James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual 1875

' , • • · 8 ' . n'ake up a g ood position on . s"?ard aft�t the style oi the b . atsniQJl in the · icl} agr�. · �o careful t9 . study what is ea.�y and nattttal, :,;a�her than aim . at a,&Ut1ess . &lid �legan�t as, without thoug];lt, . the lat��r i . . s very o� t en · t�e eo�.seqlienoe . of ·, the former. . It is · in this. craying f - 0r eff � ct # tha� so . m�y. _ b�tsi n en do th�mselves ,. inmy opinion, so muoh iµj'+&tice� You can�ot ta _ ke the _ ant .of -� b & ttin g by storm · , nor master it in a single lesson. Hence aplieation mtlBt . be 1u1grudgingly and i1nsp�fngly (Jiv,e n , . , and desultory praetioo . · carefully avoid�d� First ., acquire a · p · osi�oµ. tli&t suits , you and . is at the same �ime no� �eorrect, and the,n, by tl)e aid of c·are i.p.,d pr�cti , ce, preserve it 1111til it � becomes a oonfitJ,lled attitqae. lt is �y this means alone tpat � �yil habit . will be escaped · and in,1ch , a�er.Iabpur and pain Qe apared ,, to _ the youn& . � beginner. My own theory on . ; the � bes� po13ition Jqr a b�tsman I now pro pose to state, with A the feeling · that it · has enio y ed, . at laa,st . i� some degre�, t.he · ;})t-mefit . of sticce�s. . Stand then, I say to the y<,:>ung ��udent, with the · r ight · 1e.g quite firm, the right , foot j.µst inside the crea�e, and . \ the toes iµ.st clee,r · of a line drawn f1:om wioket to wicket. T l le advisability o . f havin g the T�li� foot . just in.side the orease is ,, obvious, as thereby the length of reach is greatly , extended ,., but c�t1,,tio� �hould - �0110 the , less be , evei;cised not to ove>s�p the limits, as in the present age of efficien� wioket-keepers, like · the four P's, Po-oley, Pl1-imb ,: PAtde� and Phillips, t�e �nd would soon com� ; an.d . stl1mpmg is, a,t the.b�st, . a � uns 9: tis�actory d�ath. Again, the adoptio� o� 0t guar d . µearer the w1oket . 1s inadvisable , as, · tho�gh .a better defence may pa gained in some ins t an . oes, ye� this is m.oi- e . than · Coun�eracted , by _ the Te�uc,tion of the rea�h, the conseqttent impedi�ent · in the way of fQrwatd _pJay, and lastly, � �h · e gre&t�r facility given to the ,bow�er to drive you back i_nto . y otu wicket� The . right leg , � , should Qe �ept �s I haye alread y . stated, 4uite firm, as in defav.It of � \his pr9visi0n it will readily be seen that the balanoo can hatdly 'bemaintained, or at least � that ' the batsn;ian can · b� .. so well prepar·ed for � forward or retrogade mo . vement, or so ready for an ..emergency. . The right leg must of . nece1's�ty form the ' ' l pivot '' to regulat� the movements of the batsman, as on it depends · most of the offenc� and no �mall share of the defenoe. In the method of · pl:acing the left · 1eg t\Dd foot there are innumert'ble varieties aJ:!d eccentricities. For myself, I prefer to pl�ce the latter about a . foot in �ont .. of" and �early at rig4t angles to the f heel of the righ� foot. Thus, in the ma�, - the ruling prin c ip l e , ml1st b o . �hat the right ,, , leg should �e firmly planted and represent a stout support (or the �man, and given this provision ,. the us e of th e other must . be g re.atl y · at1bservient to \he 4i�erenoo . of play, and l;>e � rul.ed chiefly by the cliscretion · , · -0f the pla.yeF� . The _ batsma.n in the diagram , nearly �eallses my idea on tho snbj�t of r �sitiou, w - itJ} . the - reser,vations · a1i e ady mentioned. The yo�iµg beginner will do well to frame- his play according to this xnociel. . Frotu m y · -0wn �xp � rienee · I �av6 alw , ys fon�d �t t � · �y ad _ vant � ge 't ,o h9ld the �a.t hal.f­ way up the . h9:ndle, , and this - happy Il:WQ.1um I rec9mnJend . for �lQption, , as thereby you ,can ooµtrol ,. 1t flS (}fiec-�iveiy as if held nearer to . tb a blade, a1} i ihe beI\efits inoid���l . to the extra length a1re. Y.ery , important. , To . hold. - it higher in the handle neJ.\tx:�Jises this adva11ta ge, ' as the qa.t is nqt so w�ll no r # ..-.... so fumly gra�ped, and �he power · of hittj.ng at . a · ball , wit� c�ta-inty is con-- . ' a i d er�bl y . les&ened. · Stt1nd, then, . in - an easy p osiiion . , ,. with the ba t · helcl as . I : l1av . e · (lir�cted, f.lrtnly , bt1t not _ too s�i� y , . tQ �m�t ' . of fa tl �ty 1 of , !Jlot i on , and await the att�ok � the . bow i e� . �9 not b�1it tbe � �ir wi�h your �t, · · a l - 7 i s · the · �J¥)ner tjf so�e, in �se��ly_ fiouris}.les, nor �aye _ it �jgI>;Qve.r y� hei\d, . a� .. the �shioq qi () , ih�r - .. st1ll more v�nto�.w. 1 o_ally . - m..�eC;l ' PQ- rfortnws • . . . . - � . . ,. - ·...-..:: . . . · - . .,. ,;,,;:, · · � • , I . , . ,. .- , . . -, .. I • , , . , I , . ' • ' ·. . . ' ' . • ' . . .. . l ' . . r r . ' . . .. " . . ' ' • • I • I • I I I J I 1 1 f I ,