James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

7 onthe leg -stump a firm position must be maintained , and by practice the art of making runs from them be acquired . For it is an art , believe me, and one that is not sufficiently studied . In this case keep the bat persistently straight as before , paying due attention to the penalty incurred by the infringement of the law respecting leg -before -wicket , and by playing forward or back hard on the ball you will find runs come freely . With fast bowlers especially , this hit , or " shove " as it may perhaps be more aptly termed , tells at times with signal effect , and constant practice to secure its achievement will be not uselessly employed. Above all things be careful not to move out of your ground to hit at a ball on the leg -side , as this is a most hazardous experiment and should be studiously avoided . In leg -hitting , the right leg must be kept firm , and in all respects the ball treated as in the main principle of batting above described , the policy of reaching the ball as near as possible to the pitch , when a good length , being most to be recommended . I would , too , impress forcibly on the minds of young players the necessity of making their practice consonant with their play during a match. Nothing can be more baneful than the reckless style of batting so often prevalent during the hours of practice . It is this unwise relapse into bad habits that seals the fate of manya promising cricketer . Whatis virtually the object of practice but to accustom a player to the mostimportant necessities of a match ? What is practically the result of this foolish custom of reckless and unnatural batting but to irreconcile the batsman to his owngenuine style , and substitute habits which unfit him for higher duties ? Young cricketers will do well to avoid these suicidal tactics . There are manyother sins of omission and commission into which it would be possible to enter were the present volume as capacious as the Koran, or the present writer as industrious as one of its expositors . Onthe minor topics incidental to the gamethere is muchto be said that has been left unsaid . O n the various appliances of the game there is much to be written , if only to satisfy anxious enquirers . I shall , however , merely bring to an end this my first rough article on cricket with a few brief words of advice on subjects which are not sufficiently attended to. I allude first to the necessity of good running as one ofthe brightest feathers in the cap of any one whoclaims to be an effective batsman. It is by the neglect of this essential that manyruns are lost , and manya " notch " indirectly given to the other side . To see two good runners at the wickets is a treat to those whounderstand genuine cricket . There is no slovenly dallying , no indecision , no call for a run and after re-call . In this respect alone a batsman of mediocrity maybe of as muchreal value as one of far superior powers. Beready to back up immediately the ball leaves the hand of the bowler, and be careful to act decisively , as on this depends greatly the fate of your opposite neighbour . If you feel inclined to run do not hesitate , butcall , and on no account reduce your partner to the necessity of retracing his steps , as, from the fact of your backing up, you can get to the opposite wicket with greater ease than he can return and recover his ground. This last caution should not be overlooked . A stolen run, if the batsmen act well in concert , is by no means difficult of achievement though care should be taken against any really impracticable attempt and a succession of stolen runs has the effect not only of irritating the bowler , but of demoralising and detracting from the efficacy of the field . Again, to bat with strict care at the commencementof your innings , trusting to time and the gradual diminution of accuracy on the part of the bowler to admit of scoring , is advice that would seemto be superfluous . But patience throughout an innings of any duration is avirtue of great rarity among batsmen . Take care of the stumps , and the