James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

9 it never broke at all !" That was just the reason whyI had him. He was then at his best , and equal to the task of combating any bowling , but he never expected that his end could have been compassed by so simple a ball . It is this same deceptive attack that is the most successful , and the ocular delusion therefrom that ruins the batsman. It often surprises me that there are not more bowlers of merit , as I am quite sure that a large majority of cricketers , both gentlemen and players , could bowl well enough to be of use in a match if they would only try . Of course , to become a skilful bowler requires much study, and I can safely say from experience that it is an art that must be cultivated for manya long day. Any cricketer possessed of a hand and eye quick enough for fielding , as well as a sufficiency of intelligence to bat well , cannot fail to bowl if he will only give the art of bowling some time and patience . Let me, for the benefit of those who desire bowling fame, proffer a few hints gathered from a personal observation of many years . As far as I know, the art lies in managing the body in such a manneras to walk or run a few paces to the crease , and then, having the bodyand armwell balanced ,to let the ball leave the hand at the proper moment. The actual movementis purely mechanical , dependent on precision , and the secret of success is first , a true love of the sport , and secondly , great patience and practice . The spin of the ball and the judgment requisite to puzzle a batsman are matters entirely of experience , and can only be learned after the bowler has acquired the art of hitting the stumps with certainty as nearly as possible . I do not think the exceptions prove the rule that the very fast or tear -away bowling is calculated to finish a match on a very good ground , unless the bowler is very superior , unless he can makethe ball cut across the wicket , or unless from wet, or other causes , the ball shoots . Fast bowling is very expensive at times, in byes and " snicks " through the slips , and a lucky player , byjust turning the ball , m a y score five runs without any skill on his part. M y idea is that the bowler should bowl well within his strength , and should have as his main aim the attempt to weary the batsman's patience by a well sustained steady attack . Hemust expect to be punished occasionally , but it is often the first sign of hitting in the play of a batsman that serves to encourage the bowler . It is then, as I have already stated , that he is on the feed . Obviously , the first two points to be studied are precision and a certain commandover the ball . The first desideratum of all is to be able to hit the wickets , and to do this with any degree of accuracy is at first by no means easy. Look at some of the most deadly bowlers of the North, and consider how some of them have reached distinction . W h y, I believe that the sole supremacy of the North over the South in the matter of bowling is due to the persistent study the Northerners give to the cultivation of the art. In the South, it often strikes m e that an Eleven relies solely on two or three bowlers , and when a player earns aposition in a county team , either by reason of his batting or fielding , ling it never occurs to him to keep up his bowling . Is it that batting is unfairly estimated by the public , to the neglect of bowling ? or that the averages incite a batsman to prefer the notoriety of a sensational score , while no inducement is given to a bowler ? Perhaps both these are reasonable suppositions . In the North of England, and in the Midland Counties , perhaps from indirect causes , bowling is greatly fostered . I have in some parts myself seen colliers and workers of all kinds , during their leisure hours , at practice with a ball at a stone or a piece of coal in the roads , or on the moors. N o matter where, so long as they can have something whereat to bowl, at the regulation distance of twenty -two yards , and the consequence is that they can almost all bowl with accuracy ; though I r