Cricket 1905

258 CRICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. J cly 13, 1905. Cricket Field,” which is a pity, for although much of the advice contained in it is necessarily antiquated, the book is most entertaining. But Pycroft has something to say about hitting to leg, and his advice with regard to this is just as sound to-day as it was when the book was written. The most noteworthy points are as follows, but the whole chapter on leg hitting is of deep interest: “ Besides the draw, there are two dis­ tinct kinds of leg hits—one forward, the other back. The forward leg hit is made by advancing the left foot near the pitch of the ball, and then hitting down upon the ball with a free arm—the bat being more or less horizontal according to the length of the ball. A ball so far pitched as to require little stride of the left leg will be hit with nearly a straight ba t; a ball as short as you can stride to will require nearly a horizontal bat. The ball you can reach with straight bat will go off on the principle of the cover-hit—the more square the better. But when a ball is only just within reach, by using a horizontal bat you know where to find the ball just before it has risen, for your bat covers the space about the pitch. If you reach far enough, even a shooter may be picked up, and if a few inches short of the pitch, you may have all the joyous spriug of a half-volley. The better pitched the bowling, the easier is the hit if the ball be only a little to the leg. In using a horizontal bat, if you cannot reach nearer than about a foot from the pitch, sweep your bat through the line in which the ball should rise. But if the point of the bat cannot reach to within a foot of the pitch, that ball must be played back.” “ The short-pitched leg-bail needs no comment, save that, according as it is more or less on the wicket, you may— 1. Draw i t ; 2. Play it by a draw or glance outside your le g ; 3. You may step back on your wicket to gain space, and play it away to middle-on, or cut it round, according to your sight of it.” “ But in leg hitting, beware of a ‘ blind swipe,’ or that chance hit, by guess of where the ball will rise, which some make when the bat cannot properly com­ mand the pitch. This blind hit is often made at a ball not short enough to play by sight back, nor long 9nough to com­ mand forward.” Parr, as he said, used to advance left foot as far as he could, and hit “ where the ball ought to be.” But this he would hardly advise, except you can nearly command the pitch, otherwise a blind swing of the bat is by no means to be recommended, although the best players are sometimes betrayed into it.” ‘ ‘ Parr’s rulefor leg-L itting was:— ‘Keep your light foot firm on your ground; advance the left straight to the pitch, and as far as you can reach, and hit at straight at the pitch as you can, just as it you were hitting to long field ; as the lines of bat and ball form an angle, the ball will [fly away fquare of itself.’ But Parr had two hits, which he used accord­ ing to the length of the ba ll; if he could reach the pitch, he hit horizontally (a kind of mow or scoop) at the pitch; if be could not reach quite as far, he hit across to intercept the ball as it rose, about two feet from the pitch. . . . Lastly, as to leg balls, remember that almost any one can learn to hit them up (square, especially); the art is to play them down. . . . Also, leg-hitting alone is very easy; but to be a good Off-player and an upright and straight player, and yet to hit to leg freely is very rare.” Meanwhile Armstrong is practically master of the situation. He must have pondered much over his experiences during the present tour. He came to England this year with the reputation of being a most useful batsman and bowler. He had not been in England a month before he found himself heralded as the greatest batsman ever turned out by Australia, far superior to such ephemeral cricketers as Murdoch, Trumper and Hill. It was a question whether he was not even a class above W. G., Fry, and Rinjit- sinbji. He found himself dropped with a suddenness which might have hurt him if he were not something of a philosopher. TheD, almost in a moment, he became the villain of the piece, and if he was not hissed like all good villains, it was only because a cricket crowd prefers to express its opinions in a more raucous way. But he still holds the stage, and it looks as if the virtuous heroine, exemplified by England, may not get her rights before the curtain falls. W . A. B ette sw o b th . LUDGttOVE (1) v. ST. DAVID'S (l).-Played at St. David’s on June 28. S t . David’s (1). Harvey, b Grove Viliiers, c Carlton, b Cornwallis .......... Lambert, b Cornwallis Bickersteth, not out... Gaweth, b Grove Eccles, b Grove.......... Crabbe, b Cornwallis Lee, c Grove,b Forster 11 Pape, lbw, b Corn­ wallis ................. Cristie, b Beaumont- Nesbitt ................. Johnston, b Beau- mont-Nesbitt . B 10, lb 1, nb 7 18 Total 94 L. Carlton, c Bicker stetli, b Eccles ... 17 J Forster, run out ... 2 <•, R. D. Hoare, hit wkt, b Eccles......... 0 W. M. Peareth, c Lam­ bert, b Viliiers ...33 F. M. Eastwood, lbw, b Eccles ................. 0 W. S. Cornwallis, c Lee, b Viliiers ... 