Canadian Cricket Field Volume 1 1882

84 f (TH iE J J (îPi, 11 F pigLD., CRICKET, AND HOW TO EXCEL IN IT. V. -The popping-crease is generily mnarked for about eight fet, it wouid be better if mtiade about tenî feet. It is taken as Bv nu. W. . uAI:. oetending riglit across the field. Its lenth is unliiited, and (p,,,lisimi ,y .- peiu prisin thus the bpatsuen are entabled to get out of the way of the ball wlen thrown in and to kep off the pitch. In country -- atcebs, owingi to the shortness of the erease, you oftenl see C ~rEn VI.-Lws. -Conined. the batsnen ruinniiig straight up and down beetween the wickets, whereai were the vrease longer there would lie no I. -The weight of the ball was fixed in 1774, but nothing. temuptation for anty one to do so. was said about the circuiference until later. In old daysV balls were badly made, and seldoni lasted out a match, and I. hin owbrs used to pitch the wickets, not the umpires. even now they are not always well seasoned, and if played A " cham,' the survyor's measuring standard, is the best thing with in wet weather or much hit about. they lose their shape. to use, as tapes stretch. To sav time it is the usual custom li irst-class matches a fresh ball is used each innings, but i i all but tirt elass matches for the ground man to mark out smnal matches it is only usual to have one ball throughout. A and prepare the wL-kets before the jlayers comie on the ground. goodlway to keep practice balls from wearing out quickly is to (To /e cndiwed.) well grease then ocasionally, especially after being played __ with in wet grass. IL.-This law was inade owing to the appearance at the wickets of White, of Reigate, with a bat wider than the -- stumps. Bats of over four and a quarter inches are frequently HINTS 1T) ('1UKE1i<TERS. played with, and tiere should be sonie means of enforcing the rule. The length, thirty-eight inches, was fixed in 1816, but To 1/tw Editor ofthe Cainadirue Crick Field. this Size is seidoit made, bats heing ordinarily about thirty. fmur inches long, twelve of which is taken up by the handle, )E.I Sin,--living statel what appears to nie to be the ani the rest ly the blade. Of late years the practice of ba- ing chief causeof weakness in play among Canadians, and how tu longer handles, as already alluded to, has comlw in, with advttn- reUedy it, I will add a fcw more lines on other points in tages more than counterhalanced by disadvantages. Bats are which Canadians, as a rule, show great deficioney. bad f -om either being made of unseasoned wood, or fromt being Finit, I ivili take fielding. The Leviathan has gone into b dly made of good wood. The question is very often asked, this sutbject very fully, and what he has written is admirable. " Who makes the best bats C' My answer is, " Never go ly a I endoro all he says. Let every one try-and follow ont bis muaker's name." All the best-knovn present miakers can mîîake instructions. There are, however, one or two pointe w'hich I good bats if they like, and in cloosing a bat you should depend wish to impress mor- strongly upon the notice of Canadians. not on the naine on it, but on your own judgment or that of One of these is " backinY up." Every man shouild be on the somne experienced friend. Never choose too heavy a bat, the alert. When a lit is made let those near enoughi in the fiold best weight is between two pounds one ounce aind two pounds bu ready te cover the wicket to which the ball should be live ounces for full.grown players. Boys should have snaller thrown. Don't back cach other ip too closely; there should be bats, the blade and handle shorter but no narrower. A handle! at least ten yards eitweeii each man. Not seldoni bas one too large or too small should be avoided, it being much easier scen two rushing after the ball and jostling each other, thereby to play well with a bat whose hiandle fits the hand. Never causing delay in throwing it up, and possibly giving time for lend your favourite bat ; il it is a good one you will find no0 another run im consequcae. As soon as aiman finds the other slight trouble in replacing it, and you wili break it quite soon will reach the ball soonier than hiiself, let him stop and return enough yourself. Bats should'he occasionally oiled, and care towar(s the wicket. It nay happen, as in my own experi- should be taken of theni; it does then ne good to put theim, ence it lias hiappened, that the ball nay pass the wicket. away in a lumber room, and forget them until the next season. keeper, either fromt bad throwing or otlierwise, and another run Young players should have their own bats, and -loves, and made for an over-throw; then the bail thrown in and missed pads, but their cricket bags reed not contain a sanple of every- agai and another rua attemîpted, but the man who iad re- thing used in the ganie. A couple of bats of about the saine tumed towards the wicket, as I mentioned, was " all there," weighît, pads, gloves, boots, and a ball, if practice is wanted, are dashed in, threw the ball splendidly te the wicket-keeper, and about ail they need carry (except, of couise, their fiannls, ran the batsman out. Another instance of stili finer filoding: when wanted). Cover-point, under similar circunstances of bad throwing and wlIII.-Eviter n l a f g over-throws, dashed across te the on side to back up, and suc. II.Evr ron hol av rat ormkngteceegled iii the saini- way, by good thxrowinig, mxi rtînniing the man creases, with three nicks in the centre of the bowling crease e h, mark to guide the placing of the stumps, but if instead of a eut. He saw the man who eught to have been there tocover frame a straiht-eae is used a very oodat once he ent over, ani right well it told: it g Cg g ay wa a grand piece of fielding. lails on the ground te get at thedistance betweeii eah stumîp IVhn you returna bai) folow te Lviathan's instructions, at the bottomn. Bails are often mnade too long, and consequenitly "Aim at the wicket-keeper's bhead ;' the ball is sure to drop to overhang the side of the wicket, giving ai advantage to e l theright hight. It is te hait, i am sorry tosay, fmany t bowler. Whea this occurs they should be cut down to the throw at the u'kt instead of the wicket-j. No doubt this rigt size, se that their ends are fluzhx with the sides of the w has beencaused mainybythat bastard sytem f wicket-keeing wicket. Plain stumps with no brass on them either at top so generally adopted in this country. That system is execrable or bottom are best. With brass-headed stumps the w-icket in overy way, aui more particularly in being injurious to field- keeper in putting down the wicket is not unlikely to knock the ing. In sharp bits and quick returns, when thri is no wicket- ski off his baud. keeper, the fielder lias no one to thtrow te instantaneously. IV.-There is just 'i yard between the outside stumps and His eye is distacted by secing a man scrambling to the wicket; the return creases for the bowler to deliver from. The returns it causes him to hesitate in lis thi-ow, and often to get the should always bé at right angles, the object of their existence habit of throwing at the wiet, andi consequently throwing being to prevent the bowler going far away from the wicket badly. 1ay the day coie when such exhibitions of wicket- se as to send in the ball to the striker at an excessive aigle. keeping will be thiimngs of the pxst, and treated with the contempt The ercases should not be more than an inch broad, and shiould thiey leserve. Follow another instruction of the Leviathian: e sharply and uitinistakably marked. " Watch the bail " as it is bowled; see whero she pitcles; you