; Pal- Jingswick, 100. July 26—v. Clapton. Drawn. Pallingswick, 152; Clapton, 70 for 3 wickets. July 30—v. Thespians. Won. Pallingswick, 194; Thespians, 130 and 67 for 6 wickets. Aug. 2—v. Hampton Wick. Drawn. Hampton Wick, 184; Pallingswick, 94 for 2 wickets. Aug, 4—v. Uxbridge. Lost. Uxbridge, 181; Pal­ lingswick, 46 and 94 for 2 wickets. Aug. . Kensington. Lost. Kensington, 2C0; Pallingswick, 75 and 156 for 6 wickets. Aug. 9— t . Hornsey. Lost. Pallingswick, 94; Hornsey, 95. Aug. 9—v. Strawberry Hill. Lost. Pallinga- wick, 81; Strawberry Hill, 125 for 7 wickets. Aug. 12—v. Forest Hill. Lost, Pallingswick, 192 ; Forest Hill, 240 for 4 wickets. Aug. 16—v. Kensington Park. Drawn. Kensing­ ton Park, 272; Pallingswick, 30 for no wicket. Aug. 16—v. Ibis. Drawn. Pallingswick, 178; Ibis, 67 for 4 wickets. Aug. 20—v. Richmond. Lost. Richmond, 100; Pallingswick, 34 and 49 for 6 wickets. Aug. 23—v. Granville. Drawn. Pallingswick, 64. Aug. 30—v. Hornsey. Drawn. Pallingswick, 251 for 5 wickets. Aug. 80—v. Hampstead Nondescriptsi Lost. Pallingswick, 54; Hampstead Nondes­ cripts, 298 for no wicket. Sept. 6—v. willesden. Lost. Willesden, 138 and 42 for 4 wickets ; Pallingswick, 13*. Sept. 13—v. Barnes. Drawn. Pallingswick, 133 (innings declared finished); Barnes, 74 for 4 wickets. BATTING AVERAGES. Ten Innings and over. Inns, i J. S. Haycraft ... 10 . S. Cheesman ... 25 . W. J. Burt......... 18 . H. W. Burnside 31 . E. A. Collins ... 16 . J. W. Clemence 13 , J. S. Heynemann 28 , Marlow ..........13 . A. H. Millson ... 17 . F. Clemence ... 13 •. C. de Winton ... 13 . B. A. Carter ... 14 . C. Hay-Campbell 23 . M.T. La Thangue 14 , F. Moir ..........15 A. Bm t ..........14 , W. Cooke - Yar­ borough ..........14 . J. de Winton ... 11 . A. W . Graham... 12 . Times t out. 1 . 5 . 5 . 2 . 1 . 1 . 2 . 0 . 2 . 2 . 1 . 2 . 2 . I . Over 4 Innings. L. Shaw .......... 4 E. L. Hawkins... 6 D. H. Hewitt ... 6 C. B. Palmer ... 5 W. L. Hotchkin 9 C. R. Forward... 6 L. Hawkins ... 8 A. H. Stevens ... 8 J. Pelham .......... 4 D. H. Daniell ... 7 F. Spiller ... L. Chapman W.R. Carter H. W. White F. Davis ... E. E. Turner R. Virgoe ... A. Dampier F. Lampard A. F. Bettinson H. A. Budden ... C. J. Jarvis P. Schooling ... W. E. Holland... A. R. Burch W. Alexder M. A. Beale 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 Most in Runs, an Inns. Aver. . 344 ... 84 ... 38.2 . 521 .,.. 72 ... 26.1 . 254 ,. 103* ... 19.7 . 171 .,.. 55* ... 19. . 270 ..,. 53 ... 18. ,. 209 .... 97 ... 17.5 ,. 388 ... 53 ... 14.21 . 139 ... 32 ... 13.9 . 196 .,,. 34* ... 18.1 . 131 ... 75 ..., 11.10 ,. 115 ... 36 ... 9.7 . 112 .,.. 32 ... 9.2 ,. 181 ... 28* ..., 813 .. 114 ... 21 ..., 8.10 ,. 106 ... 45 ..., 8.10 ,. 98 .... 23 ..., 8.2 . 80 ..,. 31* ... 8. , 70 ... 85 ... 6.4 „ 61 ... 21 ..., 6.1 » ,. 108 ... 61 ... 35. . 90 ., ,. 52* ... 30. „ 54 ... 22 ... 13.2 . 38 ... 9 ... 9.2 . 77 .,.. 27 ... 8.5 . 61 .... 31 ... 12.1 . 84 .,.. 21 ... 10.4 . 59 .,.. 22* ... 8.3 . 31 .. 19 ... 7.3 „ 36 ... 12* ... 6- „ 24 ... 11 ... 6. ,. 23 .,.. 14 ... 53 , 18 ... 6 ... 42 . 12 ... 11 ... 4. . 12 ..,. 6 ... 4. . 12 ..,. 4 ... 3. . 7 .,,. 5* ... 2.1 . 6 .... 8* ... 2. . 5 ..,. 5 ... 1.1 o played. . 72 ... 34 ... 36. ,. 13 ... 13 ... 13. . 25 ... 16 ... 81 . 14 .. 7 ... 7. . 11 .,.. 11* ... 5.1 . 4 ..,. 3* ... 2. . 4 ., .. — ... 2. . 1 .... — ... 3. BOWLING AVERAGES. Ten innings and over. Overs- Mdns. Runs. Wkts. Aver. W. Cooke-Yar- ,. 24 .. 34.7 borough .......... 108 .,.. 30 ... 343 .. J. W . Clemence 160 .„. 42 ... 851 ..,. 24 ... 14.15 E. A. Collins ... 182 ... 34 ... 440 ... 27 ..,. 16.8 F.9.Heynemann 256 ... 62 ... 674 ... 36 ..,. 18 26 C.Hay-Campbell 318 ... 93 ... 757 .., 38 .,,. 19.35 Frank Clemence 168 .„. 39 ... 467 ..,. 22 .,,. 21.5 S. Cheesman ... 166 ... 30 ... 581 .. 22 .. 26.9 Marlow .......... 240 ... 82 ... 454 ..,. 49 .,,. 9.13 Four innings and over. W. J. Burt.......... 20 ,... 3 ... 48 .,.. 6 ... 8. H. W. Burnside 22 ... 8 ... 48 ..,. 4 ..,. 12. C. R. Forward... 13 . .. 1 ... 41 ... 3 .,,. 13.2 C. de Winton ... 27 ... 3 ... 77 ... 5 ... 15.2 W. R. Carter ... 86 ... 23 ... 195 ..,. 12 .,.. 16.3 A. H. Stevens ... 62 .... 16 ... 142 .. 8 .,.. 17.6 W. L. Hotchkin 85 ... 29 ... 221 ... 6 .,,. 33.5 A. H. Millsom ... 18 ... 2 ... 60 ... 3 .. . 20. NEXT ISSUE, DECEMBEE 27.