Cricket 1914

98 THE WORLD OF CRICKET. M a y 2, 1914. to b rin g m y w ife on from w h at w as le ft of it n ex t morning. W e w ere in th e lion district, w ith a ride of 16 m iles or so, and b a re ly an h our before d ark to break th e b ack of it in. O f cou rse I w as on th e w h itest of w h ite A rabs, for which lions h a v e a p a rticu la r fondness. T set a p re tty good gallop ; b u t w e h ad scarcely covered a couple of m iles b efore th e sow ar (sword-bearer) rushed p ast me, like D an n y M ah er com in g ou t o f th e dip a t N ewm arket. I failed to realise for th e m om ent w h y he m ade no a ttem p t to check his m oun t. B u t all a t once th e tru th flashed upon me— lions, b y Jove, and his horse had w inded them ! T a lk a b o u t th e “ gettin g hom e stakes ” on a S atu rd ay aftern oon , boys ! “ Gee-whizz, I w en t som e,” as the Y a n k s say. I w as no candid ate for th e lion ’s savou ry, to be ta k e n for an angel-on-horseback— no, th a n k you ! I w asn ’t w orryin g a little b it ab ou t n ot bringing home th a t p anther-skin . I o n ly wished, as we thundered on in d evil-take-th e-h in dm ost style, th a t I w asn ’t such a T omm y T opw eigh t. W e dashed in to cam p even tu a lly ju st a t lighting-up tim e. “ H a v e you brou gh t th e panther-skin a t last ? ” asked m y w ife. A n d as I drew rein— and breath— I answered : “ No, b u t it ’s a great d a y for S cotland th a t I ’v e brought b a ck m y own ! ” T he T heo ry a n d P r a c t ic e of Sw e rve w i t h a C r ic k e t B a ll. B y C h a r le s I l l i n g w o r t h (Vancouver). F e w English cricketers know anything of the conditions re­ quired for successful swerve bowling ; and the few who do know appear to know only b y rule of thumb, so to say. They have acquired a knack, but cannot begin to teach others to do what they are able to do themselves. I have met dozens of prominent English and Australian cricketers, and have discussed this subject with them. In every case where entire ignorance was not admitted ideas were vague. This may be difficult to believe ; but one has only to watch such of these men as do swerve the ball, and it will be seen that in almost every case they swerve it in one direction only. Now if they understood the principles, they could swerve just as easily from the off as from leg, or vice versa. The baseball ex­ perts have many variations of swerve. During the past seven or eight years, I have watched numerous baseball games in the States and Canada, and always it has been the wonderful curves produced by the pitcher that have won my admiration. In fact, the study of this subject has drawn me to these games ; I am no baseball enthusiast. I have seized every opportunity to talk with these pitchers. They have always been willing to help me both with practical demonstra­ tions and theoretical explanations ; but I have noticed with amusement that most of them did not at first take my request seriously. They assumed that every baseball follower knew how swerve was produced. Objections may be raised to comparison between the pitcher at baseball and the bowler at cricket. There are differences, of course. The pitcher is allowed to throw ; the bowler may neither throw nor jerk. The baseball missile is smaller and lighter than the cricket ball, too. But the similarities outnumber the differences, and anyone who knows baseball will readily adm it that the American pitchers could give our bowlers some very valuable wrinkles. The career of J. Barton King, the greatest bowler the Western Continent has ever produced, may be quoted as a proof of this. People have called King the world’s greatest fast bowler; I fancy Mr. P. F. Warner was among those who thus styled him. Be that as it may. no one will dispute that he is a very fine bowler indeed. A member of the Australian Team which visited England in 1912, told me that he dreaded King more than Barnes, and added that Kelleway, at all times a difficult man to shift, found King his master. Barton King has taken some 2000 wickets during his career. That he has not taken them all in the highest class of cricket must be admitted ; but he has done well in his comparatively few chances in really first-class company, and the Halifax Cup matches in Philadelphia are fought out by players of ability, who get plenty of runs against ordinary bowling, but have always found King a stumbling-block. Three times he lias taken all ten