Canadian Cricket Field Volume 1 1882

60 qlHE GM DIM2ý qltI9KET FIELD, The reqults of the last two matches played by the Australi. the player is, the botter. One of the hest methods of practice ans have caused inuch surprise in England, and many and I know of is for sixteen people to play anongst theinselves; ingeitous are the excuses otiored as reasons for the ignominious :e".n te go into the field, two to go to the wickets, two to be df tumpiring, and one scoring. An afternoons practice, to last say for four hours, will thus give a quarter of an hour in eh Gentlenmen in 18'78 was decided against Gregory's team in one position to every player, and each player will gain experience innings, and it is strange that the order of things should be in every departmient of the gaine, getting half an hour's bat- thus reversed. The eleven, composed of both classes of players, ting (fifteen minutes at each wicket, no matter how often out), which sustained a still greater defeat to that experienced by ialf an hour's bowling (fifteen minutes at each wicket), half tan hour's unpiring (fifteen minutes at each end), a quarter of the Gentlemen, was by no means a representative one. The an hour's scoring, and two and a quarter hours' fielding, being amuateurs were few in number, and the professionals were net fifteen minutes at each place: overs of four balls being bowled by any means the best of their sort. It is a pity that a really and discipline kept up throughout as in a match, a note being good combined eleven lad net been pitted against them. made of the results of the batting, the figures heing arrived at by dividing the number of runs gained by each player, by the * * nun.ber of innings, and the bowling record worked out in the The strongest objection against the existence of the Ontario usual way, showing se many wickets for so many runs. On Cricket Association is the unfortunate antagonism that it or two afternoons, devoted to steady practice of this kind, in breeds. This objection, however, is not confined to the Associa- which each player lias a fair chance of improvement, cannot tion, for we have recent information of the very unpleasant fail to be valuable. Parties of less than sixteen could work on a sinillar prineiple, and in cases of fewer players nets could treatnent of an eleven at the hands of their hosts, ii a purely be used-double wicket being played whenover possible. friendly contest, with no honours at stake but the prestige cf The advantage cf having eleven in the field wien you are either club. Such conduct is to be, deprecated in the strongest practising is that you thereby best learn how to judge the nanner. li the case in point the captain is only indirectly to runs, and there is nothing se important to a cricketer as te be blamîe for allowing the uncointrollable teimiper of ie of ls ahi. to do this well Quickness between vickefs is iost essential, but quiekness vithout judgment isuseless. A mn fledghmgs te get the better of hui. Novices at the game require at the bowler's end thno knws wht he is about will always more captaining than older hands, and se the steersman should back up, that is, go a few paces up the wicket after the be ail the more carefully selected wlhen greenhornts are to be bowler delivers the ball, and thus imake many a run which guided. The sooner the club to which we allude learns that could net be secured were lie like soue players, to stand as '.t will effectually banish all chance of further visitors coming still as a scarecrov waiting till the ball is played. When a man backs up properly he has a muc-h shorter distance te to theu by such displays of nasty temper and seltisih tendencies cover in niaking the run thain when lie reiains level with the as it was guilty of on Monday last, le better for itself. wicket and las te run the whole twenty-two yards. Tip and run is good occasional practice for smartening up a field, but two good batsnen should be at the wickets, it oeimg shockingly STOLE12 lìUr2S. bad practice as far as batting is concerned. The way in which runs can be scored whei, as in this game, the batsmen are determined on making theim, is astonishing, and calecu- verheard li the North !- Du yout thmk we can beat 'em' lat.d to considerably npen the eyes of a sleepy field. hk 1" r .-g-you1i b .vantng agood cal umpire, In running, batsinen should always keep straight up and down by the side of the wicket and never cross unnecessarily: Rather late in life hoe took te boatimg with the not a'.together un- they should not run on the pitch, or they will spoil it by heel expezted result of being upset alnost every day. When this wild exciteient began to pall, lie transferred his athletic attentions to marks, sud they should aiways kcep titir vits about the cricket. By-and-hy, le was inv:ited to make one of a team asembled and avoid collisions. The rate of running inust be the rate of at a gountry-house for the purpose of annihilating a local eleven. the slower of the two, as there is no use in running a man te The dayvas hot, the drink was plentiful ; and when the shadows a standstill, and of course therc is no gain in runng hin out. of the tal elm-trees began to lengthen on the green sward beneath, in running a four or fiver run moderately, not at top speed, the novice wasnobeody's eneny but hisownî. Friendly handssteered and do net begin batting again until after you have recovcred him to lis belrooim, ind it w-as thoiglit that there he woulid be al u . right. But presently the inhabitants of the neighbouring apartmnents yr iro f wvere startled by a iuud shoutig and splashiig. Rushing juto the 'ite striker s 3ouid judge ail bits iu front cf the wilket, the iovice's chanber they fuunid himt head duwntwards in a huge bath, other batsmen those behind, ,.nd wheni a run is to be iade which an unforeseeiug hloumaid had left filled for the morning. one should call te the other. Call in a decided tone, net iesi. Seizing him ly somte of his garments thoy endeavoured to extricate tatingly and apologetically, and inistakes will never occur. It him froin his unfortunate position, but he continued to strike out always takes too t,, make a run, so neither should start off on valiantly with hi-t fect, landing one of the rescue party in the nouth his own judgment and advance too far te return te his wicket and a second in the stomuach. When at length the little muai got Lis before tue ball gets there, in case the other man declines te head above water le gurgled .<Shave your sielvesli, youî fellowsii. Icarisîia.-potu ins meve. When a ball is hit yeu should make the first run at the top of your speed, and thus often get a couple where you would CRICKET, AND HOW TO EXCEL IN IT. only have made one ; in the saume manner threes are made out of twos, and so on. Never over-run the bowling crese, s av n. W. O. oRSAcE' bad players invariably do, for it is a very common cause of (Pulblished by special pcrMnission) runs being lost. Always 'watci the fieldsmen, and be ready to LTAPTER V.-PR.icTiC'.-Coyitinued. make a run st the slightest mistake. Two good judges of a run in together will often find that these runs from fieldsmen's On the other hand, if the object be improvement, and the blunders are the easiest made of any. If a ball is thrown in practice be really undertaken for the more skilful playing of the fron the long-tield you can nearly always score one while it gaume, I would earnestly impress upon my readers this often- is on its way. The effect of stolen runs upon the opposite forgotte:, fact, that the more nearly the practice-game side is not to be despised-first, the ficlding gets wild and approaches te a match, and the more steady and painstaking loose and the men demoralized, great becomes the temptation