Cricket 1911

M ay C, 19 1 1. CRICKET : A W EEK LY RECORD OF THE GAME. 1 1 7 The kibran), {All Publications intended for review in 11Cricket” must be addressed to the Editor.) MR. PELHAM W ARN ER ON CRICKET.* Mr. P. F. Warner has written several works on cricket, but none more interesting than this. In his latest volume he deals with almost every phase of the game, providing reminiscences as well as advice, dealing with past as well as with modern cricket and referring to tbe chief players whom he has met in various parts of the world. Perhaps the best chapter in the book— though all are interesting except the first, which contains merely the laws of the game—is that on batting. On two points—stance at the wicket and moving the right foot in playing back—he is particularly interesting. Concerning the latter he quotes “ W .G.” as saying: “ On no account must you move the right leg. But you must keep as firm as if it were riveted to the ground, or you will very likely be driven on to your wicket,” and then adds :— “ * W .G .,’ indeed, is often cited by those who still pin their j faith in this rigidity-of-leg theory as a batsman—and the best I ability to make any point thoroughly clear in a few well-chosen words, his book should prove most valuable to young cricketers for the advice contained in it as well as of general interest to those of more mature years. In some matters we differ in opinion from the author, as, for example, when he suggests (page 139) that Hampshire can point to a longer acquaintance with the game than Kent and (page 55) when he states that the word “ googlie” was invented by a New Zealand cricketer after playing the bowling of Mr. Bosanquet. (As a matter of fact the word “ googlie” has been familiar in Australia for the last thirty years at least.) Furthermore, Mr. Sherwell, the South African captain, was born at Isipingo, in Natal, and not in England, as stated on page 241, and is not the remark (page 23) that Mr. Stoddart “ did not start to play the game quite early in life ” rather misleading ? As early as 1876, when thirteen years of age, he was in the St. John’s Wood School XI. and played that season against Mill Hill School, being bowled by S. S. Pawling, also a future Middlesex player. In the chapter on “ Bowling ” Mr. Warner recalls his first visit to the O val:— “ I was a very little boy in Eton jacket and collar, and re­ member being handed over the turnstile and taking up my position in the front row on the grass, where I was politely requested to Reproduced by'kind permission from Mr. Warner’s “ The Book of Cricket." LO RD ’ S IN 1822. batsman of all—who plays back without moving his right foot towards the wicket; but, according to the admirable series of photographs taken by Mr. G. W . Beldam, the Middlesex cricketer, for Great Batsmen: Their Methods at a Glance , those who maintain that back strokes should be played without moving the right leg cannot claim ‘ W .G .’ as a supporter. On pages 15, 16, 19 and 20 of that really wonderful artistic work ‘ W .G .’ is seen moving his right leg very decidedly in the action of playing back; and we know that the camera, certainly Mr. Beldam’s camera with its exposure of 1—1000th of a second, does not lie! Look through that book, and it will be found that ‘ W .G .,’ K. S. Kanjitsinhji, Mr. Trumper, Mr. Fry, Mr. MacLaren, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Noble — in fact, all the great players in the world—move the right foot towards the wicket in playing back unless the ball is very short, and then they hit it where they please from any position they please.” What has “ W .G .” to say to the soft impeachment? Probably he would reply with a hearty laugh, “ Don’t do as I do : do as I tell you !” But the matter is an interesting one, and we should like to hear the Doctor’s explanation. Mr. Warner’s advice is— as one would suppose, coming from so orthodox a player— thoroughly sound, and, as he possesses the remove my “ topper.” The crowd kept on increasing all the morning, and after lunch was twenty yards inside the ring. The police were powerless, and Mr. J. Shuter, the Surrey captain, had to come and ask us to go back. “ If you want Surrey to win, please go back.” We all cheered him, and somehow went back a bit.” And here is an account of the manner in which Blythe came into notice:— “ Blythe began to bowl when he was about eleven years old, and the first time he saw K^nt play was the means of his adopting the game as a profession. Kent were playing Somerset at Black- heath. 41 don’t think,’ says Blythe, 1there w^re manv more spectators than players. Walter Wright came out to practise and asked me to “ bowl him a few.” Captain McCanlis happened to be present, and took my name and address.’ The result was an invitation to the Tonbridge Nursery, and ever since then Blythe, who first appeared for Kent in 1900, has been the mainstay of his county’3 attack.” This account we believe to be correct, but Blythe had appeared in four matches for Kent during the season of 1899. •The Book of Cricket. By P. P. Warner. London: J. M. Dent & Co., Ltd. Bedford St., W.C. Price, 5s. net.