wickets in an innings : for Belmont v. Manhattan in 1896, 10 for 20, all clean bowled ; for Belmont v. Germantown in 1899, 10 for 39, 7 clean bowled ; and for Gentlemen of Philadelphia v. Gentlemen of Ireland in 1909, 10 for 53, all clean bowled. Now Barton King was a prominent baseballer before he took to cricket at all, and at the root of his success as a swerving bowler, lies the knowledge he acquired at the other game. In explaining the theory of swerve bowling, I shall not employ technical terms. My aim is to use such language as anyone can understand. The theory once grasped, persistent practice will do the rest. But it must be persistent. Success will not be gained without real and continuous effort. The principle of the curve is exact and philosophical, and its demonstration really admits of no argument. Two necessary conditions, absolute and indispensable, govern the art of curve production. The one is the natural resistance of the air to the ball, which varies in different climates. The other is a quick rotary motion given to the ball. It is the second which needs mastering, the first being beyond human control. To make the ball swerve in from leg a quick spin from the right must be given it. The ball should be held with the seam horizontal, and the spin should be as nearly horizontal as possible, that is, around a perpendicular axis. The more rapid the spin and the pace applied, the greater the curve will be, provided the spin is horizontal. And here it may be said, that it is of little use trying to curve a slow b a ll; the air resistance is not sufficient. Practice alone will enable the student to perfect himself in the handling of the ball, so that the spin shall be horizontal. To swerve from the off is somewhat more difficult at the outset. The spin must be applied in the other direction, from left to right ; and one’s fingers do their work with less ease and readi­ ness in this case, as will be understood. But the extra labour involved will be well repaid. The ball swerving in from the off troubles many batsmen, and is far less frequent than the leg swerve. There are many more variations of the curve, as a two-minute demonstration by a baseball pitcher would show ; but it is un­ necessary to describe these in detail, even if it were possible to put on paper the exact method of each. The general principle is the same, a slight difference of angle in spin is responsible for the varying curves. The leg and off swerves acquired, practice will enable the bowler to vary them. The beginner is apt to imagine that he is getting on any amount of spin, when he is really getting on none worth mentioning ; but I have seen a good break bowler, adept at finger spin, produce a very nice curve after only four or five attempts, on being told the principles I have laid down here. Remember, getting the spin at the wrong angle means failure— not failure of curve, but failure to control the curve. You should be able to make the ball take the direction required, or your curves will be useless ; to do this, you must remember the fundamental rule— the imaginary axis of the ball perpendicular, the spin imparted horizontal. Don’t attempt to bowl swerves with the wind behind you. Bowl against the wind ; thus you get greater resistance, and in consequence a more effective swerve. To be exact— we will take it th at you are bowling from N to S. In that case a S. wind will assist either curve ; a N. wind will retard either ; an E. wind will help a leg curve, a W. wind an off curve. I have said nothing about accuracy or good length. These things are taken for granted. They come before curve or even break ; and the would-be bowler who attempts to acquire break or curve without first laying the foundations of length and accuracy might as well try to master fractions before learning the first four rules of arithmetic. NOW RHADV. THE D E R B Y SH IR E C R ICKET G U ID E (SEASON 1914). Compiled by L. G. WRIGHT and W. J. PIPE R , Jun. (N INETEENTH YEAR.) CONTENTS : Portraits and Biographies of M r . T. F orester and A rth ur S l a t e r ; First- class Cricket in 1913 (by “ L. G. W.” ) ; Derbyshire Records and Statistics ; The Laws of the Game; Fixtures of the Leading Counties and M .C.C.; The Principal Local Leagues and Local Clubs ; Secretaries’ Names and Addresses; and other useful and interesting information. PRICE TWOPENCE, per post THREEPENCE, From the publishers. BACON & HUDSON, Colyear at.. DERBV.