Cricket 1912

S e p t . 21, 1912. CEICKET: A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 523 Bowling Hints. B y t h e O l d C o u n t y C r ic k e t e r . Last m onth, in the course of some comm ents on a Saturday club match, I suggested a slight alteration in a bowler’s method, and during the week following publication, I received through the office of Cricket from that same bowler the following note : “ Thanks for your tip. I tried it last Saturday and it came off— if you have any more to make I shall be glad.” This induces me to think that some remarks on bowling m ight not be unacceptable. They are the result of many years’ experience in all classes of cricket, during which period I have taken nearer 3,000 than 2,000 wickets. I have a strong conviction that a bowler is, or can be, the dom i­ nant factor in the game. The supremacy of the bat over the ball (or vice versa ) is largely a matter of weather conditions, and will alwa\ s be so— that is a truism— but the really valuable man to his side is the bowler who gets batsmen out on a batsman’s wicket. A young player with a natural aptitude for bowling, intelligence, and that kind of genius winch is the capacity for taking pains, will accom plish this by giving his m ind to it. Just remember that county cricket and club cricket are different matters. A certain amount of knowledge can be gained by watching celebrated first-class bow lers; but you should avoid the danger of copying their eccentricities and failing to copy their accuracy. What is m ore irritating to an onlooker at an afternoon match than to see a bowler gravely walking nearly to the pavilion rails, then hopping, skipping, and jum ping about 24 yards, to sling the ball down— he does not know really w here! You m ay s a y : “ Look at what some of our m ost successful bowlers d o ! ” Just so, but they are on different wickets. The fast bowler of to-day in first-class matches aims to beat the batsman by sheer pace. H e has to turn him self into a human catapult. That is his m ission. T he waste of time in a 3-day match is not so material, and he is in such constant practice that he does know where he is dropping the ball. The wicket probably does not help him a little bit, but a good average club wicket can invariably be made to help a bowler. Pitch will always beat pace. W hat­ ever your natural pace is, you will do best to keep to it, and thus retain your command of the ball. The difference between a 11 bowler ” and a man who is “ put on to bowl ” is that the former has a distinct scheme in his m ind for each ball, and the latter trusts to luck. You have to pit your brains against the batsman’s and to be successful you must practice hard to acquire the power to drop the ball where you want to, or how are you going to bowl the batsman the ball he does not like ? B y a little skilful variation in length or pace you can send him a ball he thinks is the same as one he has just scored off, but which is not. It used to be a practice of mine when a batsman came in who thought he could hit to “ chuck him ” a plain half-volley on the leg side first b a ll! This he prom ptly hit to the square leg boundary. I could afford that four to get him “ on the feed ! ” Then I sent him a ball in the same place, but a shade faster and with a leg break; and he usually hit across it, and got bowled middle and leg stump. The new batsman is the bowler’s opportunity. It is a foolish prac­ tice, too often adopted, for a bowler to pitch a bit short when a reputed punishing bat comes in. The bowler is afraid of being hit, and is quite pleased with him self wben he sends down two maiden overs. H e does not realise that he is doing his side a very bad turn by letting the batsman play him self in and get a thorough sight of the ball. Not one club batsman out of ten has the confidence in him ­ self to lash out at the first ball. The m ost deadly ball is the fast yorker on the leg stump, but that is not always at comm and. A full pitch or a half volley if straight, however, will often beat a batsman first b a ll; and it is worth the risk. A nything is better than the long hop. You may say. “ Yes, but if I get hit at the start the captain will take me o ff! ” W ell, that depends upon the experience of the captain, and bow much confidence he places in you. And, anyway, your side should be considered before your personal honour and glory. W ith regard to break— m ost bowlers have some slight natural break, either with the arm or break back, very often the former com ing with the lower delivery ; but it is generally wise to make the most of your height. Y ou should bear in m ind that it is not the very pronounced break which is m ost successful. It may flatter one’s vanity to hear such remarks a s :— “ That chap is com ing back a couple of feet,” &c. But what is palpable to others is certainly so to the batsman ; and if you possess an oif-break you should not bow l short for the satisfaction of seeing the ball come across m ore. T he batsman can perceive that, and has plenty of time to watch i t ; but if the ball is well up to him he will have to play at t'ne pitch, and lose sight of it, thus possibly playing inside or outside of it. Bem em ber, too, that what may be a good length no one wicket may be a half-volley on another, and there is also the reach of each batsman to consider. As a rule, on a very dry or a very wet wicket, the ball will go fast and true to the b a t; on a drying wicket you can bowl almost up to the crease. W hen you have sufficiently gained control of the ball, and have found with some certainty in what directions your bowling is generally hit, it will be time to talk about setting your own field ; but don’t, if you can help it. have a man in a “ half-cock ” position in the field, a position, I mean, where he can save neither the single nor the boundary. That ought to be tbe captain’s business ; but you will not always be playing under the sam e captain. D on’t sulk if you are taken off when you fancy you are bowling w ell; you are only one out of eleven. There is no patent recipe for getting wickets. Take every chance of sensible bowling practice, and don’t fling yourself away bowling in a crowd at the nets if you can get to a net with only one or two. It is not a bad idea to test your length by bowling in practice at an unprotected wicket, and getting someone to mark where the ball which hits the top of the stumps p itch es; those which pitch shorter than that and go over the top are of very little value. Then accustom yourself as m uch as possible to that length. I do not mean make a m echanical length of it, but make it your standard. I have always found 7 or 8 steps enough to bowl any pace ball, and the most suitable for varying pace or break without appreciable difference in style of delivery. T o becom e a reallv good bowler means assiduous work, but there are great rewards. A wise captain is not content with a row of batsmen with more or less m isleading batting averages. A big batting total looks imposing on the score sh eet; but, after all, of what avail is it if the other fellows cannot be got out ? Framlingham Masters: 1 91 2 . Played 8 matches, won 4, lost 3, drawn 1. Inns. N.o. R. A. H.S. O. R . W . 4 0 30 7*50 26 — — __ 7 2 312 62*40 109 2129*5 319 28 3 0 27 9*00 27 — — __ 3 0 37 12*33 29 — 1 1 3 0 22 7*33 18 — 15 0 2 0 19 9*50 19 — __ __ 8 1 185 26*42 52 — __ __. 3 0 14 4*66 7 — __ __ 6 3 116 38*66 46* 59 194 18 8 0 119 14*87 40 99.1 351 21 8 1 121 17*28 41* — 28 2 A . Barnicott, R . S. Bassett, H. ... Bridgnell, C. IC. Bunbury, C. G. Featherston, S. Inskip, Rev. Dr. Macqueen, A. Spedding, T. R. Tomlinson (pro) ... 6 3 116 38*66 46* 591941810’ 77 Willans, G. J. ... 8 0 119 14*87 40 99.13512116*71 Williams, Dr. J. D. E. 8 1 121 17* 41* — 28214*00 Also batted : G. Bowen, 2 ,0 , and 0 ; J. G. Bullen, 5 ; H. T. C. H ill, 0and 0 ; E. G. Joyce, 14 ; G. N. Le May, 0 and 0 ; E. G. N orton, 25 ; and W . F. Podd, 34. Also bowled : E . G. N orton, 1 wicket for 6. F or Sale : Wisden's Cricketers ’ Almanack , 1879 to 1912, in ­ clusive, 34 volum es in all, 15 cloth bound, rest in original covers. W hat offers? W . J. B ., c/o the Manager of C r ic k e t , 33 and 35, M oor Lane, E .C . 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