Cricket 1891

FES. 26, 1891 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 19 AN OLD WORK ON CRICKET. J Continued,from C k ic k e t o f January 27, T h e W io k e t K e e p e r . I think as he has only to walk from one wicket to the other, he must con­ sequently have time to see whether the players are in their proper places, as some are very near, and most of the others before him thus situated; it is easy for him to keep them to their stations, by the motion of his hand, if they will be attentive to him, for a player may easily know whether it is to the right or to the left, or whether it is deeper in the field or nearer sto the wicket, I think it much better than to call every player by his name, as some of them will be deep in the field ; and on a windy day the wicket­ keeper must call very loud, which is very disagreeable, for the stiller you play the more pleasant it is for the whole eleven, as well as the spectators, if he understands the game; he can do the above with great ease, being the most proper person to place the players in the field; also he ought to be very attentive to the game, for he has his one eleven to keep in their proper places; he has to mind the striker does not go off his ground, for if the hitter gets off his ground, he is to take the ball and stump him ou t; like­ wise he ought to be very atttentive to all hits that may come a catch to him ; and when that they are running to get to the wicket to catch the ball when thrown to him to put the striker out. T ossing th e B all back to th e B o w l e r . As the match greatly depends on the bowlers, the wicket-keeper should be very careful in tossing the ball back to the bowlers, either toss quite to him or to come a fair bound to him, that he may not reach or stoop after the ball, for if it is a long innings and the ground is hard, the bowlers will have enough to do. T h e F ir st S h o rt S lip He is the next to the wicket-keeper, and should stand as near him as almost to shake hands ; he must be very attentive when the striker is going to hit, for some­ times the ball comes so unexpected from the bat as to deceive the best of players, and he is to back up all balls thrown to the wicket-keeper; and if the wicket­ keeper leaves the wicket to go after the ball, and the same is hit for a run, then he is to take the wicket as wicket-keeper; no player must take the ball before the wicket-keeper, except when it is a long hit, and requires two men to throw the ball back to the wicket; the first man that goes after the ball when it is a long hit, and a second man comes to meet him, the first man that goes after the ball is to throw it to him that comes to meet him ; for though he may throw well, yet a ball will not be returned so quick with one long throw as it will with two short opes, if the second man catches the ball well, and throws it in well to the wicket. S econd S h ort S u p Sometimes it is necessary to play four men up to tho wicket, when slow or middle-pace bowling is good, in particular . when the ground is hard, then there will be a second short slip, he should stand next the first, and not farther from the stumps between the first slip, and the man at the point. T he P o in t . The man at the point should stand straight with the popping crease, -about six or seven yards from the striker, and by looking to see whore the ball will pitch, and whether he is going to hit hard or not, if he suppose him going to hit hard, then step back three or four steps, by which means he will have a better *ight of the ball, if it is hit hard; but if it is a good pitched ball, (most likely the hitter will not hit hard) then step forward two or three steps, or more, as the case may require ; and when he is backing up the off side, he should give the man at the slip as much room as is necessary, between himself and the wicket, and not back up too close together. T he M an th at stands M id d le W ic k e t . His place is the off side, not far from the bowler’s wicket, and about twenty- two yards from the hitter’s wicket; it requires a man that can start quick, and ho will soon be enabled to judge where the striker intends to hit the ball, so as to start at the same time the striker is making his stroke, for he can see where the ball will pitch, and where the hitter is most likely to hit the ball, by bo doing he will save a great many runs ; always throw the ball at the top of the stump«, and not throw harder than is required ; throw as well as you can for the man at the wicket to catch, for if it is not thrown well it is impossible for a man to catch the ball and put down the wicket as quick as when it is thrown well ; never throw if there is no chance to put a man ou t; toss the ball to the wicket-keeper, for if it is tossed to the bowler, and he misses it, the hitters may run if they can, therefore toss it to the wicket­ keeper, for after the ball has been in his hands it is considered as no longer in play; if the ball is hit the one side, and the bowler goes after it, the man that stands middle-wicket is to the bowler’s wicket, to catch the ball, if it should be thrown to that wicket. T h e M an that stands to th e L eo He stands the on side, little behind the straight line of the popping crease; if he stands to save the runs, he will stand fifteen yards or more from the stumps, if he can save the run ; he can back up the wicket keeper very often, sometimes it is necessary to play wider or deeper in the field, as far as he can save two runs, I do not mean so far as to let the hitter get two runs between himself and the wicket. T he L ong S top . The long stop must always stand to save the run; slow bowling is very easy to stop, almost any player can do it, but fast bowling is on the contrary, it requires a man that can run and throw well, and that is not afraid of the ba ll; for it is not only balls that pass the wicket without hitting the bat, but it is balls that just hit the edge of the bat, that turns them either the on or the off­ side ; and always back up when it is necessary. L ong S l ip , or th e M an th a t S tands to C over th e S hort SlTp. He must stand to save the run, about the same distance from the stumps as the long stop, in a straight line to the hitter between the man at the point- and the man at the slip ; be particular in recollecting that almost all balls that are hit to that place twists after they hit the ground; if it hits on the edge of the bat, it will twist immediately after it hits the ground, and always towards the long stop; never forget to back up, when four men are played up at the wicket, he should play between the man at the point and the second slip. T he M an w ho C overs th e P oint and M id d le W ic k e t . His place is the off side, between the man at the point and the man at the middle wicket, so as to cover them both, if the ball is hit to either of them, till it is missed by them the hitters cannot run, then, by his early starting, he will save a run very often; never throw harder than is required, for nothing looks worse in a match of cricket than to see a man throw hard without judgment, for if he does, he may throw away three or four runs, and that may be more than he may get in the next innings; he should be sure to back up where he can. L ong F ie l d , off S id e . He stands farthest for the hitter, the off side between the bowler, and the man that stands middle wicket, some distance deeper in the field, so as to cover them; and when he throws the ball to the wicket let him throw fair to the man at the wicket, for if he cannot throw quite home with ease, he had better throw it to come a fair bound to the man at the wjpket; and be sure to be very attentive in backing up always when the ball is thrown to the bowler’s wicket. L ong F ie l d , on S id e . His place is some distance wide of the bowler’s wicket, the on side, as deep in the field, and as far from the striker as he can save two runs. A player should never hold the ball after he has got it, for if the hitters understand running, they will take a run very often, when the ball is in the long field, therefore he should always return the ball as soon as he has got i t ; it is to be understood that the players are not confined to these places which I have stated, although they are the most general; for if a striker has a favourite stroke the on side, then the man that stands to cover the point and middle wicket comes over, and stands at the middle wicket the on side, and the middle wicket the off side will play wider from the bowlers’ wicket, to NEXT ISSUE. MARCH 20.