4 L udgrove (1). O. W. Cornwallis, b Eccles ................ A. H. R. Burn, c Har­ vey, b Johnston ... E. T. N. Grove, b Eccles ................ A. H. B. Atkinson- Clark, b Johnston F. G. Beaumont- Nesbitt, notout ... Wide ......... Total ... 79 J. C. LOVELL’S XI. v. BEDDINGTON.-Played at Tulse Hill on July 8 . J. C. L o v e ll’s XI. P. P. Tyacke, b Shep­ pard ........................ 4 C.H.Mountain,b Shep­ pard ....................... 25 K. Robinson, c sub, b. Sheppard.................18 J. Anthony Lovell, c Windsor,bSpikesman 40 J. P. Candler,c Wind­ sor, b Sheppard ... 6 L. Ix)veil, b Spikes- man ........................24 B eddington . J. Spencer Lovell, b Sheppard................ C. L. Ring, c Searle, b Spikesman......... A. Meller, c and b Spikesman ......... S. H. Flindt, c Dash- wood, b Spikesman 18 C. Lovell, not out ... 9 B 7, lb 4, nb 5 ... 1G 15 Total ..179 II. S. Ilikler, c Candler b Robinson ......... 9 H. Hayter, c Mountain, b Robinson ......... 9 W. A. Windsor, st Mountain,b Candler 55 F. Warclle, b Candler 0 Capt. Dasliwood, b Candler ................ 0 E. Sheppard, b. Caiul- ler ....................... 24 li. Allnutt, b Candler 14 Whitmore-Searle not out ........................ 2 F. Allnutt, b Robin­ son ...................... 3 J. Dives, b Candler... 1 A. H. Spikesman, not out ........................ 0 B 4, lb, 4 ......... 8 Total (9 wkts.) 125 LONDON SCOTTISH v. SOUTH HAMPSTEAD.— Played at Brondesbury Park on July 8 . L ondon S cottish . C. W. Trench, b New­ man ........................ U C. Koe-Child, c Dove, b Newman .......... 5 S. H. Wood, run out... 28 J. S. Chown, b New­ man ........................45 P. Child, c Scholey, b Newman......... 21 F. R. Connell, c Dove, b Doughty .......... 5 A.Kinross,b Doughty 3 G. Trench, st Dove, b Doughty.................10 M..H. B. Knight, not out ........................14 G. J. Neal, b Newman 0 R. L. Mason, c New­ man, b Doughty ... 4 B 10, lb 2 . 12 Total J. Thornhill, c Con­ nell, b W o o d .......... 68 H. Scholey, c Knight, b Connell .......... A. J. Doughty, c and b Connell................. J. T. Watson, b Neal H. Dove, c Mason, b N ea l........................ J. Hughman, c and b Connell ................. S outh H ampstead . 12 II. B. Curtis, out ....................... T. Elson, run out .. J. Webb, not out A. Jewlett, b Wood.. J. Lowe, b Wood .. B 5, w 2 ........ Total 32 14 5 0 .. 7 .. 7 .145 STREATHAM v.OLD WESTMINSTERS.—Played at Streatham on July 8 th. H. S. Barkworth, Cross, b Feeny ... 23 N. S. Bompas, c Cross, b Parton.................30 A. R. Severn, c Kerr, b N. Miller ..........47 R. E.More.b Phillipps 3 E. Berens, b N. Miller 81 R. E. Murray, lbw, b N. M iller................. 0 O ld W estminsters . N. A. Whittow, b Miller ................. 0 S. H. Day, b Parton... 64 L.A.M.Fcvez.bParton 0 G. M. S. Oldham, not out ........................ 0 H. I). Oppenheimer, b N. Miller .......... 0 Byes ................. 4 N. Miller, lbw, b More 76 E. S.Bailey, b More...107 C. J. Parton, c Oppen- heimer.b Barkworth 27 Rev. 11. F. S. Adams, c Bompas, b More... 19 S treatham . Total ..252 I). O. Kerr, not out... 26 11. T. Cross, b Bark­ worth .................36 J.L.Phillipps, notout 34 B 23, lb 2 ..........25 Total (5 wkts) 350 II. M. Leaf, V. F. Feeny, E. P. Pulbrook, and E. B. Miller did not bat. CATERI1AM v. STREATHAM.- Played at Cater­ ham, on July 8 . C aterham . C. E. Whelon, c & b |R. L. Jonas, not out 38 Holmes .................15 G. R. Russell, b Ha- E. R. Russell, c & b ' worth .................. 2 Hooper ................. 1 E. A. Street, c Leaf, b L. Fraser, b Haworth 70 Horncastle ........... 1 A. W. Street, b Hooper 3 B 6 , lb 4, nb 1 11 B. A. Solano,c Hooper, — b Fortescue ..........21 Total (8 wkts.) *177 R. A. Russell, c Taylor, b Haworth ..........15 I M. Gill and E. A. Nettleton did not bat. * Innings declared closed. S treatham . E. H. Leaf, lbw, b Fraser A. S. Bailey,c& b Gill 5 R. G. Candy, c & b Street........................16 A. E. Fortescuo, not ou t........................... 58 R. J. Haworth, hit wkt., b Street.......... 0 J. F. W. Hooper, b Fraser .................18 L. E. Gillett, b E. Russell ................. 3 N. Horncastle, b E. Russell ................. F. G. V. Holmes, b E. Russell ................. G. Goggs, lbw, b E. Russell ................. W. Taylor, not out .. B 9,1b 2, w 1... 12 Total (9 wkts.)114 LONDON & WESTMINSTER BANK (2) v. BRIX­ TON WANDERERS (2).—Played at Norbury on July 8 . L. & W. Bank (2). R. S. A. Kerr, c Glan­ vill, b W hite......... 31 II. E. Muriel, not out 9 B 7, lb 2 ......... 9 Total (5 wkts)*247 R. S. Hartree, c Glan­ vill, b Harbert..........53 II. E. Power, b Benge 7 G. Logan, not out ...101 A. M. Cockell, c Har­ bert, b Benge......... 19 G.P.Rhodes, b Harbert 18 H. H. G. Wellbome, S. Bennett, H. D. Dear, A. Pod- more, did not bat. * Innings declared closed. B rixton W anderers (2). H.C. Edmonds, c Har­ tree, b Power.......... S.Thurston, notout.. W. J.Benge, notout... o B 5, wb 1 ......... 6 Total (7 wkts) 128 A.J.White, c Podmore, b Power ................. 34 C.W. Phillips,b Power 7 N. H.Whitley, b Power 0 W.A. Mitchell, c Cock­ ell, b Power ......... 57 W.R.Caesar, b Rhodes 11 A. Harbert, b Dear ... 1 F. Palmer, B. A. Glanvill, did not bat. 5