Cricket 1914

M a y 23, 1914. THE WORLD OF CRICKET. 169 The Game and How to Play it. B ow lin g . B y A. C. M a c L a r e n . (Action photographs taken b y Messrs. Cherry Kearton, L td .’s, aeroscope.) I t is generally admitted th at we have nothing like the number of good bowlers we ought to have. Boys prefer batting to bowling. That bowlers are born, not made, is an accepted theory, and is more or less a fact ; but this holds good of great batsmen also. The bowling of school­ boys can, however, be greatly improved if certain rules are observed. The same number of strides up to the w icket should be taken every time, th at number being such as appears the most suitable ; this will help to ensure command of the pitch of the ball. It is a good plan to measure out one’s run, and make a mark from which to start. To bowl beyond one’s strength is most unwise, and one should always be fresh when practising bowling. The body and arm should go together w ith a nice easy swing ; this is absolutely essential. Get the arm up as high as possible. It is not advisable to practise more than one break, as spinning the ball both ways invariably leads to loss of length, and y o u m u s t bowl a length. One should cultivate varying one’s pace w ithout any alteration of action. Attempting an extravagant spin is apt to upset one’s length. Varying the height of the ball, to alight on the blind spot, the awkward length at which the batsman hesitates at times, is not practised enough. The swing of arm and body gives a natural break to the ball if the arm is brought from a height, and the wrist whipped down ; and, again, the ball will go w ith the arm if allowed to leave the palm of the hand w ithout any finger work, and the seam of the ball is placed parallel with the fingers. It is always necessary to study the batsman against whom you are bowling. Find out a weakness, and make use of all your fieldsmen— don’t have policemen in un­ necessary positions. If a batsman indulges in much forward play, drop the ball shorter. If too much back play, pitch them up, and thus force him to do what he doesn’t wish. Hold back, or put the drag on the ball, at times, which causes the batsman to play too soon as a rule. Keep smiling even if catches are dropped, and don’t fail to appreciate the good attempts of your fieldsmen. Bow l as naturally as possible. J . A . R o b in s o n made 83 out of a total of 137 for North Durham v. South Northumberland? and his side won by 19 runs, T. Pratt taking 6 for 42. J. L. Towler made 63 of Wallsend’s 145, and St. George’s, the other side, tumbled out for 78. B a c k w o r t h P e r c y , a much improved team, had a sensational win over the County Club eleven in the Tyneside League. They made 323 for 4— T. Smith 161*, with 8 sixes and 20 fours, 24 in one over, Jackson 72 ; and then they dismissed their opponents for 105, Jackson taking 5 for 26. I n Lancashire League matches Kermode had 7 for 71 in an innings of 208 for 8. dec. (Bacup v. Rawtenstall) ; G. Ashworth 5 for 15 and Leach 5 for 20 (Rawtenstall v. Bacup); Llewellyn 7 for 26 (Accrington v. Enfield), Harrison 6 for 41 (Enfield v. Accrington); Wilson 6 for 35, the first 5 for 4 runs (Todmorden v. Nelson); Preston, late of Kent, 5 for 54 (Nelson v. Todmorden); Atherton 5 for 40 (Lowerhouse v. Rishton); Norbury 6 for 56 (East Lancashire v. Burnley); Parkin 6 for 31 (Church v. Ramsbottom); and F. VV. Duerr 6 for 26 (Rams- bottom v. Church). F i g . 2 .— T h e l e f t l e g b e i n g t a k e n d p b y t h e b a c k w a r d SW IN G O F B O D Y , RIG H T ARM GOIN G D OW N A N D LE F T GOING H IG H ER. F ig . 3.'— L e f t l e g l i f t m o r e p r o n o u n c e d , w it h f u r t h e r B A C K W A R D SW IN G . F ig . 1 .— T h e r ig h t a r m c o m m e n c in g t o c o m e d o w n w it h 'T H E RIG H T LE G SU PPO R T IN G TH E B O D Y .