Cricket 1904

CRICKET, A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME, APRIL 21, 1904.1 “ Together joined in Cricket’s manly toil.” — Byron. No. 6 5 4 . VOL. X X I I I . THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1904. PRICE 2d. SOME NOTE S ABOUT ROBERT ABEL . The question whether Abel will be seen regularly in the Surrey team this year is of vast interest not only to Surrey cricketers and teams opposing Surrey, but toevery cricketerwho follows the doings of the first-class counties. Although he has been as roundly and as often abused for slow play as Alec Ban- nerman orBarlow, there can be no doubt whatever that the little man is a verygreat favourite with the public, who will stand more mono­ tony from him than from any other man. As a spec­ tator I have often watched himfrom among the crowd when he has been making runs with a slow regularity which has worn out the hearts of his opponents, and evenon aforeignground the sympathies of the public havebeenwithhim,although they may have groaned in spirit with sorrow for their own side. “ Look at him,” said a spectator from the Northwho had watched him makenearly 200 runsagainst the spectator’s own county. “ He stands there with his bat all cock-eyed, and he moves about like a cat on hot bricks, and yet the little beggar is one of the finest batsmen inthe world. Con­ found him! ” Possibly the reason why Abel is regarded with such friendly eyes even by what are known as “ hostile” crowds, is that, in a field in which nearly all the players are ever so much bigger than himself, he has the appearance of being a forlorn and innocent victim led forth to the slaughter. So little fitted to take care of himself does he seem that when he is opposed to a fast bowler with a terrifying action, one half expects to seehim carried away amangled heap of humanity. Even when he has been at the wickets for hours, and the bowlers are completely worn out, he still looks innocent and unprotected— a humble little personwho would be only too glad to retire into obscurity if he could get a chance. It is certain that there have been occasions when, on account of the ball buruping considerably, fast bowlers have hesitated for a few minutes to do their worst against him, for fear of ROBERT ABEL. smashing him up. But experience has soon shown them that it is not the bats­ man who needs protection. It is true that Abel is commonly supposed to be unhappy when opposed to fast bowling, although it is not on record that any fast bowler has said so. But even on the most dangerous wickets he has often played a great; game against the fastest men in the world; now steering the ball through the slips to the boundary, now getting his head out of its way in the nick of time, now taking it almost off his nose and placing it cleverly to leg. It is saidthat Major Poore, the famous Hampshire cricketer, learned his cricket almost entirely frombooks—chiefly from the Badmintonvolume of cricket—and if this is true, it would be very interesting to knowwhat he thought when he first saw Abel at the wicket; for Abel is undoubtedly a shocking example. No fond father, with many years of cricket behind him, ever pointed himout to his son and said, “ Behold here, my boy, the model you must copy.” For there never was a more unorthodox player than Abel. The two things which are, perhaps, most impressed upon young cricketers by all the theorists and by all the writers upon the game, fromNyren down to Ranjitsinhji, and not ex­ cluding Abel himself, are that the bat must be held upright, andthat there must be no drawing away from the ball. Now, Abel does not playwith astraight bat, and he shifts his feet to suit each ball, while often he draws right away from the wicket, even to a slow bowler, as if he were afraid of the ball. In fact, as regards style, he would be condemned by every up­ holder of the orthodox theories of batting. But like Mr. Jessop, he is a law to himself, and when a man at his time of life has been making a coupleof thousand runs for years, it is, perhaps, just as well to conclude that he knows pretty well what he is doing. It is not unlikely that the affection of the eyes fromwhich Abel has suffered lately may have told more upon his batting than it would have done in the case of a man who was more orthodox in his style. But he has had a wonderful career, and