James Lillywhiite's Cricketers' Annual 1874

1 0 fancy they unwisely prefer swiftness of pace , and do not devote sufficient time to the study of slow and medium-paced delivery . With young players , the great error is this ambition for extreme speed . The theory is to begin with slows until you have gained some accuracy of aim. The general practice is to tear away at the stumps as fast as possible , and to destroy , as a natural conse- quence , all hopes of distinction . Care must be taken not to overbowl at the outset ; to deliver at a slow rate of progression , to be increased gradually , as strength accrues . Speed will come better if it is allowed to come of itself , rather than by forcing it unnaturally . J. C. Shaw, Silcock , and Willsher do not poundaway at their fastest pace, but bowl so muchwithin their strength as to have almost complete commandover the ball , and hence the numberof maiden overs as well as wickets to their names. Anyobject will do to form a markfor practice , as a piece of paper placed in front of the stumps, at the point best suited for the pitch of the ball . A bowler will soon fall into a certain natural and mechanical action ; and care should be taken , when a suitable delivery is attained , not to vary nor deviate therefrom , as this will nullify the effects of the practice . Bowling , to mymind, should derive its motive power from the arm, and not from the body, as it is from the arm that most of the spin is gained , and bodily exertion will always be to the disadvantage of a bowler. The armshould be kept as level as possible with the shoulder , as this of itself will produce facility of delivery , without an excess of physical labour . Still there is muchin the way of example in the advocacy of the high delivery as the best action for a bowler. J. C. Shaw, Freeman, and others of our best bowlers , have the advantage of a high delivery with a slight assistance from a turn of the hand and wrist . It is the most difficult to play , as the bowler can pitch the ball nearer to the bat without the chance of a hit , in consequence of the ball rising so abruptly and with so much spin . Without prejudice , I am adverse to the claims of a fast , against those of a slow bowler. Indeed, most batsmen prefer pace , as generally fast bowlers pitch the ball short rather than well up, and the chances of a snick are many, while the opportunities for a cut are hardly less numerous. Moreover, fast bowling cannot be so accurate , nor can it be so consistent as that which is well under control , and the batsman is not so puzzled by the length of the ball , as with a slow dropping delivery . A great defect among bowlers is the disinclination or inability to pitch the ball far enough . A home toss , or what is technically termed a " yorker ," is often calculated to dispatch a batsman before he has had a chance of " getting his eye in." The shorter pitches may produce maiden overs , but it is the balls that are pitched nearest to the bat , as a rule , that get wickets ; and Howitt and Marten can testify to the merits of a good " tice ," when all other devices have failed . Whenyou have achieved accuracy sufficient to warrant more ambitious attempts , it will be time enough to devote your attention to the mysteries of break and spin . Only recently I read somewhere of the extraordinary capacity of a celebrated Oxford bowler in producing shooters at will . But this faculty exists nowhere except in the imagination of the writer ; and the intelligence was, perhaps , as novel and original to the Oxonian as it was to anyone who had a practical knowledge of the game. Reduce shooters to a certainty , and to agreat extent the proverbial uncertainty of cricket is no more. After this digression it maybe as well to state that some deliveries favour shooters , and that these are usually produced by alow slingy action , as was that of Mr. Fellows . To impart the mysteries of the rotatory motion of a ball is not only difficult but impossible , except by personal initiation . That the secret of good bowling is the spin infused into the course of the ball is so obvious that the statement